Category: children

children, Christian

Big Box, Little Box: How One Little Box Finds His Way

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Damien K.H. Nash & Kathy Nash
Illustrator: Steve Miller
Publisher: Friends of Faith
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9780984172931
Pages: 68
Price: $13.99 (book) / $8.99 (DVD)

Author’s website
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Little Box is afraid of the heaviness he feels inside. Big Box explains that this is his potential, and then explains how he can develop it, as they travel together through the Potential Delivery Center.

Using the metaphor of shipping boxes, Big Box shows Little Box all about labels, and how they can be used. If the wrong label is applied, potential can be diminished, so Little Box needs to recognize how special he is. Then he won’t be affected by a bad label. Little Box also learns how to rely on others around him as a support system. And he meets the Perfect Label-Giver, who is symbolic of Jesus Christ.

It’s easy for us to accept the labels we’re given as children, and often we look back at a wrong label and wonder why we ever believed it. But since those labels carry so much power, it’s important for kids to reject the bad ones as soon as possible. Big Box, Little Box provides an opportunity for discussion about these labels, and for kids to learn to reject bad labels with the help of their parents.

Although this video and book are targeted to young children, the message may be a little hard for that age group to grasp. Parents will need to spend time explaining the idea of labels, and let kids know that Emmanuel, the Perfect Label-Giver, represents Jesus, since this is not obvious.

The DVD is a video version of the text of this book, and it’s subtitled in English, French and Spanish. This cute tale packs a powerful message, and I think kids will enjoy the story of this mentor box and his young protege.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, education

Mrs. Wishy-Washy and the Big Wash

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Joy Cowley
Illustrator: Elizabeth Fuller-Fulton
Publisher: Hameray Publishing Group
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-60559-235-0
Pages: 16
Price: $4.95

Author’s website
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Mrs. Wishy-Washy has a farm, and today the farm animals must get a bath. But there is no water! What will she do? As the animals celebrate their freedom from bathing, she decides to take them to town to see if she can find water there.

As they stop in the stores, Mrs. Wishy-Washy decides whether or not they can use some water there. But she finds no water for baths until she discovers the car wash. Finally the animals are clean, and now they can enjoy a treat.

Joy Cowley brings back her much-loved character, Mrs. Wishy-Washy, in this cute barnyard tale. At the end of the text, lesson pointers for teachers are provided for guiding discussions about this story. Features like vocabulary, logic and deduction, and onomatopoeia are summarized for classroom use.

Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a darling character that will remind children of their grandmother, and the barnyard animals are like little kids looking to escape a bath and get treats instead. But in the end, both Mrs. Wishy-Washy and the animals are satisfied. I highly recommend this fun teaching tool for kids.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Here Comes the Bride

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Beatrice Masini
Illustrator: Anna Laura Cantrone
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-88776-898-9
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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Filomena the seamstress makes wonderful wedding dresses for the brides in her town. But as she sews these lovely creations for others, she dreams of her own wedding someday.

When Rusty finally gets up the nerve to propose, she sets to work on her own dress. Rusty grows lonely, never seeing Filomena, as she sews day and night on her masterpiece. Finally the wedding day arrives, but what’s happened to Filomena? And even more worrisome – where is Rusty?

Future brides will be awed at Filomena’s efforts to outdo every other dress she’s made, by adding so many flowers, ruffles and frills that no one would recognize her. And Rusty’s stunned surprise at Filomena’s appearance will leave kids giggling. But all ends well, as Rusty finally recognizes his bride and the two lovebirds get married.

Delightful illustrations by Anna Laura Cantone accompany this charming story. Originally published in Italian, Here Comes the Bride is an enjoyable and fun read, reminding kids that sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Pemba Sherpa

Bergers Book Reviews

Sherpa
Author: Olga Cossi
Illustrator: Gary Bernard
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9768655-8-2
Pages: 32
Price: $15.95

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Kang Yi is only seven years old and a girl. But although her culture forbids her to be a Sherpa – a porter and guide through the Himilayas – that’s what she wants to do more than anything else.

Her brother, Pemba Sherpa, must go down the mountain every day to carry firewood up to his schoolroom so they can have heat for their classes. But one day she follows him down, determined to carry wood, too. What happens on the path that day changes both of their lives forever.

Pemba Sherpa was dedicated to Pemba Doma Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Mount Everest via the North Face. It shows the courage even a young girl can have in the face of adversity, and how she can rise above her cultural limitations. Beautiful watercolor drawings accompany this delightful and inspiring story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, Christian

My Story Bible

Bergers Book Reviews

bible
Author & Illustrator: Jan Godfrey & Paolo Bertolini Grudina
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Children / Bible stories
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2671-9
Pages: 142
Price: $12.99

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Children love to listen to and read Bible stories. But reading from the actual Bible text is too hard for small children, so it’s great to have a simplified version that kids can understand.

My Story Bible contains 66 of the most loved Bible stories, condensed into two page snippets that kids can read in one sitting. Bright and cheerful illustrations fill the pages, showing the happiness and love God’s people feel.

Kids can’t easily grasp the deeper meaning of Bible stories and they need to have them written in words they can comprehend. But I felt this Bible story book may have gone a little too far. Many of the names like the Prodigal Son, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments were removed to make reading easier. But in losing these titles, I felt the stories lost some of what made them unique.

Children will enjoy these stories, since they’re written in a very upbeat and kid-friendly manner. But those who revere the Bible as it’s written might have some issues with the changes made in My Story Bible to make it easier for kids to read.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

bilingual, children

Running With the Bats

Bergers Book Reviews

bats
Author: Chris Holaves
Illustrator: John Goomas
Publisher: Astakos Publishing
Genre: Children / Bilingual
ISBN: 978-0-9792991-1-7
Pages: 64
Price: $15.95

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A boy is invited to play baseball with his friends, but before long, night creeps in. Now he’s all alone, and suddenly flying creatures swoop down. They chase him around, following him home, as he runs in terror through the darkness.

This boy has never seen a bat, and as they dive for mosquitoes, he panics and tries to shoo them away as he madly dashes away. The illustrations by John Goomas in pencil drawings of flying bats, trees with no leaves, and silvery moons peeking through wisps of clouds, create a spooky scene reminiscent of Halloween.

Running With the Bats is a rhyming story in English, translated into Spanish for a completely bilingual experience. Although bats seldom act the way they did in this story, the “attacking bats” made for a more scary read that kids will most likely enjoy. The last few pages explain some bat facts so these fuzzy winged creatures won’t seem so threatening.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, health

Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy

Bergers Book Reviews

tummy
Author: Martine Groeneveld
Illustrator: Brad Kunkle
Publisher: PT Book Publishing
Genre: Children / Touch therapy
ISBN: 978-0-9822959-0-8
Pages: 48
Price: $19.95

Author’s website
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One of the best things a mother can do for her child is to touch her. Hugs and kisses go a long way in the parent-child bonding process, but children can also benefit from other forms of touching. In Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy, registered nurse and licensed massage therapist Martine Groeneveld shows us other fun ways to connect with our children.

Kids love rhymes, games, songs and stories, and all of these are provided, along with some special touch techniques. Ants play while mom touches and rubs the child’s ear. “Guess the letter or number” can be played by touching the child’s back and drawing the symbol with your finger. And the itsy-bitsy spider can crawl up legs or arms while mom and child sing.

Touching children in a loving and appropriate manner has been proven to have many health benefits, including stimulating weight gain in babies, improving alertness and responsiveness, improving cognitive performance and brain development, and reducing aggression.

If you’re looking to help your child through touch therapy, or you’re simply looking to bond more closely with your child while having fun, Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy will be a valuable resource. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cats, children

Mr. Bo Finds a New Home and a New Name

Bergers Book Reviews

Mr Bo
Author & Illustrator: Timothy Battle
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Genre: Children / Cats
ISBN: 978-1-60696-938-0
Pages: 28
Price: $9.99

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A handsome cat waits in a cage at the animal shelter. Although his tag says he’s Linus, only he knows what his real name is. Trouble is, he just can’t tell anyone!

All Linus can do is try to be his most winsome self, hoping to attract someone to his cage. He knows what a great cat he is, and he tries to show it to the people that visit. Finally, the magical day arrives, and Linus gets to leave the shelter and go to his new home.

Everyone loves a happy ending, and seeing a cat go home makes the reader feel good. So if you’re looking for nothing more than a sweet animal adoption story, Mr. Bo Finds a New Home and a New Name fits the bill. But this book lacks the action and tension that would have made it more memorable.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Postcards From a War

Bergers Book Reviews

postcards
Author: Vanita Oelschlager
Illustrator: Mike Blanc
Publisher: VanitaBooks
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9800162-9-1
Pages: 40
Price: $15.95

Author’s website
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Matthew Brian Jackson’s mom is in the Air Force. She gone off to fight in the war, and Matthew doesn’t understand why she left. But his grandpa shares his own story of what it was like when his father went to fight in World War II.

Author Vanita Oelschlager shares her own father’s pictures, postcards, and letters in this beautiful fictional tribute to a man who proudly served his country. Postcards From a War shows kids what it’s like to live with an absent military parent, and how much those parents still care about their kids even though they’ve had to go away.

This story is told with the utmost respect for the US military, sharing the gratitude the author feels towards their service to our country. And while it doesn’t explain why wars happen in the first place, it offers hope that someday today’s generation of kids may find a way to avoid it, and come to more peaceful solutions to the world’s problems.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Tell Me a Story

Bergers Book Reviews

story1story2story3
Author: Amy Friedman
Illustrator: Jillian Gilliland
Music: Laura Hall
Publisher: Friedman & Danziger
Genre: Children / Audio CD
ISBN: 978-0-9790867-0-0 / 978-0-9790867-1-7 / 978-0-9790867-3-1
Price: $18.95 / $16.95 / $18.95

Author’s website
Buy vol. 1 at Amazon
Buy vol. 2 at Amazon
Buy vol. 3 at Amazon

Kids have always loved a good story, especially those that describe magical places far, far away. And stories about animals and clever maidens can keep them fascinated for hours.

In the Tell Me a Story series, Amy Friedman has created some of the most interesting and memorable tales children have ever heard. These stories are read by stage and screen’s most talented actors, and accompanied with music by renowned composer Laura Hall.

“Kerplunk” is a funny tale about an animal who panics over the sound of something falling, and works all the other animals into a frenzy without knowing why. “A Sense of Theft” is a playful look at what really constitutes stealing. And “Whisker of the Lioness” lets us see that sometimes we already have the answer to our problem, and we don’t even know it.  And many other fun stories are included.

If you’re looking for a new way to entertain your kids with clever tales that make them think, Tell Me a Story will be a big hit. These stories can be listened to again and again, and enjoyed by all ages. I highly recommend this wonderful audio series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger