Get to Know King David... Book Review

Get to Know King David
Author: Nancy I. Sanders
ISBN: 978-0-310-74475-7
Zonderkidz.com
Cover Illustration: Greg Call
Juvenile Nonfiction/ Biography/ Religious/



Back Cover: David led an adventurous life-from shepherd to warrior to the king of Israel. But he was also a man of God. Read about this hero from the Bible and his place in history.

The Get to know series features:

• 4-color maps and photos
• Scripture references and fun facts
• A word bank
• and much more

Review: This book is an awesome history of the life of King David. Readers will enjoy the fun facts woven throughout the book as well as the maps, pictures, and adventures that David encountered in his life. He had stones thrown at him, he went hungry, and he had many lessons in life. The book details other interesting facts in the Bible like the Ark, the Ten Commandments, and the timeline of the life of David in relation to other facts in history before Jesus. 

Nancy I. Sanders is an expert at bringing what some might deem boring history and makes it come to life. She keeps the reader engaged and involved with every page. Priests and pastors, parents, and Sunday School teachers will appreciate the accurate presentation of the story of King David and be confident that the book will educate the reader with Biblical accuracy. 

Book Review: Get to Know Mary

Get to Know Mary
Author: Nancy I. Sanders
Cover Illustration: Greg Call
ISBN: 978-0-310-74480-1
Published by Zonderkidz
2014

What better way for children to understand the people in the Bible then with a full color biography written specifically to their way of learning? Get to Know Mary written by award winning author Nancy I Sanders is just such a biography.

The author does a wonderful job of bringing Mary to life for the reader. From being a young girl in Israel to the one chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, young readers will come away with a new understanding of the humanness of Mary.

 Each chapter includes words that may be new to the reader and their definitions. Factual information is divided into easy to understand paragraphs in story form. To aide the reader in comprehension, there are visual keys to indicate scripture, eye witness accounts, and Bible hero characters.

Also included with the text are pictures of original paintings of the people in the Bible, maps to show where events occurred, and illustrations and pictures to bring visual interest to the story of Mary's life.

Nancy I. Sanders has done a beautiful job of engaging and educating the reader about the real life of Mary. Parents will appreciate the Biblical truths taught in such a fun and interesting way for their children. The book will serve as a great way to open more discussions about Mary and modern family values that each parent wants their child to know.

Check out www. Zonderkidz.com to order a copy for your home or Sunday school class. Selling for 6.99 makes this biography very affordable for your collection of Biblical references.  

Bird Face by Cynthia T. Toney

Bird Face is a standout among novels written for or about the junior-high crowd; this book doesn't deal with vampires, the occult, or any of the other usual subjects. Instead, the book delves into the soul of Wendy, a shy but talented eighth-grader who's trying to find her place in her family, her community and the cliques in her school. As she discovers more about who she is and how to be a friend to those around her, she sees others' vulnerabilities.

Author Cynthia T. Toney nails the voice of the fourteen-year-old protagonist. Wendy’s faith is right up front in this novel, beginning in the very first chapter when she’s seen struggling against the impulse to swear—an impulse she’d confessed in the past and was trying hard to resist. Not a goody-two-shoes but definitely someone who’s trying to do what’s right, Wendy fights feelings of jealousy when she’s left out of the “in” crowd as well as when others have the nice things she wishes she could own. Wendy is also the victim of a bully, and her attempts to shake his verbal attacks and vandalism occupy much of her mental energies.

There’s a bit of a mystery in this story: anonymous sticky-note messages for Wendy, left all around school. These mysterious notes encourage her when she’s struggling the most, reminding the reader that people who really care are the ones who want the best for others. As Wendy seeks clues to the mystery note-writer, she encounters friends and classmates in crises of their own.

Bird Face is a winning combination: a good story, a realistic main character, and an exploration of the meaning of friendship. Recommended for middle-schoolers and teens--but this book carries messages for the adult reader as well.

Bird Face can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, or at your local bookstore.

A New Feature

Welcome to our newest feature: Book reviews! My Light has been working hard putting together a new team just for reviewing books. There are many great books for children out there which we can't wait to share with you! 

Is there a book you'd like to know more about before purchasing it? Let us know. If we think the book is a good read for the children, we will post our review.  

Have you written a book that you'd like to include in our book review program? Head on over to our BOOK REVIEW info page for our guidelines.