God Gave Us Angels (Book Review #2) by Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

I have never written a second review for the same book, but I felt like I needed to this time.  My husband said my first review didn't seem like it was written for a children's book.  I kept thinking about that, so here I am again.

In the story of God Gave Us Angels, a polar bear dad is having a conversation with his daughter, Little Cub, as she asks different questions about something she heard about from the bunnies, angels.  She asks questions such as "Have you ever seen one (an angel)?", and "What do angels do all day?"  Papa goes on to explain a lot of different aspects of these celestial beings in terms that little ones can understand.

I have all of the books in the God Gave Us series.  This one is a little unique for several reasons.  In the other books, you see Little Cub and many different family members, but this one is just a conversation between a father and daughter.  The topic is angels, which is a very special and beautiful topic in scripture. The author has presented young ones with a view into something that is important in the Kingdom of God.  These beings worship God and serve Him and us, and she has presented the material in such a way that little hearts can embrace it.

The illustrations are beautiful and sweet.  Even thought it is set in the Arctic, the art is still warm and cozy.  There are other animals in the story besides the polar bears that you and your child can talk about.  For homeschoolers, this would be a fun book to use as a starting point for exploration of the Arctic.

This is a great book to read as a bedtime story or at nap time.  I have already read this to my little guy a couple of times while snuggling him close.  I recommend this book to all parents who want to increase their child's knowledge of spiritual truths.  It is a great book for cuddling and connecting with your little ones.

God bless you as you read.

Beth

For more info on the book go here.

To read my first review go here.

To learn more about the author, Lisa Tawn Bergren, you can find her at  lisatawnbergren.com.


Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Blogging For Books.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.

God Gave Us Angels by Lisa Tawn Bergren

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven."-Matthew 18:10

Angels are mentioned a lot in scripture.  It is not a subject we hear taught a lot about though.  Author Lisa Tawn Bergren has added a new book to her God Gave Us series for children, this one addressing the subject of angels.

God Gave Us Angels is part of a series of God Gave Us books that include God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Two, and many others. In this particular book, the author addresses Little Cub's questions about angels in a dialogue with her dad, Papa Bear.The book starts out with Little Cub looking for angels that the bunnies told her about, which her mama said were, as Little Cub puts it, "imbisible."

As I read through the text, I thought I would look up some of the scriptures that I believe the author could have taken the text from.  I learned as I was researching, that depending upon which translation you read, angels are mentioned anywhere from 294-305 times in the Bible, according to an article on Bible.org. Here are a few samples of what you will find in the story, and the scriptures they match.  I encourage you to do your own research on angels as well. 

"Angels live to serve God.  Whatever he wants them to do, they do.  And he loves us.  So Sometimes they bring messages from him to us.  Other times they guard us or even fight for us.  And they are always worshiping God"

-See Luke 1:30

"There are angels that protect us.  Sometimes God sends them to keep us from harm.  And sometimes he just uses plain ol' parents."

-See Psalm 91:11

"Angels can look so much like us, we wouldn't even notice them.  That's one reason why we should be nice to everyone we meet, because some might be angels in disguise."

-See Hebrews 13:2

These are just a few samples of what you will find in the dialogue between Little Cub and Papa Bear.  I am still researching for my own benefit.  It is a hefty topic and so much could be covered.  Lisa just gives our little ones an introduction to the celestial beings created by God.

As soon as I received my book for review, my little guy was interested.  He listened intently as I read the book to him, and didn't budge until I finished.  The text and the illustrations are both engaging. That is the real test of a good children's book, if it captures the attention and interest of its intended audience.

I am a big fan of Lisa's God Gave Us series.  We have them all.  My personal favorite is God Gave us Two. I would recommend God Gave Us Angels to any parent who would like to open the discussion about angels with their child.  It is one of those books that will help you teach spiritual truths to your children. You will enrich your walk as a believer also as you, the parent, research and learn about where text fits in with the Bible.

Many blessings to you as you read!

Beth

To learn more about the author, Lisa Tawn Bergren, you can find her at lisatawnbergren.com.

To see more book reviews in this series, go to God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Easter.




To see a sample go to amazon.com.

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Blogging For Books.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.



P.S.  I did something I have never done before and wrote a second review of this book.  The review you are reading is a bit more theological.  The second one is more child friendly.  God Gave Us Angels (Book Review #2).



God Gave Us Easter by Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

"...Even death couldn't trap God's Son.  He is life itself.  And God loved us so much, he wanted us to be with him always.  We can see signs of his Easter plan all around us."

                                                                                          -excerpt from God Gave Us Easter

A love of reading began early on in my life.  My mother cultivated it in me from a very early age.  Now, as a mom myself, I hope to do that for my children as well.  In choosing literature for my children, I always want to choose quality literature, words that will add to the life of my children.  I am so thankful for people who write and have a passion to communicate God's truth to children.  God Gave Us Easter is an example of the type of literature I am looking for. 

As part of a God Gave Us series, God Gave Us Easter is a story of how a papa polar bear teaches his young daughter about God and His greatest gift to us, Jesus.  The story goes through teaching in the Bible about how Jesus is the answer of redemption for mankind.  Bergren also uses examples found in nature of how death can produce life.

There are a lot of things I like about this book.  The author doesn't bash the Easter bunny or eggs, symbols often associated with Easter, but explains how they can demonstrate the love of God in His gift of Jesus.  She says, "Just like the shell cracks open and a chick comes out, we remember that Jesus was in a tomb...but he didn't stay dead."  There is also teaching in the book about Jesus being from the root of Jesse.  This is something I was unfamiliar with, and had never seen in a children's book, so I learned something too! (See Isaiah 11 and Romans 15.)  I also really liked the author's explanation of how Jesus speaks to our hearts, and that even a small child can be sensitive to His voice.

I recommend this book to parents of preschool and early elementary age children.  It would be a nice addition to Bible curriculum if you homeschool.  If you as a parent are unsure how to communicate Biblical truths to your children, this book would help as well.

Many blessings to you as you celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this year and remember why God Gave Us Easter!

~Beth

For more information about the author please visit her at www.lisatawnbergren.com. 

If you would like to read my reviews of two other books in the God Gave Us series, please go to God Gave Us Love and God Gave us Two.

Disclosure Statement: I received this book free of charge as part of a free books for bloggers program from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a favorable review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

"God gave us love so we could see goodness in others, even when they make us grumpy."
"I know, I know," Little Cub said with a sigh.

When I read a children’s book to review, I usually read it many times.  It helps to get a clear understanding of what the author is trying to communicate and I always see something new I might have missed in reading the time before.  I did the same with this book, God Gave Us Love, by Lisa Tawn Bergren, but this time I decided to include one of my children in my review process.  You may be thinking, “Well, duh!” Me too!

Immediately as I began reading it to my child, he was amazed that I was talking about the otters at the beginning of the story.  He didn’t sit all the way through the story.  He is little, but he did listen for a few moments to hear about the amazing power of love.

God Gave Us Loveis another book in a series of God Gave Us books by Lisa Tawn Bergren.  The sweet little book covers many different facets of love, such as love between family, love between friends, and the love that came from God when He sent His son JESUS to us.

I like these books in this series more and more all the time.  I love that they communicate something wonderful about God to my children.  The truths about God are wonderfully woven in a sweet setting in the arctic between the sweet polar bear Little Cub and her family.  I received this book in board book form which makes it even better for little ones to carefully turn the pages. 

The illustrations by Laura J. Bryant are beautiful.  They bring the story of Little Cub to life as she learns from her grandfather about love and how it demonstrates forgiveness and kindness to those it reaches.

I recommend this book to any parent of small children who want to share the concept of God’s love.  Mrs. Bergren does a wonderful job of weaving an often complex subject into this story and teaching it in a way an inquisitive child can understand.  This would be an especially nice book to buy for a grandparent to share with their grandchild.

Many blessings to you as you read with your child and learn how God Gave Us Love.


To learn more about the author, please visit her at www.lisatawnbergren.com.

*Disclaimer-I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of a free books for bloggers program.  I was not required to give a favorable review.  All the opinions and thoughts here are my own.

God Gave Us Two by Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

God Gave Us Two is a super-sweet book containing a dialogue between mother and child about the upcoming birth of a sibling. Young children are often curious and have many questions when their mommy is going to have another baby. God Gave Us Two is a book that would be a helpful tool for parents when addressing some of those questions.

In the book, a polar bear mom answers questions for “Little Cub” such a “Why do you need a new baby?” and “if we don’t like the new baby, can we send it back?” It also emphasizes what a wonderful privilege and task it will be to be a big sister. The strength of the book is it emphasis on God being the author of life and the One who gives this great gift of babies.

I am a huge fan of Lisa Bergren. I started buying her book when I started having babies. This book is actually one in a series of God Gave Us books. You can read my review of God Gave Us Christmas here.

I recommend this book for moms who are pregnant, and have older children who are curious about what is happening. The older sibling in the book is a girl, so it might be more appropriate for them. I also think this would be a great book to share about God being the one who gives us babies. If your child has questions like these about God, this is a perfect book to use as a teaching tool. *SPOILER WARNING* My highest recommendation for this book goes however to moms who might be carrying multiples. It has a nice little plot twist at the end and the mama polar bear gives birth to twins!!!

Many blessings to you on your journey through motherhood!

In Him,
Beth




To visit the author's website, please go to http://lisatawnbergren.com/.

To learn more about God Gave Us Two, please visit Waterbrook Multnomah here.

To read more titles by Lisa T. Bergren visit the Author Spotlight at Waterbrook Multnomah.

Disclosure Statement-I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Homeward Trilogy by Lisa T. Bergren

“There is only one consuming fire that does not destroy us,” the man said in a low voice, leaning closer.
Nic frowned. “And that is?”
“God, my friend. If we give God our lives, then He will consume us from the inside out, but we will not be destroyed. We will become more than what we were, not less. Part of the fire.”
-Excerpt from Sing, Book 2 in The Homeward Trilogy

The Homeward Trilogy, by Lisa T. Bergren, composed of the three novels Breathe, Sing, and Claim, is set in 1880’s Colorado when Colorado was still young. In the first novel Breathe, we are introduced to three siblings, Odessa, Moira, and Nic, heirs of St. Clair Press, a publishing company in Philadelphia. Chapter 1 finds them on a train as they make their way from Philadelphia to Colorado Springs, Colorado, seeking “the cure” for Odessa St. Clair who is suffering from tuberculosis, what is then known as “consumption.” From the very beginning, the family is on adventure that will change the course of their lives forever.

The Homeward Trilogy can by classified in my opinion into several different genres, historical fiction, Christian fiction, a romance novel with an element of a western about it. A citizen of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Mrs. Bergren has definitely done her research in composing these three novels and that is evident in her detailed descriptions of scenery, dress, and of the events that take place throughout the trilogy. The incidents and experiences of the three main characters are reminiscent of when Colorado was young, during a time of growth when men and women valued the land and the contents therein.

The setting for the novel is mainly Colorado, but within the pages, you will also find excursions through Paris, South America, and various other places across the United States.

In regards to Christian fiction, we follow the characters along their journey as they develop in their awareness of God and His relentless pursuit and care of them. The reader is reminded of the great love God has for each of us and His patient endurance in capturing our heart.

I really enjoyed reading these books. It was something new for me. In the past, I have mostly read contemporary Christian fiction and what would be considered chick lit for Christian women as well. But these novels were such a nice surprise for me. It opened up a whole new genre for me of which I will be reading more. Once I picked each one of these novels up, it was difficult for me to put them down. When I had completed Claim, the final one, it was sad because I had come to the end and there was no more of the character’s lives left for me to experience.

I would definitely recommend these novels to anyone who likes to travel or who wants to learn more about the United States. If you enjoy the mystery of God being unveiled in a person’s life, you will also enjoy these books. If you like a western and all the action that includes, good guys versus bad guys, guns and violence, you will find this trilogy appealing.

I received these books as part of a Christmas giveaway in December of 2010. They were a gift and I did not receive them in exchange for a review. However, I did enjoy them so upon completion I decided to write this review and share my thoughts in order to give others an opportunity to enjoy them as well. When I decided to write this review, I messaged the author, requesting an author interview to include as part of my review. Mrs. Bergren graciously agreed to answer my questions and here is what I found out:
>
> 1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? At what point in your life did you know that God was going to use you in this way?

I always thought it'd be fun. But it wasn't until I had published more than five books that I could even begin to dare to dream that it was anything more than a fluke...that God might intend to use my writing for his glory--and then dare to ask him to continue to make a way for me.
>
> 2. How do you choose the names of the characters in your fiction? (I know this is a random question. Just curious.)

I consult baby name books and the Internet--for instance, you can find popular names in 1880, or medieval men's names from Italy, by region. Gotta love the resources at our fingertips these days. For my books set abroad, I try to choose names we English speakers can pronounce without too much difficulty--I know that makes readers crazy!
>
> 3. Do you pray during the writing process?

I do. But I could certainly be more consistent about it. I tend to pray when I'm stuck, mostly! I've been praying a lot about my next YA series (I'm writing a new adult series based on the Grand Tour for the rest of this year), asking him to give me vision, scope, and a publisher.
>
> 4. In the last novel of the trilogy, Claim, it seems God is more forefront than in the other two. Can you share a little bit about that?

I think God always emerges slowly through my trilogies, becoming more apparent with each one. Just as the characters become more fleshed out and known, so does God become. I never want faith to be a heavy-handed element. For me, it has to be natural, believable with the characters. Nic was on the run for a long time, and had a lot to deal with, before he was really ready to go a few rounds with God, as he does in CLAIM. The same has happened with his sister--she really has to hit bottom before she's ready to reach up. So it doesn't come together until book 3, which felt natural to me. Fast conversions rarely read as "real" to me. People tend to wrestle with the Holy for a long while before they finally admit the need we all feel, whether it's recognized yet or not.
>
> 5. Tell us about the role your faith plays in your writing.

My faith is as much a part of me as breathing. And yet some days/months I'm quiet, listening, absorbing. Others I feel led to be more bold. Just depends on what he puts on my heart, when. Right now, I've been called to write YA, a genre which is full of a lot of darkness. Because I really want to reach out to the world through my YA fiction, that faith element has to be really subtle. But it will grow as God leads.
>
> 6. Do you write because you have a message or does the message emerge as you write?

The message emerges as I write, as I get to know the characters, their struggles, their triumphs. Most readers can smell message-driven fiction a mile away and find it unattractive. What readers want most is a story, a great story they can invest in, and then to learn along with the characters. So for me, it has and always will be, secondary. Which isn't to say that I don't look forward to God illuminating what he's trying to teach me through the process...that's one of my favorite parts. I learn, right along with the readers, as my characters do.

LTB


To find out more about Lisa T. Bergren, you can go to www.lisatawnbergren.com.

You can purchase a novel from The Homeward Trilogy at amazon.com, christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, or directly from the publisher at www.davidccook.com.

God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren

God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren is a vivid and colorful picture book to be enjoyed by children of all ages. Set in the Arctic Tundra, God Gave Us Christmas is a story of a young polar bear cub and her mother. The story begins when the Little Cub asks her mama, “Who vented Christmas?” Together they go on an adventure as the mama bear shows her daughter how God Gave Us Christmas.

There are so many aspects of the story that are relevant to the mother-child relationship. One aspect has to do with the parent as a teacher. Every young child at some point has asked one or both of their parents a question of some importance. This book demonstrates a parent as teacher when the Mama Bear takes Little Cub on an adventure to answer her question.

Another relevant aspect of the mother-child relationship addressed in the book is very subtle, and that is the desire in every child’s heart to be special. At the beginning of the story before the adventure begins, Little Cub asks her mama, “Can we leave them at home?” in reference to her siblings. Every child wants that special one on one time to spend with either mommy or daddy and that is something children and parents can connect to in the story.

I liked this story for so many reasons. One reason is that it is a book that should be read while cuddling your child /children close. God Gave Us Christmas has a warm and cozy feel, which makes for a wonderful time of snuggling up and creating memories as you read. Another reason I like the book is because of the element of science in the book. The book is set in the Artic Tundra and the author uses the wonder of the Northern Lights for Mama bear to teach Little Cub at one point during the story. But my favorite part about the book is how it is a tool to teach your children about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. The author weaves this into her story so beautifully and while the Mama Bear is teaching her cub, she is teaching you and your child as well.

God Gave Us Christmas is a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations to make the story come alive. Each page contains just the right amount of words to keep the reader engaged as well as beautiful illustrations that perfectly match the text. I highly recommend this book to any parent with small children, no matter how young. Read it to your infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary aged children. God Gave Us Christmas is a fantastic story that can be read at Christmas, put away, and brought out at Christmastime every year.



You can purchase this book at barnesandnoble.com, lifewaychristianstores.com, and christianbook.com.

Other children's titles by Lisa Tawn Bergren include God Gave Us You and God Gave Us Two. For more information on the author, go to http://lisatawnbergren.com/.