reading – The Pajama Chef

This sweet picture book written by singer-songwriter and mama Ellie Holcomb is sure to become a family favorite!

A description of the book from the publisher:

In this engaging board book with whimsical art, singer/songwriter Ellie Holcomb asks a childlike question and answers with a lovely lyrical tale that shows young readers that God our Maker sang the first song, and He created us all with a song to sing.

As usual, my five point review:

If you’ve ever heard Ellie Holcomb’s music, you know that her lyrics absolutely point to God and her voice is beautiful. That is clearly true of her writing as well! This sweet story–the result of a mother’s desire to answer her child’s question of “who sang the first song?” is full of God’s truth and His love, simply shared to connect with children.
In addition to the wonderful writing, the illustrations by Kayla Harren, are fantastic! They’re full of intricate detail–a variety of animals, children of every color of the rainbow, and gorgeous scenery enhance this book. There’s even a mama wearing her baby in a wrap! (Swoon.) As we read the book together, my son loves to point out his favorite whale or the cute little girl’s ponytail swinging as she runs.
Reviews for children’s books usually center on the story and illustrations, but Ellie has a little something extra special for her audience. She wrote and recorded an album to correspond with the book!! Sing: Creation Songs is the perfect addition to this sweet book. My little boy is a tough cookie when listening to music, but when I put the album on the other day, he smiled up at me and said, “Mama, Iike this song.” *insert heart eye emoji here*
The message of this book is just what I want to instill in my son–that the Father loves him and that he is His. I am just so in love with this book!! It’s not another “celebrity writes a book” but a truly wonderful story that resonates with children and parents alike.
If you are looking for a gift for the under six crowd… this is it! From baby showers to holidays to birthdays, this is a lovely, well made book with a great message. Highly recommend for girls and boys alike!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from B&H/Lifeway Bloggers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to B&H/Lifeway for the chance to read this great book!

This beautiful book is for you. Even if you don't think it is. Definitely worth the read, no matter how dissimilar your life/experiences are from Jackie Hill Perry's. Book review of Gay Girl, Good God on thepajamachef.com

Reviews

Book Review: Gay Girl, Good God

November 15, 2018November 15, 2018 Sarah

This beautiful book is for you. Even if you don’t think it is. Definitely worth the read, no matter how dissimilar your life/experiences are from Jackie Hill Perry’s.

A description of the book from the publisher:

“I used to be a lesbian.”

In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She abused marijuana, loved pornography, and embraced both masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could?

At age 19, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians—God broke in and turned her heart towards Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel.

Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.

As usual, my five point review:

This beautiful book is for you. Even if you don’t think it is. Jackie Hill Perry has a way with words (she is a spoken word artist, after all!) so the writing is absolutely wonderful. I first heard Jackie on a podcast (or six) sometime in the past year. Though her story and background are not really similar to mine, she is captivating. Every word in this book radiates truth, love, and the Gospel–just as is it does when she’s being interviewed on a podcast. She is nothing but genuine. That is why I wanted to read and review this book… even though I was (and am) scared of what others might think. I know not everyone will agree with me for liking this book, whether they’re Christians or not, but that’s okay.
The best part of this book is Jackie’s high regard for scripture and for the truth of Gospel. Each page, each chapter, and each part of her story indicate that God is calling himself to us, no matter what our struggles are (with sexuality or anything else). I found myself analyzing my own life and how I fall short of God’s commands frequently throughout Jackie’s story because she made a memoir about leaving a lesbian lifestyle and gravitating to Jesus about so much more than sexuality. She made it about Jesus and His call to follow Him. And what more can you ask for? It’s unbelief that’s the problem, not a specific sin.
Jackie’s memoir is written and filled with so much love. She doesn’t seek to shame anyone, not even herself, for their attractions and sins–no matter what they are. Practically speaking, this book provides lots of helpful tips for understanding and responding to Christians specifically struggling with homosexuality. These tips are woven into her story as well as clearly laid out in the last section of the book.
Also, this may be small… but this memoir reads like fiction. Though I read it over my lunch break for a couple weeks at work, this is totally a book I could see reading in an afternoon with a cup of cocoa. It’s a fast read, but one I’m sure I will return to time and time again to savor.
All in all, this is a great book. I’m sure this book is controversial in some circles and is probably getting some negative feedback, because things related to this sort of thing, written from a Christian point of view, typically do. But I really think everyone should read this book, regardless of their sexuality and faith. It will challenge you and make you think. I’m so glad I got to read it!

Reviews

Book Review: Falling for You

August 27, 2018August 23, 2018 Sarah

Looking for a sweet romance with some mystery thrown in for good measure? Be sure to read Becky Wade’s Falling for You!

A description of the book from the publisher:

Willow Bradford is content taking a break from modeling to run her family’s inn until she comes face-to-face with NFL quarterback Corbin Stewart, the man who broke her heart–and wants to win her back. When a decades-old missing-persons case brings them together, they’re forced to decide whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.

As usual, my five point review:

I absolutely loved this book! The characters, the setting, the mix of love and mystery… this was a fabulous book. Though I don’t read very much Christian fiction anymore, Becky Wade is always at the top of my to-read list because her novels are always so well written and NOT cheesy! Elements of faith were present but not in an overbearing sort of way.
Falling for You is the sequel to True to You, which I also reviewed on my blog. Though these books are related and feature the same family, you could read them out of order and not miss anything. I personally enjoyed Willow’s story in this novel over her sister’s previously. This was a shocker to me because Nora, Willow’s sister, is a library-type like me… and Willow is this model in love with a football player! Who’s more like me? Not Willow, but I was enthralled by her story anyways.
The best part of Willow and Corbin’s romance is the fact that their love story is a second-chance sort of love story. They previously dated and suffered a painful (and very realistic) breakup, and this book explores their journey to get to know one another again… and maybe end up together too. Only time will tell, right?! 🙂 The content of their story, as well as both of their personal histories, does make this a little more of a mature-readers book instead of preteens or early teenagers… so parents, be aware of that. Nothing is graphic though, but there are some difficult situations to process through.
My favorite part of this novel was something completely unexpected… a little mystery! Corbin and Willow team up (along with Corbin’s precocious niece, Charlotte) to search for Charlotte’s long-missing great-aunt Josephine. That journey, coupled with everyone’s personal ups and downs, was fun to read about even though it illustrated painful family stories in the process. That journey gave Corbin and Willow something to focus on besides themselves and really helped the story develop.
All in all, this is a great book to read–I breezed through it in just a few days, and if I didn’t have other responsibilities, this would have read it in a day. It was that good! Any of Becky Wade’s novels are wonderful, but this one may very well be my favorite.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: All the Colors That I See

August 7, 2018August 7, 2018 Sarah

All the Colors That I See is a great board book to help young children learn their colors–and that God made all of them for us to enjoy, too!

A description of the book from the publisher:

Green and yellow, red and blue?—what favorite color did God give you?

In this delightful board book, preschoolers can learn their colors and learn where they came from—God! They’ll be encouraged to touch, tap, or pat colors on each page, and a sneaky chameleon will follow them along the way.

In the Little Words Matter™ board books, it only takes a few words to tell a big story. Crafted especially for toddlers, these books make biblical truths easily understandable and enjoyable for little ones and their parents too!

As usual, my five point review:

I love getting new books to read with my toddler, and this sweet board book is no exception. This book is a great way to teach your young child about all the colors God has created for us to enjoy and appreciate.
Most educational books for toddlers about colors or objects are pretty boring, in my opinion. I thought All the Colors That I See is so creative! The premise: teaching children about colors is pretty basic. However, the authors take this a step further by encouraging children to engage with the colors–circle them, tickle them, touch them with their nose. Silly things like that. Finally, there’s a color changing chameleon to find with each color as well. All this adds up to a fun and educational experience for your child–and you! I can see my son engaging with this book differently as he grows, so that’s definitely a bonus.
One thing I expected with this book, perhaps by the title, was that it would explore issues of race. It doesn’t go there at all, so just be aware of that. I think it could be used to bridge that topic with older toddlers or preschoolers in a pinch, but I know there are better books about that as well.
The faith content in this book is not forced or overbearing, and is very age appropriate. For instance, God made the color red and He also made red apples. On some pages the text is more explicit about God than others, but you can use a similar sort of prompt to share about God’s creation with your child whether you are reading this board book or on a walk outdoors or at the grocery store.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. I think we will be reading it for many years to come! My son’s favorite color changes every day and this book is a great way to explore that, and to remind him that God made colors for us to enjoy.

Looking to share the story of Creation with your little ones? This sweet board book, God Made the World, is the perfect way to do that!

Reviews

Book Review: God Made the World

June 6, 2018June 6, 2018 Sarah

Looking to share the story of Creation with your little ones? This sweet board book, God Made the World, is the perfect way to do that!

A description of the book from the publisher:

Who made the sun, the stars, the moon, and the animals? God did! And who made me? God did! God made the entire world! Author and artist Sarah Collins brings a fresh approach to her illustrations using geometric designs to create bright, beautiful, and exiting pictures that preschoolers will want to look at over and over again.

God Made the World board book tells the story of creation in simple, easy to remember rhymes with art that is engaging and fun for young children. And it is sure to become a classic introductory creation storybook that will be used by countless families and teachers.

As usual, my five point review:

What a great board book! It is absolutely beautiful to look at it and feels good too. I know that’s a little weird to say, but we read a LOT to our toddler and the more high quality board books (in terms of construction) just feel good in your hands. Thick pages that stand up to drool and being thrown, bent, and otherwise abused (parents… you know this is true!!) are important. We do teach good book behaviors, but it’s a process. 🙂
God Made the World covers the story of creation as told in Genesis 1. The author shares creation’s story through a series of fun rhymes that are enjoyable to read and enjoyable for a child to hear. They aren’t sing songy (which can be annoying) but are fresh and new.
Speaking of the Christian message of this book… it’s straight from the Bible, and that’s important to me. I want my son to be exposed to Christianity through a variety of sources–family, daycare, church, music, books, and more. I want the Bible to be repeated to my son over and over and over again, and Biblically based storybooks are great for that!
The illustrations are awesome. Bold and bright colors as well as fun geometric shapes and patterns make this book pleasing to look at too. I think this also holds the interest of babies and toddlers better.
In general, I think this is a fabulous board book! It would be a great gift idea for a baby shower, first birthday party, or even to gift to your church nursery or daycare. It’s read on repeat at our house… the test of a good book!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Tyndale House for the chance to read this great book!