Book Review: Precious Moments Storybook Bible

Precious Moments Storybook Bible(Stories retold from the International Children’s Bible)

I am always on the lookout for ways to help me in my endeavors to teach my children the Word of God. The Precious Moments Storybook Bible is going to be a tool in my toolbox to do just that. Published by Thomas Nelson, the Precious Moments Storybook Bible stays true to the Word of God, while communicating those truths through the soft Precious Moments illustrations and text appropriate for little children.

This children’s Bible is composed of many favorite childhood Bible stories including “Noah and the Ark,” “David and Goliath,” as well as many stories of Jesus from the New Testament including the birth of Jesus and his visit with Nicodemus, a very important passage of scripture to Christians.

The Bible has a few extras as well. In the early pages are places to record the child’s name and special events. The following pages include Old and New Testament Stories. One note about the Bible stories is that they are not arranged in the same order as an adult Bible. There are “Classic Bible Stories,” followed by “Words of Praise and Wisdom,” and then “More Stories of the Faith.” The Bible ends with well-known “Songs and Prayers” of childhood.

At first, I was not extremely excited about this particular children’s Bible. I am not a big fan of the Precious Moments illustrations. But as I read the stories and looked through the pages, it grew on me so much. The language in this Bible is written in such a way to communicate the truths of God’s Word to a child but presents the Word of God in an accurate way, just as it was written for any believer. The illustrations are soft and round, very sweet and pleasing to the eye. I especially like the illustration of Jesus on page 57. I recommend the Precious Moments Storybook Bible to anyone with small children. It will definitely be a tool used in our house to teach our children the life-bringing truth of God’s Word.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers 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.”

O' Tannenbaum

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum
How lovely are your branches!
The above verses are a combination of the German and English versions of a timeless Christmas Carol, “Oh Christmas Tree,” and an ode to my favorite Christmas decoration, the Christmas tree.

There are many beliefs about how the Christmas tree originated as a symbol of Christmas. My particular favorite has to do with Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Legend says that one Christmas Eve as Martin Luther was walking home among the evergreens, he saw the stars shining down through the branches of the trees. Wanting to show this amazing sight to his family, he chopped down a little fir tree and took it home. He decorated the tree with tiny, white candles in place of the stars. He said the shimmering tree stood for Christ, the Light of the World.

When I was a child, we always had a real Christmas tree. It was the centerpiece of all other Christmas decorations. It was the most important. It is the place under which you place your gifts and where you hung the growing collection of ornaments. We would usually put the same ornaments on it year after year, except for the popcorn. We had to pop and string new popcorn to go on the tree each year. (And eat some too in the process.) The lights were important too. You had to have colorful lights and they must blink on and off. (But beware if one burned out-The fun was delayed!) It was always exciting to turn out the lights in our living room and sit in the dark and watch the lights blink. And that smell! Oh the smell of the Christmas tree! It was so green and warm. When I smell that smell now, it takes me back, back to my childhood, back to a time of sweet peace.

We are planning on a real tree this year, the first probably since my childhood. I want to pass along that memory to my children. Making homemade ornaments and stringing popcorn and possibly cranberries is going to become a family tradition. Even though Jesus didn’t have a Christmas tree, the spirit of Christ speaks through the peace and love that is born when we create the atmosphere of Christmas in our homes each year.



Published as part of the Christmas Blogging Carnival at wivesoffaith.org.

Looking Into God's Mirror

 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”-James 1:22-25

What happens when you look in a mirror? Very simply, you see yourself. You see a reflection of what you look like and your external features. You see hair, face, body, all of your outward features. James 1 compares God’s Word to a mirror. When we look into that mirror of God’s Word, we see who He says we are. His Word is truth, so when we look into His Word we see the truth about ourselves. It doesn’t matter what you feel like at the time, God’s Word is what the truth is. James 1: 24 says it is possible to go away and forget what we look like after we see the truth about ourselves. What do we do to not forget? Keep looking. Keep reading and listening to God’s Word to get it built into our hearts who we are according to God. Act upon His Word and practice it. Do this until you look like what you see in God’s mirror.

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/.