Get to Know Mary by Nancy I. Sanders

"Mary and Joseph's house probably didn't have much furniture.  In Bible times, people slept on mats.  Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the other children probably slept side by side on their mats.  Then they rolled them up in the morning and stacked the mats next to a wall."

-Excerpt from the chapter "Mary and Joseph's Home" in Get to Know Mary

Making connections to the Word of God is important.  It is important for adults and it is important for children.  I always feel more connected to passages of scripture that I am reading if I know more intimate and historical details about the passage.  Get to Know Mary by Nancy I Sanders is a wonderful tool to help your student connect to the Word of God.  It will make the passages about Mary and Jesus and the time period surrounding come alive.

Get to Know Mary is a small, pocket-sized reference book, containing a wealth of information surrounding the life and times of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Inside, you will find information about the places Mary lived, the culture, worship, where they lived, food they ate, and scriptural passages that included Mary in the story.  There are also maps, artwork, and photographs representative of the time in which Mary lived.

There were a few things that were distracting from the text. There is lots of additional information on some of the pages besides the text, which made it seem too busy. On page 29, there was information about Mary’s journey to visit and Elizabeth and back home to Nazareth.  The map on the opposite page does not include Nazareth.  Also, some of the information had to be filtered through to find facts just about Mary.  It seemed to be a book more about the life and times of Mary, than just Mary herself.

I enjoy doing research about Biblical times. This was a very nice book to include in a child’s research library, and could be helpful for teens and adults as well. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad that I chose it as one for review.  I enjoyed looking at the artwork depicting Biblical people and events, as well as the photographs of the artifacts and historical sites in Israel.  My favorite part was learning about Mary and Joseph’s home.  

I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, whether you are someone who enjoys doing Biblical research or a homeschool student.  This is a wonderful book to include in your library.  The author has done a lot of research which will benefit you in your Bible study.  She ends the novel with the resurrection of Christ and how Mary’s story is completed in Jesus, as all our stories are, when we trust in Him.

Many blessings to you as you discover the wonderful truths of God’s Word!

Beth

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for a review.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions her are entirely my own.

To learn more about the author, Nancy I. Sanders, please visit her at her website nancyisanders.com.

To learn more about other books in the Get to Know series, visit www.zondervan.com.