Say and Pray Devotions is a very sturdy padded board book that serves many purposes. The left hand side gives a topic, with a short sentence to expand upon it and then the right side gives a short Scripture that could be easily memorized by a 3 or 4 year-old and a simple prayer to use. Examples are listed below:
YUMMY! Good food tastes yummy and helps me grow. [God] gives food to the hungry - Psalm 146:7 Thank You, God, for good food. Amen.
Good News Jesus is our Savior. That's the good news! We bring you the good news. - Acts 13:32 Thank You, God, for Jesus! Amen.
And then there are the illustrations, by Sarah Ward, on all pages that are labeled to help teach reading and word identification. Just as we read the Bible to learn and for it to make an impact on our lives, this simple book can be used the same way for toddlers and younger kids.
I want to add that this is a very sturdy padded board book. It has easily survived my 14 month old great-granddaughter's attempts to read it by herself and the sticky pages were easily cleaned after she left. I love having a book that I am comfortable with the little ones holding themselves that is also useful for me teaching them simple concepts of my faith. The pictures with just a one word description are fabulous for the younger ones, but can also lead to conversations ranging from what is seen on to telling stories based on imagination. I believe this is going to be a favorite book at my house. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through FlyBy Promotions.
Little One, God Made You Special by Amy Warren Hilliker is a 14 page board book for toddlers inspired by Rick Warren's best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life. Written by his daughter, Amy, the book is just the right size for toddlers to old on to and has simple sentences that are just the right length for a toddler's attention span. You can even use interactions to correspond with each sentence to make it an additional learning lesson.
Cute adult and child animals give the book an appealing charm, thanks to illustrator Polona Lovsin, and a child is sure to be delighted with the drawings. This is also a sturdy book that holds together well (tested by my 8 month old great-granddaughter). Published by Zonderkidz.
I received a copy of this book from the BookLook Bloggers program at no cost to myself for review purposes. I was not required to give a good review.
Song of the Stars by New York Times bestseller, Sally Lloyd-Jones, and illustrated by Alison Jay is a board book about the celebration of all creation as they eagerly await the birth of Christ. The animals, trees, oceans and even the stars are anticipating letting the entire world know that God's promised Son, the Creator of ALL living things has been born! "It's Time! It's Time!"
My Review: Of course I loved the story. As a follower of Christ, I want to share the story of his birth with the little ones I love and I do like the sense of anticipation and excitement that builds as the author and illustrator demonstrate how all of creation rejoiced and celebrated the birth of Jesus.
But I thought the book structure was meant more for tinier hands to hold and the words were more appropriate for the 4-7 year old audience that it is meant to reach. It is a good book, but I guess my expectations in seeing the size had my expectations prepared for the words to be geared more toward a toddler with a more limited vocabulary. So, it is more of a visual thing for me. I had my 1 year old great grandson in mind since it was a perfect size. But, his attention span would not last through a reading. By the time he is old enough to appreciate the words more, he is more apt to think of smaller board books as "baby books." Don't love it, but I did like it. It should be sturdy enough to hold up until he is old enough to sit still for a reading.
**I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers
book review program. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books
for children. She is the author of three bestselling children’s Bibles,
including the Gold Book Award-winning Baby’s First Bible and, most
recently, the Moonbeam Award Winner and ALA notable, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. She has written many picture books for children, including the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller How to Be a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister.
Sally was born and raised in Africa, was schooled in England, and now
lives in New York City. She can be found at www.sallylloyd-jones.com.
