His Treasure Seekers

We got a little 4th of July preview this week with the chance to review The Berenstain Bears: God Bless Our Country by Mike Berenstain.  Evidently Bear Country is somewhere in the United States, because in this story Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear learned all about how the settlers of our country declared their independence on July 4 and a new nation was born.  Along with a little history lesson from Papa Bear, they celebrate the 4th of July with a parade, complete with patriotic decorations, marching veterans, and a fireworks display.

Mike Berenstain continues the series of books started by his parents with stories that teach valuable lessons for children.  While the original books focused on life lessons for a more general audience, the books by Mike Berenstain have a distinctly Christian perspective and focus more on lessons of faith.  Even in this patriotic book, God is given a prominent place.  Papa tells the cubs, “We believe that it was God’s will that our new country came to be,” and at the end of the book, the family gives thanks to God “for a land that’s free.”

While I haven’t always been as impressed with the newer Berenstain Bear books as the classic series, this book is definitely a keeper.  My kids loved the stickers that came with it, and I loved the simplicity of the story and its message.  There are discussion questions and activity suggestions at the end of the book to help impress the message even more upon your children’s hearts.  This book is a great addition to the patriotic section of our family library.

We’re big fans of the Berenstain Bears books.  On trips to the library Ian always heads straight to the B section to see if there are any he hasn’t read yet, and since there always seem to be different ones to choose from, they must be pretty popular with a lot of kids.  So we jumped at the chance to review The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag by Mike Berenstain (son of Stan and Jan Berenstain, the original authors of the series).

Synopsis

Biggest Brag begins with a look at Brother and Sister Bear, listing the many things they are good at and how they are “proud of all their hard work and effort.”  Unfortunately, their achievements have led to an atmosphere of competition, in which they are constantly trying to best each other.  For example, when Brother brags about getting an A, Sister has to let him know that she got an A+.  Mama and Papa try to address their bragging and boasting, telling them about what the Bible says about love: “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”  Still, Brother and Sister persist in their bragging ways, eventually getting into a ridiculous contest about who sees the most exciting pictures in the clouds.  When Gramps overhears them, he gently chides them for their foolishness and quotes a Bible verse about strife and pride.  Then he invites them over to his house for a game of checkers.  The cubs instantly start back into an argument about who’s going to win until Gramps calls them on it and they walk home with him.

Our Thoughts

My three oldest kids (ages 3,5 and 6) were eager to read this latest book in the series.  They all seemed to enjoy it, but it wasn’t a huge hit with anyone.  My oldest did pick it up to read again on his own a few weeks after I initially read it to them, and when asked what he thought of it he said, “I kind of like it.”

For myself, I was disappointed.  I felt like the attempts to correct the cubs’ poor behavior were half-hearted, and it didn’t seem like they really changed at all, since they were still going at it on the last page (though they did at least apologize when Gramps got on them about it).  I like the idea of addressing the problem of bragging and making a competition about everything (definitely an issue our kids have struggled with at times), but I was hoping for more when it came to overcoming this bad habit.  Their final battle about the cloud pictures just seemed silly and contrived, and I wish there had been a stronger resolution.

The thing I liked best about the book was Papa and Gramps pointing the cubs to the Bible when explaining why their attitudes needed improvement.  I would have liked to see these ideas developed a bit more.  Since Papa has at times been portrayed as rather weak and foolish, it was nice to see him taking a stronger, more positive role in this story.

We have enjoyed several of the newer books by Mike Berenstain and look forward to reading more, but unfortunately we didn’t feel that The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag lives up to the high standards of the other Berenstain Bears books.

I love finding books the help my children think more about the Bible, so I was pleased to get a chance to review Let There Be Light by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, illustrated by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Tillman.  We received the board book edition, but it is also available in hardcover.

Let There Be Light retells the story of Genesis chapter 1 in beautifully descriptive language.  The book goes through each day of creation, beginning with God all alone before anything else exists, and ending on the seventh day, with God resting and enjoying what He has created.

Bible purists might take issue with a few things.  First, after God creates the light, Tutu writes, “And there was day.  And there was night.  And when the first day was done, God smiled and knew that it was good.”  The Bible puts the night first (“And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5), which is why Jewish days begin at sundown.

At the end of the book, God makes “people,” rather than a man and woman, and for the seventh day Tutu writes, “God laughed, and rested…”  These details don’t necessarily contradict the Scriptural account, but they might be taking more liberty than would make some people comfortable.

The last page simply states, “You are loved.”  It’s the way Nancy Tillman ends all her children’s books, but since she is the illustrator, not the author, I’m not sure why it was included in Let There Be Light.  It is a wonderful truth, but it seems a bit out of place considering the rest of the text.

Still, this is a beautiful book, and I didn’t hesitate to share it with my children (though I would discuss the issues mentioned above with them as they are old enough to understand).  Tillman’s illustrations are unique and eye-catching, reflecting the glory of God’s creation and helping the reader marvel at the beauty of the world He has given us.

I have now read three books in the Get to Know series by Nancy I. Sanders, and while I enjoyed them all, I was especially impressed by Jesus (Zondervan, 2014).  Although it is written for elementary aged children, I think it would be a great read for anyone wanting to know more about the man Sanders says “is probably the most famous person who ever lived” (page 11).

What It’s About

The book begins with evidence for the historical truth of the Bible and then gives the reader some important background information that will help them understand different facets of Jesus’ life.  Sanders discusses the idea of the Messiah, both as the Savior promised from the time Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and as the later hope the Jews had for someone who would deliver them from the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire.  She discusses Jewish history and customs, as well as the promises in the Old Testament that pointed toward the coming of Christ.

Then Sanders draws from all four Gospels to created a detailed account of Jesus’ life.  In addition to going telling his story chronologically, there are separate chapters devoted to Jesus’ teachings and the miracles he performed.  After discussing the resurrection, the book includes an account of the early church and then ends with message Jesus gave the apostle John in Revelation (the final book of the Bible), which gives the future part of Jesus’ story.

My thoughts

There is so much information packed into this little book, but it is still a fairly easy read for children. There are quotes from the NIrV interspersed throughout the text, which is consistent with about a third grade reading level.  I think Ian is almost ready to read this on his own, and I’m considering making it a required part of our Bible lessons for school this year.  I think Sanders does an excellent job of helping children understand why certain things happened the way they did and why people acted in ways that might not make sense to modern readers.

Like the other books in this series, Jesus is full of beautiful color maps, photographs, and artwork, making it an appealing read for anyone interested in learning about Christ.  I enjoyed this book even more than Mary and King David and look forward to reading the rest of the Get to Know series.

The Get to Know series by Nancy I. Sanders gives young readers a look into the world of various biblical figures.  I just finished King David (Zondervan, 2014) and I would recommend it for any elementary student wanting to learn more about one of the most famous people in the Old Testament.

This is the second book I’ve gotten to review from the series, and I noticed some differences from the book on Mary, primarily because there is so much more information about David found in the Bible.  Every part of David’s life is covered, from his days as a shepherd, through killing Goliath and his troubles with King Saul, all the way up to his plans for them temple that his son Solomon would eventually build.

Sanders starts out discussing the concept of a myth, explaining that some people have said Bible stories, such as those about David, are as mythical as the story of Hercules.  The she shares archeological evidence that proves that David is actually a historical figure.  She ends with a discussion of his connection to Christ, who wouldn’t be born until almost a thousand years later.  Throughout the book there are beautiful full color paintings, maps, and photographs showing artifacts and places that help bring David’s world to life.  My sons and I loved looking the photograph of the Valley of Elah, the place where David fought Goliath.

This book is a great resource for doing Bible study with our children.  Everything in it is based on biblical and/or historical evidence, and it provides a wealth of information in a child-friendly manner.  David’s life included some incidents that aren’t exactly G-rated (his affair with Bathsheba, and the drama with two of his sons surrounding the abuse of a sister), but these were covered in a very tasteful manner that I felt was very appropriate.

We have really enjoyed the books in the Get to Know series and look forward to reading more!

When I got the chance to review Mary in the Get to Know series by Nancy I. Sanders (Zondervan, 2014), I thought this was going to be a fictionalized biography of Jesus’ mother.  Instead, it turned out to be an in-depth study of Mary’s life.

The book isn’t told as a story, though it does include stories from Mary’s life as described in the Bible.  However, Sanders helps young readers get a fuller understanding of those Bible passages by explaining customs and describing what life would have been like for Mary.

For example, in Chapter 6 (“Mary and Joseph’s Home), we read about what kind of houses poor people in Nazareth might have had.  Then we learn about what kinds of food they ate and how they treated sickness and various ailments.

“Mary might wash clothes in the streams that formed when it rained hard or with water she got from the village well.  Soap was made from animal fat mixed with ashes from plants.”

Each chapter is full of fascinating details and beautiful color illustrations and photographs that help bring Mary’s world to life. There are explanations of Jewish holy days, pictures of archeological finds from Mary’s time, maps showing where things take place, and much more.

Although the reading level is too advanced for my boys (better for upper elementary), I plan to read parts of it aloud to them as we begin our study of the New Testament.  It is a wonderful resource for teaching about life in Israel at the time of Christ.  I look forward to reading other books in the Get to Know series.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction based on biblical accounts.  Even though the authors have to add to the story and most of the books are pure fictional speculation, I appreciate how they help me visualize the ancient world and consider what might have been going on inside the mind of someone I’ve read about over and over in the Bible.  Therefore I eagerly took the opportunity to review By Faith Isaac by Elsa Henderson.

Although the story is primarily about Isaac, the author begins with the story of Abraham and how he came to trust the Lord.  In the first part of the novel, Abraham recounts much of his life story as he talks with Isaac, who is still a boy.  He tells how he never felt comfortable with the idols people were worshiping all around him, and how God spoke to him and called him out of that place.  He passes his faith on to Isaac, who grows up never knowing anything but complete trust in the Lord.  There are no accounts of great miraculous deeds on the part of Isaac in Genesis, yet he is remembered centuries later in Hebrews 11 simply for believing.

The tricky thing about “biblical fiction” is expanding upon the actual biblical account without changing any of the meaning.  Elsa Henderson did a lot of research, and it is evident in the details she puts into the story.  I wasn’t enthusiastic about the way she developed the character of Sarah, but that’s probably because I have read other fictionalized accounts of the same Bible story and feel like Sarah is an old friend.  Henderson made her less sympathetic than other authors have, and I felt almost defensive of her.

All in all, I would still say it is an enjoyable read if you are looking to immerse yourself in the world of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac.  It challenged me to consider what the Bible actually says about them and helped me to imagine what it must have been like to live through their stories.