Doodletopia Cartoons by Christopher Hart

"Doodletopia Cartoons: Draw, Design, and Color Your Own Super-Fun Cartoon Creations" by Christopher Hart is one of the most fun and exciting drawing books I've seen yet! Readers learn to draw a wide range of types of cartoon people and animals, varying in difficulty levels. This doodling book is perfect for someone just beginning to draw or someone who is just looking for something different. I liked that this book was so versatile, in that it could be used for children and adult alike.

This book introduces readers to proportion and creating lines in your art projects. The examples are adorable and the instructions are simple to follow. There are drawing examples on almost every single one of the 160 pages.

There are 10 chapters, each with a different drawing quality to learn. Chapters include Warm Up, Fill in the Silhouette, Draw the Other Half, Select Different Expressions, Choose and Design the Animals, Dress up Your Cartoons, Finish the Funny Couples, Write in Cartoon Calligraphy, Draw Ridiculous Inventions, and Complete the Cartoons.

The ideas seem to be fresh and innovative and I thought the book was fun to look through and to attempt the projects! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drawing.

I rate this book as 5 stars. I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Word of Promise New Testament

The Word of Promise New Testament Audio NKJV Bible is a 20 cd collection that features the voices of many popular actresses and actors including Richard Dreyfuss, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, John Schneider, Luke Perry, Terence Stamp, and many more.  It features 20 hours of audio and more than 120 actors/actresses.

I think this audio Bible is very nicely done! Presented in dramatic Audio Theatre, this audio Bible truly comes alive.I also enjoyed the background music included. It's nice and lilting and doesn't take away from the Bible at all.

I only have one complaint on this whole set. The packaging is very large and cumbersome and the cd's don't stay well inside the case. They easily pop out on their own. A lot of the discs just seem to be stacked on top of each other inside. I think I will be purchasing a nice case to keep them in.

All in all, I would highly recommend this product.I have always wanted an audio Bible and our family will enjoy listening to this together! I rate this audio Bible as 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Trim Healthy Mama Plan by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, which was released the same time as this book. While I think the cookbook can easily stand on it's own, this book definitely answers some questions about the whole idea of the Trim Healthy Mama Plan. The authors really go into depth on why they don't eat much gluten. They explain the physical reasons why so much carbs are not good for anybody, and how carbs are not just the breads and pastas but they're actually in many fruits and vegetables. This is why it's so important that we eat the right kinds of carbs, and get the right kinds of nutrients in our meals.

I love their philosophy on eating. The authors are super easy going and don't exclude much from their diet. The beginning of the book explores all the different kinds of eaters and dieters from Drive through Sue to Farm Fresh Tess. Each with their own philosophy on food. I found myself resonating with a few different eaters, so it's nice that they are able to address all of the different kinds.

This diet also can work for women who are breastfeeding or pregnant by simply adding extra nutrients and calories into the diet. At first I was a little confused by all of the "S" and "E" meals but I quickly caught on. It's not difficult once you find out why things are categorized! I think this book is worth a second look for anyone who is interested in just eating healthier. This is not only a plan to lose weight, but you can also use it to maintain your weight or even gain weight.

I would highly recommend this book! I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

I have been hearing about the Trim Healthy Mama food plan for a couple of years now, but I didn't really know anything about it until I read this book.

Sisters, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison don't believe healthy, waist-slimming food has to be bland. They also know the importance of eating food that will nourish our bodies and keep us from getting sick. That's why they have created recipes with an excellent source of Protein and nutrients. Recipes are not divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert categories because their meal plan is set up so that you are not restricted from eating anything. You can even eat the sweet recipes for breakfast if you want!

First of all, I just want to say that it's not very often that I find a cookbook that I can actually use. I have a lot of food allergies and when I do find a cookbook I like, I generally have to substitute ingredients. With the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, I don't have that problem! Some of the recipes do have a lot of ingredients, but most of them are whole foods, such as vegetables and fruits.

I also want to emphasize the size of this cookbook. It's huge! There are over 350 delicious recipes packed into this book. Recipes that are healthy and that my kiddos will eat! There are a few specialty items in the ingredients list, but most of them can be substituted if you desire.

I really enjoyed this cookbook and I can't wait to try out the recipes! I rate this book as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

A Chameleon, A Boy, and A Quest by J. A. Myhre

Mu is a 10 year old boy living in Africa. Orphaned as a child, he now lives with his unloving Uncle, where he acts as a servant. Mu has very little happiness and no hope for change in his life. One day, when he is drawing water from the creek, Mu is greeted by a chameleon who knows his name! He tells Mu that they will embark on a quest together and it turns out to be quite the adventure. He faces much danger and makes new friends, and learns quite a bit about himself in the process.

I can't say enough positive things about this book! I wish more children's books were like this one! It is a fantasy book, but unlike most fantasy books I have read. I think that is because much of what Mu goes through is real life experiences. Readers get a true taste of what life is like for an African child, or any child from a poverty stricken country.

While this book doesn't openly talk about God, the message is underlying throughout most of the book. There are a lot of large words in the story, which I find to be a positive element. It gives us as parents a good chance to broaden our child's word bank and discuss new words and meanings! This is an excellent book to read aloud as family. I read it aloud with my 9 year old present, and she was glued to it, wanting to know what happened next. On amazon, it is recommended for children ages 8-12, and I think that is pretty accurate. What I think is most interesting about this book, is that the author wrote it while living in Africa. So you know she really knew about the culture and the people there.

I would definitely recommend this book to others looking for a good tween book or read aloud book! I rate it as 5 stars.

To learn more about the author and this book, please visit: http://litfusegroup.com/author/jamyhre

I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Ology by Marty Machowski

"The Ology: Ancient Truths Ever New" by Marty Machowski and illustrated by Andy McGuire truly is an amazing children's book! I have never read anything quite so detailed and easy to understand for young children.

It is aimed at early elementary students ages 6-9, and upper elementary students ages 10-12, but can also be used as a supplement for teens and adults. The amazing thing about this book, is that you can kind of customize it to meet your child's needs by focusing on different subjects in the book.

The book starts out with Timothy and Carla as they explore an old church and find a trap door leading down to a basement. Inside, they find an old book wrapped in paper, with a note attached. It explains that the book they are holding is a rare piece of history. Early church pastors taught us how to understand the message of the Bible. Because they studied God, they were called Theologians. Those who were helped wanted to write a book to pass down to their children, so they did and they called it "The Ology." The Ology teaches us what the Bible says about God, people, sin and God's plan of salvation through Jesus. Children loved it. But after many years, The Ology was forgotten. Parents and children began to think that the truths of The Ology were old fashioned and out of date, so one by one, these books vanished. The book you are holding may be the very last book in existence.

The Ology has 5 different sections including: The Ology of God, The Ology of People, The Ology of Sin, The Ology of the Promise and the Law, and the Ology of Christ. The author does a beautiful job of describing theology to children in ways that they can understand. As parents, our children sometimes ask difficult theology questions. I think that this book will help answer most questions a child might ask about God. I would highly recommend this book. I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion. To find out more about the author, please visit: http://litfusegroup.com/author/MMachowski

"Pass it on" book review!

It can be a little intimidating to know that most of what your child learns about God comes primarily from his mother and father, Parents can't rely on the churches or Christian schools to teach our children who God is. We must do it. In "Pass It On" by Jim Burns and Jeremy Lee, they have created Rites of Passages that we can celebrate with our children each year until they are grown. Special milestones to teach them who God is and what His plan is for our children.

The beginning of the book explains how we can leave a legacy of faith for our children. The remaining chapters are spent giving different ideas of Rites of Passage to try. Each milestone is meant to point your child towards God. If you are just now picking up this book and you already have a child in middle school, you can easily just pick up at that stage and perhaps even backtrack a couple milestones until you reach the correct milestone.

I found this book to be a really interesting read! The first time I sat down to read it, I read through almost half of the book in just that sitting. These two guys know their stuff and I felt like I was sitting down with a youth pastor just chatting about my kids. I think the ideas they have listed here are truly neat. It's one of those things where you can kind of pick and choose which things you will want to do with your family. You can customize it to fit you and your kids.

This is an excellent read that I would highly recommend. I rate it as 5 stars.

I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

More for Girls Only! Devotions

This week I was able to review More for Girls only! Devotions by Carolyn Larsen! It features 60 tween appropriate devotions that are about 4 pages long each. Each devotion includes a Check Up, Things To Do and a Things to Remember section.

The devotions are real life situations based on principles from the Bible. The author does a fantastic job of relating to young girls and speaking to their hearts. I think this devotional stands out from other books aimed at similar audiences because if the way the author adds the fun "tween" elements and the adorable flower and swirl illustrations. My daughter especially enjoyed the quiz section.

The author addresses so many different subjects for pre-teen girls: love, jealousy, secrets, and beauty just to name a few!

About the Author: 
Carolyn Larsen has written more than 40 books for children and adults. She is best known as the author of The Little Girls Bible Storybook line of products, which have collectively sold more than one million units. In addition, Carolyn is a speaker who has taught and spoken extensively in the United States and overseas.

I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

The Time Chamber by Daria Song

The Time Chamber by Daria Song is a beautifully illustrated coloring book which appeals to children and adults alike.

Similar to The Time Garden which I previously reviewed, The Time Chamber is about a little red-haired fairy who lived inside a cuckoo clock. One day she dreamed about what was on the outside so one day while out in her rowboat, she began to daydream. She visits the little girl's room outside the clock, and finds that whatever she touches, it turns into something beautiful. When the little girl is awoken by the chime of the cuckoo clock, the little red-haired fairy sneaks back into her clock.

I think this is an absolutely beautiful coloring book. I have not seen very many that both my girls and I are both interested in. What makes it the most fun is that it feels like you are helping to create the story by coloring the pictures. The story is woven throughout the entire book, but there's not an enormous amount of words. It's actually a fairly short story. I would highly recommend it and I look forward to many more books by Daria Song.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.