The Knight’s Map by R.C. Sproul with illustrations by Richard Lawnes, and published by Ligonier Ministries (2016) is a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook. It opens with a letter to parents explaining the purpose and inspiration for the story. The author suggests ways parents can enrich the reading experience. He quotes Matthew 13:45-46, which compares the kingdom of God to a pearl of great price. The story is an allegory based on the parables of Jesus. A boy tells his father how kids at school are teasing him for reading the Bible, calling it an old book full of made-up stories. His ..read more

The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection by Eugene Burnand, 1898, A. D. He is Risen ..read more

Who doesn’t want a little candy at Easter? Just a chocolate egg? Or two? OK, maybe three. So, we’re doing the candy thing, right? Because Easter is a sweet time. But there’s a sweeter gift—God gave us the gift of forgiveness and new life–enabling us to be members of His Kingdom and daughters and sons of His Heart. Children need books that help them know about this sweet gift for their souls. We can recommend some. God Gave Us Easter is another book in the series written by Lisa Tawn Bergren and illustrated by Laura Bryant. It is published by Waterbrook Press (2013). Papa Bear surprises Little ..read more

Spring forward/fall back can throw us for a loop. My pastor jokingly told the 11 o’clock service that he was surprised to see that anyone had showed up that morning for the 9 o’clock. At my house I’m not sure when I should start cooking dinner. It’s too light out; it’s still afternoon I tell myself. For little ones and school age children, bedtime can seem way too early. They might even be giving you more of a hard time when they are told its time for bed. Perhaps there’s a way to smooth that out–sweeten the deal. Maybe extending story time a little–or creating a story time if you don’t alread ..read more

If you have a horse lover in your family or among your young friends, Golden Filly Collection 1 written by Lauraine Snelling and published by Bethany House Publishers; 1st edition (2009) is a good, good read. The collection was originally published as five separate novels. Having it offered to you as a collection is not only good value for your money, but it will allow your young reader to follow the story without having to wait for the next book to come out. And I think your reader will be eager to follow the story. Book 1, entitled The Race, opens with Tricia and her father on horseback rid ..read more

Kindle allows me to offer you my novel, I Get a Clue, for free. But I can only offer it for a few days.  So, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, March 7, and through Saturday, March 9 you can order I Get a Clue and not pay even a penny. You don’t have to join Kindle Unlimited to take advantage of the offer. Good deal, right? Your pre-teen girl will enjoy I Get a Clue. It is full of adventure, friends and mystery–all in the amazing city of Edinburgh, Scotland. You’ll feel pleased about your pre-teen reading this novel. The young heroine is an authentic pre-teen, but I Get a Clue is not like many ..read more

I Don’t Like Patience! written by Dawn Caldwell De Wulf, illustrated by Jen Grafton, and published by Little Blessings Books, a division of Winged Publications (2023) is a cute, sweet picture book for three- to six-year-olds. It would be a great read particularly for this time of year. Molly and her kindly grandfather are working in the garden, planting vegetables. Molly is disappointed when she looks in the planter box and sees only earth. She and her grandfather then plant carrot seeds and Molly is excited. Now something is happening. But Molly doesn’t understand–nor does she want to–that h ..read more

I almost didn’t read The Last Place I Want to Be by P. Buchanan and published by Kregel Publications (2009). The “My Disclaimer” pages before the novel begins annoyed me. I didn’t like the character who was going to be telling me her story. She sounded like one of those sassy, self-important teenage girls (very popular in media) that you wouldn’t want your daughter to hang out with. But the novel wasn’t like that. Once Amy started her story for real, I found her likable and her story genuine. As the novel opens, fourteen-year-old Amy has got a major problem, several actually. Her parents have ..read more

A Single Spark by Judith Miller and published by Bethany House Publishers (2020) will entertain you, keep you in suspense, and teach you some valuable spiritual lessons. The story takes place in Washington D.C. during the time of the Civil War. Most of the action takes place at the Washington Arsenal, the city’s main site for the production and storing of munitions. The main character, Clara McBride, works in the cartridge room of the arsenal. She lives with her mother at a boarding house close by. Her father was killed during the Battle of Bull Run. Her brother, Ezekiel, is in the ..read more

Burundi. Know where that is? If you guess Africa, you’d be correct. Like any other country, there’s much to learn about Burundi besides where to find it. Burundi has many faces: a land where a free-spirited young life can blossom and where the worst of life’s agonies play out. Gilbert Tuhabonnye tells of one Burundi life in his autobiography This Voice in My Heart: A Runner’s Memoir of Genocide, Faith and Forgiveness. Written with Gary Brozek, this non-fiction book was published by Amistad (2007). The first interesting aspect of this book is that it jumps right in, taking off with a chapter t ..read more