Jenn

This was a pretty cute story. An unusual camel is born to a camel trader, and they wonder why God would make such a unique camel. They try to wait to hear from God what purpose He has for the baby camel, but the camel trader is poor and may need to sell the baby to feed his family. Before he can do so, his son sets off with the camel on an adventure to try to discover the baby camel's purpose. What the baby camel ends up doing is a sweet addition to the story of Epiphany.

I think you will really enjoy this story, and it also lets us know that people (or baby camels) who are different are not meant to be a spectacle for others, but are loved by God the same as everyone else, and that God always has a purpose, even if we don't know what it is.

My Favorite Picture:
The baby camel running.

In this book, Santa tells us the true meaning of Christmas. It's a good way to introduce kids to both the secular concept of Santa as well as the religious meaning of the holiday. It doesn't explain about St. Nicholas, but the message that Christmas is about God and love instead of presents.

My Favorite Picture:
The sheep and shepherds at the manger in Bethlehem.

The style of these illustrations looks to be watercolor on a very familiar textured heavy-weight paper... Brings back memories. :)

This book does a decent, if lengthy, job of telling the Exodus story. However, due to the length and detail of the story and the busyness of the “Where's Waldo” style of illustration, I think this book is best targeted to kids between the ages of 6 to 10 years.

My Favorite Picture:
Um... I still can't find Waldo. Probably the illustration of the Ten Commandments on the inside of the front and back covers, to be honest.

The text of the book is a poem, and the poem is ... okay. A little cheesy for my taste, but kids might like it. It reminds me of Daniel 3 and the Liturgy of the Hours (Wind and chill, bless the Lord, etc.)

As for the illustrations... I like the colors, but I'm not a big fan of how they are done technically. There are large brush strokes and it almost seems to be Impressionist, which is not my favorite style.

So, we might take a look at it once, if we happen across it again, but I don't see it becoming a favorite.

My Favorite Picture:
Either the frog or the hummingbird or just the water portion of the one with the whale.

I like the arrangement of these prayers and poems. Most of them are very short and rhyme and would be easy for a little kid to memorize. There are prayers for all different situations and times of day, and I think this book would be helpful to introduce children to the habit of praying throughout the day.

My Favorite Prayer:

Table Blessing
God, we thank you for this food,
For rest and home and all things good;
For wind and rain and sun above,
But most of all for those we love.
– Maryleona Frost

Some of the slang took a bit to figure out, which was probably the biggest downside to this book. Overall, it was interesting. It explores, albeit rather superficially, issues surrounding monogamy, fertility, human trafficking, surrogacy, and religion. Religion is shown as being as off-the-deep-end on one extreme as the bumping-for-profit side is on the other extreme. The book hints that morality lies somewhere in the middle, with people's ability to choose their own destiny being key.

None of the sides were particularly demonized and you could see reasons for each characters choices.

It was interesting, yet rather fluffy. Personally, I would prefer a book dealing with these issues to be a little more serious and really get into the issues at hand, but at least some problems are brought to light, if not as many as perhaps should be. I was especially glad to see the insertion of the character Malia, as she provided a necessary point-of-view. It would also have been helpful to see a Church family that was successful, and not snidely uncharitable and controlling, as everyone who had interaction with Harmony was.

This is actually a pretty great little book. Right from the beginning, kids are called to empathize with Leigh, and the book teaches them that they are to recognize their strengths and weakness and not to get caught up in what they can't do, but what they can. It's a great message in a simple story.

While a very short story, I think it's a good story for children. It shows how even small interactions can greatly affect the lives of others. In just one afternoon, the Leaf Man made such an impression on the little girl that she remembered him for the rest of her life.

Not only that, but he spent his life in service to others and did not act selfishly.

Both great messages to keep in mind, for young and old alike.

This was a cute book. It's basically just each letter of the alphabet, along with an illustration of something that starts with that letter.

This is an excellent book with many great insights into the mystery surrounding the Blessed Sacrament. It is, however, very dense theologically, and thus may not appeal to the large majority of laity. It is a book that needs to be read fairly slowly, both for comprehension and assimilation of ideas before continuing on in the book.

This was an ironic title, as Lindsay and I were just discussing last night how difficult it was to think of good boy names.

I liked how the baby chose names for himself based on his stage of development and what happened to be going on around him at the time. Fairly appropriate choices, actually.

It's pretty simple and may be enjoyable to read with a small child to get them to think of different names for themselves, but not a book with lasting appeal that would be a family favorite.

On the other hand, it was free via Amazon, so....

This book was pretty cute. It was simple and had some rhyming, although the rhyming seemed a little forced sometimes, unlike the witticisms of Dr. Seuss. But the illustrations made it work much better than the text alone and I think kids would like the different animals.

My Favorite Picture:
The snail

Very cute book! It gives a message about stewardship and compassion that is both serious and playful. The illustrations are a bit child-like, but that does not distract from the story.

This book read like the fairy tales I grew up with, yet the illustrations were like well-done cartoons or animated movies. Meaning that this book was quality.

I especially appreciated how the girl was rewarded for being good and doing her job well and that, in the end, she was appreciated and celebrated in her position. She didn't have to become a princess or anything like that in order to be seen as successful from the story's point of view and in the last scene, she demonstrates that the real richness in life comes from being loved.

I quite liked this counting book! It was cute and entertaining and rhymed to a satisfactory degree. I also liked that the pages grew more chaotic in their illustrations as the animals became louder. :) I could clearly picture myself making all of the animals sounds to you and having you count all of the animals on each of the pages.

My Favorite Picture:
Who's howling there in sheer delight?

I can see why this book won the Caldecott Medal. It is a great book to read on a night in Advent, cuddled up under a blanket with some hot chocolate. I enjoyed the book much more than the movie with Tom Hanks. The book deals more with the joy and wonder of journeying to the North Pole.

The jingle bell can point to some truths of the faith, as well, if you think about it. Just as the sacraments are both spiritual and physical, the jingle bell is a physical reminder of a truth that most (older) people cannot see, and not seeing it, do not believe in it.

My Favorite Picture:
The kid in his bed peering out the window.

This was a pretty solid book. While fairly secular in nature, the goodness of Mr. Crockett and his hard-working nature and patience and all great qualities to have. Plus, I'm rather a fan of championing the underdog plants, especially the unloved Christmas trees. It became special to others because the love that Mr. Crockett gave it (and, truly, his whole home) shone through.

My Favorite Picture:
The tiny tree in Mr. Crockett's window when he first took it home.

While it's a little early, God-willing your parents will have more kids. In this book, Princess Penelope also faces an impending sibling. It is cute and sweet, and I love how Penelope sees everything as part of a fantasy (you'll have to look closely at the pictures, but it's pretty awesome). Overall, the story, while familiar, is told creatively and the illustrations greatly aid the book. I think it's a book that we will enjoy reading together.

My Favorite Picture:
The last one, especially as Penelope sees it. :)

This book tried to be cute and I tried to like it. There is quite a bit of text and a lot of highly detailed pictures, but almost too many per page. The story itself was okay, although it was very British in feeling. I think it would have done better as an animated movie/cartoon rather than as a book. The middle of the story is rather tedious and the ending was just okay.

So, we can probably skip this one.

My Favorite Picture:
The cat-reindeer taking the Santa mice for a ride in their sled.

My Least Favorite Picture:
The one of the couple trying to get Sampson to come back and live with them. Their teeth were crazy-scary.

Before starting to read this book, I have to acknowledge it's visual appeal: I love all the different colors of text on the front and back covers. It gives the book a playful feel before you begin to read.

I quickly realized that I would want to have a highlighter on hand to draw attention to specific quotes and passages that I'd like to remember in the future.

Like the paraprosdokians of the subject matter, this book defied my expectations for it – in a good way. I had originally thought it to be akin to a joke book filled with 140-character-or-less gems. But it's actually more intellectual than that and explains concepts ranging from literary ideas to psychology to history and more.

I also must note that they have a least favorite saint: St. Augustine, of whom I also have my difficulties. Thanks, guys, for having my back on this.

While, in the end, not a humor book, it does contain humor. It is probably best targeted to individuals who would like more insight into modern social marketing. In our soundbite culture, the suggestions contained here are increasingly important if we want our messages to be heard within the digital din.

Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge through Goodreads First Reads program.

This book... I think it's a solid effort. It's trying to teach you the virtue of persistence and believing in yourself. I think the story was a longer than it needed to be and could have been tightened up some. There was a lot of repeating on the little girl's fears, which I know is how things happen in real life, but to dwell on it for so long in a story may have the opposite effect as is intended.

The other slight “problem” with the book is the emphasis on the necklace. It has the potential for seeming as some sort of good-luck charm or talisman, which is not a healthy thing to rely upon. However, if you have something that reminds you of goals and encourages you, it can be something helpful. Just remember to rely upon God for all that you need. A necklace in itself has no power.

I think 3 stars is fairly accurate for your reaction to the book as well. While you didn't scream and howl in rage or agony, you also didn't seem to be very engaged either. In fact, it looked as if you were thinking about taking a nap. Some may say this is because you are a month old and had just eaten... :)

My Favorite Picture:
You know.... I actually forgot to look for one. But I did think it a little odd that the girl's favorite skating outfit was a green sweater, red skirt, red stockings and red bow. To pull that off, I think she should have worn green stockings, at the very least, and have it be a Christmas party instead of a birthday party.

This was a really cute story, delightfully illustrated, and I think that it may truly inspire kids to write and share their own stories.

My Favorite Picture:
Ralph spending the afternoon with the inchworm doing nothing together.

This is a great story about a monster who can no longer be mean, so he has to find a new identity or try to fake it in the monster world. What will he do when all of his monster friends turn their back on him?

My Favorite Picture:
The Onster thinking of how he's going to be mean by pulling up all the roses. I've never had this expression on my face. No, not ever. ;)

This is a really great introduction to Catholic Theology! It is simple and clear, yet provides a solid foundation for those who wish to understand the Catholic faith. I am about halfway through my Master's degree in Theology and still found things in this book that I did not know before.

It is a great resource for people interested in theology, yet not limited to scholars. Lay people of all walks of life would benefit from this volume. It is well-referenced, yet not overly technical.

My apologies to this book, but I really couldn't get into it. The premise was interesting enough, but the way it was written was just... not something I had the patience for.

The ending was certainly surprising, and I did appreciate that little twist, but in the end, it was not enough to redeem the book overall.