I Can Be Kind by Amie Carlson

"I Can Be Kind: My first manners book" by Amie Carlson is a fun lift-the-flap book for toddlers and preschoolers to learn kindness and manners!

It features actual examples of how children can learn to share and show kindness. It also includes Bible verses from the NLT Bible on
 almost every page.

The pictures were adorable and eye-catching and there were just the right amount of words on each page. I would say it's aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 5, but older children could benefit from it as well.

My only complaint is the quality of the book itself. Although it is a lift-the-flap book, the pages are not "board" material as you might expect. They are actually just very thin pages. Unfortunately after handling the book for just a few minutes, my 4 year old and 2 year old managed to rip one of the pages and flaps. I loved the colorful photos and the lessons, but I would be wary purchasing if you have a young child who might accidentally tear a page. I rate this book as 4 stars.

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

A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni has faced a lifetime of hardships throughout her adult years. From being resigned to a wheelchair, to finding out she has breast cancer, Joni has dealt with so much heartache. But as readers will find out after reading "A Spectacle of Glory: God's Light Shining Through Me Every Day", she doesn't let her circumstances define her. Joni wants others to see Jesus through her and her actions.

This devotional contains 365 short daily devotions. They are each dated and include a key Bible verse, prayer, and a short message.

Many of the devotions have to do with suffering, hardships, and heartache but they are very uplifting! God created us to live for Him each and everyday. To enjoy Him, display Him, and demonstrate His presence. We need to be able to live out our faith in good and bad circumstances.

I honestly did not know much about Joni Eareckson Tada before reading this book, but I was greatly encouraged after reading her story and the beautiful words she has written here! Her writing really makes you think and take a hard look at how you are living your life. There is nothing going on in your life that God can't handle. If we just gave all our worries and problems to God, we would be amazed at what he would do! One of the devotions really stuck out to me:

"Here's an understatement: Battling stage III breast cancer is no fun. One day when my husband, Ken was driving me home from chemotherapy, we discussed how sufferings are "splash-overs of hell" -gritty, gut-wrenching reminders of the horrors Christ rescued us from. As Ken pulled into our driveway, we then wondered, "What are splash-overs of heaven? Are they easy, bright times when everything's going right?" After a long silence, Ken looked at me and with wet eyes whispered, "No, Joni. It's when we see Jesus in our splash-over of hell."

I would definitely recommend this book to others, whether they're dealing with hardships, or feeling completely at peace. I rate it 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.”

Drop-dead Easy Knits

If you're looking for those knitting projects that you can just work on while on the go, then I'd highly recommend "Drop-dead Easy Knits" by Gale Zucker, Mary Lou Egan, and Kirsten Kapur." Their book is perfect for the novice or expert knitter!

Each project lists the difficulty level, materials needed, sizes of project, and stitches used. What I think is awesome about these patterns is that they are distinguished by how much you have to pay attention to complete it. For instance, many of the patterns are created specifically for the knitter to be able to just pick it up, knit for 5 minutes if need be, and to be able to pick up where you left off.

Other patterns require more concentration but are still very user friendly.

Patterns include shawls, socks, cowls, arm warmers, sweaters and much more! All in all, this book includes some amazingly beautiful patterns. I would definitely recommend to all my fellow knitters! I rate this book as 5 stars.

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

Batgirl at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee Audio Book

It's not too often I get to review an audio book, so my girls and I were very excited to receive this one!

Barbara Gordon has always been a smart introverted teenager, staying in the shadows working in the tech department. When Supergirl sees her talent and recruits her to Super Hero High, Barbara will get a chance to really let Batgirl shine!

I loved the story line of this book! I think it's amazing that the main character, Batgirl, is essentially just a normal girl. She's intelligent, hard-working, and perhaps most importantly, she doesn't even have any super powers. Everything she does is based on her talents.

Another thing that is interesting to me is that even though she's a superhero, she deals with many of the same issues as average girls, such as peer pressure and fitting in. I can confidently let my girls listen to this story and not have to worry about any negative influence. I know we'll definitely enjoy listening to these stories together!

My only complaint is the narration by Mae Whitman. I felt that in some ways, it fell a little flat and could have used a little more emotion. However, I don't feel as if this has affected the story in a negative way. I rate this audio book as 5 stars.

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

Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst

I was pretty excited when I saw this book was available for review! I love Lysa Terkeurst's books, and I was definitely eager to read this one! With a name like "Uninvited," it tends to draw you in.

Lysa begins with sharing about her childhood. A father who abandoned her, and countless times of rejection. She just wanted to feel safe. Instead of feeling down and rejected, what if we could look past other people's actions and moving forward in God's truth about us? What if we could stop falling apart and blaming our offenders, and instead process our hurt in a positive God honoring way?

I can honestly say this book was not what I expected. While I felt that there was a great message in her words, I didn't feel as if I could totally relate to many of the examples used. Many of them had to do with hurts from years past, such as a broken heart or a dysfunctional upbringing. But the message was still fantastic and I feel that it could minister to a great many people. It just depends on what your past issues have been. I rate this book as 4 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.”

Pray A to Z by Amelia Rhodes

"Pray A to Z: A Practical Guide to Pray for Your Community" by Amelia Rhodes is just what it's name implies. What would happen if we told people we'd pray for them and then actually did it? Purposefully, intentionally, thoughtfully, lovingly prayed for them?

A lot of times we want to pray but just don't know what to say. Amelia Rhodes has changed the way I think about prayer. What if we prayed for people by topic, going through the entire alphabet?

What I think is fantastic about this idea is that you can customize each list. Your list might not necessarily be the same as mine based on what is going on in your life and in your friends lives. You can definitely read through this book and use it in your own daily prayers. I would highly recommend reading through it even if you end up making your own list.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author broke up each letter of the alphabet. Each letter includes 5 topics. The first three topics of each letter are prayers of petition and the last two are for prayers of praise and acknowledgement of God.

I'm a big fan of books on prayer. Prayer is a vital part of our walk with Jesus and sometimes when we're struggling, we just don't know what to pray. I love the concept that Amelia Rhodes has created here. This would be a fun book to go through as a Bible study or Sunday School Class that is focusing on prayer. It's the perfect size to take with you everywhere you go!

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

Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss

"Classic German Baking" by Luisa Weiss is a beautifully illustrated baking cookbook which features over 250 pages of traditional and tasty dessert recipes!

It includes recipes of Cookies, Cakes, Yeasted Cakes, Tortes & Strudels, Savories, Breads & Rolls, Christmas Favorites and Basics. Each recipe includes the English name and the German name, which I thought was fascinating considering I'm of German lineage! It was fun to learn a little about German culture and baking.

For example, in most of Europe, Vanilla extract is unheard of. Instead they use an ingredient called Vanilla Sugar or Vanillezucker. Most German baking recipes will call for Vanilla Sugar instead of the extract, so this book does include an easy recipe to create your own!

This recipe book has a little something for everyone. If you're feeling especially ambitious, you can make your own dough and bake Swabian Potato-Cheese Flat Bread or Kartoffel-kase Dinnede as it's called in Germany. Or you can try something more simple such as Blitzkuchen or Almond-Sugar Cookies.

I loved the pictures of Europe and the recipes although I was slightly disappointed that the book didn't include more pictures of the recipes. The back index also includes pronunciation of all German words as well as a directory of websites to purchase different foods from. I rate this cookbook as 4 stars only because I wish it had more pictures of the scrumptious delights.

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

Doodletopia Fairies by Christopher Hart

"Doodletopia: Fairies" is the newest drawing book by Christopher Hart. Readers will learn how to draw Fairy heads and faces, Fairy bodies, Magical clothing and accessories, Fairy wings and flying poses, Fairy dwellings, as well as some miscellaneous items here and there.

The fairies you will learn to draw are actually pretty adorable! You will learn to draw fairies from all different angles and sides, and how to draw different shaped faces. Despite the fact that the fairies are all drawn in black and white, it is actually a pretty colorful book. It features 159 pages of many different types of fairies.

My only complaint is that it does not give step-by-step directions. So someone with little or no drawing experience may have a hard time following along with it. It might also be difficult for a child/tween to be able to follow along. Other than that, I thought it was a very fun book put together very nicely. I rate this book as 4 stars.

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

Shaken by Tim Tebow

It's not a matter of IF storms will come throughout your life. It's a matter of WHEN. When do they come, what kind of person are you? Are you secure in trusting God and knowing He is faithful? When you're Shaken to the very core, will you still praise God or let yourself sink?

Tim Tebow shares many examples throughout his life of times when he had to place his trust in God and have faith in God's plan for his life. Like the times he has unexpectedly gotten let go from a football team, or not getting an opportunity he was expecting. Life is full of ups and downs, but throughout it all, (for the most part) Tim has kept his eyes on Jesus. Tebow challenges readers to look beyond themselves and their own trials, and try to leave a legacy that will reach beyond themselves and ultimately show Jesus' love to others!

Although, I have always thought highly of Tim Tebow, football is not something I have ever really been interested in. So to be honest, I really didn't know all that much about him. I learned quite a bit about his upbringing, his life and his values through this book. I learned what an incredibly caring person he is, and how much work he puts into telling other people about Jesus.

Despite the fact that Tebow repeatedly tells readers that he is just an ordinary guy and not doing anything spectacular, I found him to be an immensely inspiring human being. Tim shares a little bit about how involved he is in the WI5H foundation, and how he takes time to reach out to those less fortunate. He also grew up as a child of missionaries, and learned early on how to put other people first. He has gone to prisons multiple times to share the gospel with inmates and people who might not have heard about Jesus otherwise.

I can't recommend this book enough. I would highly recommend it to parents, teachers, teenagers, sports fanatics, and even people who hate sports! I can guarantee you will feel inspired after reading "Shaken".

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

The Long Journey to Jake Palmer by James L. Rubart

Jake Palmer is a 30 something year old former Ironman racer who coaches people on finding out their true identities by trying to figure out what's in their bottle. But what a lot of people don't know is that Jake doesn't even know what's on his bottle.

Events that transpired 18 months ago keep him from trusting anyone or anything, and it's impossible for him to imagine that anyone could ever love him again. When his friends invite him on their annual summer vacation, Jake turns them down repeatedly until he hears a quiet nudge telling him to go.

While there, Jake is presented with the opportunity to face everything that has left him so scarred. He hears of a corridor that is rumored to be magical and able to restore lives back to what they previously were. Jake is skeptical but can't help but wonder if it's true. Will he risk everything to go back to the way things used to be?

Both the cover of this book and the synopsis intrigued me from the beginning! At first it appears to be a story of a young man who feels a little sorry for himself and can't cope with his current life and the past that goes with it, but it's so much more! There is a tremendous spiritual undertone that is involved. The author does not overtly mention God and spiritual matters but it is implied and written much the same way C.S, Lewis might have written it. In fact, the story even mentions Prince Rilian and The Silver Chair.

Beautifully written. I would highly recommend it!

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.”