Children Books

As an author myself, this book is a bit of a challenge to read owing to the continual interruption of thought by the author's restating, rewording and redefining Biblical passages in parenthesis centered in most sentences throughout.

However, the content carefully targeted to those of us with trauma in our past and how to use faith to help with recovery is helpful though overly preachy throughout.

Bizy Writer

Beauty for Ashes was the second Joyce Meyer book I read. This book deals with a heavy subject: how child abuse, specifically sexual abuse, damages your life, and what you can do to be freed emotionally and spiritually from your past. There are a lot of books on the market that deal with childhood sexual abuse (though not enough), but, aside from "The Courage to Heal," this is, hands down, the best. It's practical and empathetic, and, in my copy, almost every single page has something scribbled in the margin or highlighted, because it's all so applicable. The reason is that Joyce has been there: she endured unbelievable struggles as a child and young adult, dealt with it like so many survivors do, by throwing up walls and becomming negative (understandably), and then came out the other side.

While her writing style is easy and conversational, this book is hard. I'm on my second read through right now, actually, I'm going slow, one chapter every couple days, giving time for the concepts of the book to actually sink in. My friend recommends reading Battlefield before this book, and I agree; though the book stands on its own, Battlefield of the Mind will prepare you for the intense mental and spiritual effort you'll start. Dealing with abuse is always tough, always, and it's especially tough when we do it contrary to our human nature. It feels good to want vengance, to hate, to withold forgiveness (or, at least, we think it feels good), but this book breaks down walls. And like resetting a broken bone that has healed wrong, it HURTS. But it's a good hurt, and I feel that I"m a better person for reading his book.

What an amazing book. Not just for women or so-called survivors of abuse. This book has so much tremendous wisdom on how to live a victorious life -- no matter what your past is. I recommend this book so highly, I've purchased a copy for everyone who is important in my life. Must read!

This is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to live a Biblical life, but just can't seem to get over the hurts of abuse and betrayal. Joyce Meyer writes in her straight forward yet compassionate transparency. In this book, she takes the reader on a hope filled, "get from there to here" journey. I wish I had read this book a long time ago.

My grandfather sent this book to me and I confess that when I first saw it, I wasn't sure it was anything I wanted to read. Emotional healing? What could *I* possibly need to be healed from? Denial is an amazing thing. Thankfully, I had nothing else to read at the moment and picked up this book. From page 1, I was captured by Meyer's ability to share her story, make light of her struggle, and give examples of God's amazing power to heal us from our wounds, whether we recognize them or not. This book took me through the whole scope of emotions. I found myself laughing, and alternately, weeping as I recognized myself in the pages and yes, even found God speaking to me through Meyer's testimony. I simply could not put it down. If you are a survivor of any type of abuse, or even if you're just trying to work on building mature, Christ-centered relationships, consider this book. You won't be sorry you did.

This is a book for the young, but it is also a good book for the parents and everyone in between.
I had this book w/record when I was a little girl and the meaning behind this very small simple book came to mind many times through my life... (middle aged now) It resonated with me because I perceived my family didn't believe in me, didn't think I would amount to anything, treated me as if I was stupid and laughed at me, my dreams... so I grew up trying to be my own "cheerleader"... which was daunting at times... yet, like this boy planting the carrot seed, I also somehow knew (trusted?) inside me there was a seed that would grow with enough positive energy, light and love. It is my passion to cheer my fellow humans on... believe in yourself, believe in your children, believe in the people around you and they will believe in themselves and so on and so on and so on...
We all came here with a gift (seed)... let it move through you (grow) and do not listen to the negative voices/opinions around you, no matter how "influential" they are.
"My story" is done, coaching session over ;-) Cheers to ya!

My 3 year old son knows this book word for word. It is a superb story about patience and tenacity. Yet another library book that become so beloved we turned to amazon....

This book is a wonderful portrayal of perserverence and faith. Delightful to young and old!

i was happy to receive the book. it is exactly the book i remembered and its nice because it is hard.

thank you

This book had a huge impact on me as a child.

Everyone told the boy his carrot seed would not come up. Even the adults. My reaction was this: adults know everything, so why is this boy still trying? I was truly surprised when the carrot seed sprouted, and I clapped and cheered. My next reaction was this: maybe *I* shouldn't give up, even when other people tell me to. This is one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned.

I read this book to my own kids now, and they love it as much as I do.

Again, Beverly Lewis has captured our hearts with her wonderful-gut stories. This series takes us through the family's blessed times and
their heartaches over a period of seventeen or so years. The other
viewers have already set the plot in motion, so I'll just say you'll
fall in love with and will treasure this Amish family in your heart.
It's hard to say good-bye but you'll be glad you were a part of this
family and their "Plain" lifestyle. It is a captivating story which
you will cherish!

I enjoyed reading these books. They are very well written and describe the Amish life in detail.

Beverly Lewis is such a talented writer. Her books are full of twists that keep you reading one book after the other. They are full of romantic stories without the modern day smut!

This story line had me reading and reading just to find out what happens next. What wonderful twists and turns! THE best of the Beverly Lewis books. Nice display of everyday Amish life. Money well spent for hours of pleasure reading. The second reading is even better than the hurried fist.

I love this series!! Beverly Lewis has such a wonderful talent in writing about the Amish and keeping you turing the page. I couldn't wait to read the next book after finishing one. GREAT SERIES!!

This is a great road map to surviving the death of a baby. I would recommend this book to parents, family or friends who have lost a baby due to miscarriage, pregnancy interruption, stillbirth or SUID.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend after the loss of my son, which was the culmination of a series of increasingly cruel and difficult miscarriages. More than any other book, this one helped me sort through all of my losses and deal with the grief and make some sort of sense of it. I especially liked how the book, although it has a religious tone, isn't overly preachy and the chapter for husbands was also something my husband thought was good. I have passed my copy on to a friend who lost her son, but since then have encountered a number of friends and colleagues who, sadly, also have had similar experiences. I have taken to having an extra copy at all times so that when a friend does open up to me about a loss (I'm very open about my son) I have one to pass on.

After our fourth daughter was stillborn January 2008, I thought that no one or nothing could relate to how I felt. I was wrong after I read this book. This book accurately describes
my feelings of guilt, helplessness, fears, etc. It is very comforting to know that I am not crazy for thinking the way I do.I have read a lot of books on this subject (which is so sad for it happens way too often to so many people) but this one is the best so far. I am going
to recommend it to a local hospital for anyone who (god forbid), has this tragic event in their lives as well. Deb Davis writes knowing my thoughts
and my questions, realizing at the same time that we will never know the answer why after 36 healthy weeks, her spirit was chosen to leave this earth. I love you so much...... and miss you...... we will meet again someday.

After our son was stillborn in April of 2006, we were looking for any support we could find. We went to the beach and I read this book out loud to my husband cover to cover in 1 day. Everything we were feeling was covered in this book. It was to the point and very validating. We referred to this book daily. I have purchased several of these for our support group and the hospital where our son was born. We felt like this was something parents should leave with and for that matter a book the nursing and hospital staff should have as required reading. During our darkest days this book helped us work through the many emotions that come with the death of a child. If you have suffered the same fate or know someone who has I highly recommend this book.

Our first child, our son Wyatt, was stillborn and it has been the most devastating event of our entire lives. I bought this book after a fellow angel parent recommended it and absolutely loved it. It is so "nice" to see all the thoughts and feelings you have after losing a child right there in print. It makes you realize you're not going crazy, that those thoughts and feelings are legitimate, and that you are not alone. I carried this book everywhere with me and would highlight phrases that were personal to me. It really helped me understand the loss of our son and give me strength and courage to go on with our lives while still keeping his memory alive. I'm so sorry to those of you having to look at this book, but I hope it can help you as much as it has helped me.

Family Apart follows the lives of Irish children. They move from Ireland during the potato famine to NY to survive. But then their da dies and their ma finds it impossible give her family the basic needs. She decides to send them WEST so they can have the basics, education, and love. I read this book to many children because it is a quartet of books. Afterwards, they want to read the sequels. These tell the individual stories of each child. Being historial fiction, it also leads into to reading real accounts of Orphan Train riders lives. The book is exciting and has many emotions that children can identify with now.

What if you and your family had to leave your mother and go west on one of the orphan trains to be split up into differnt families?

In this book you'll experience the wide array of feelings the kelly children are feeling and the adventure that the kelly chilren have to endure. The kelly's dicover Mike, the oldest boy, is a copper stealer, they are being taken from thier mother, and most comfort Mike because he blames himself for all that has happened.

I recommand this book to anybody who like suspenseful novels or is just looking for a good book to read.

I really enjoyed reading the book Family Apart, because it keeps you guessing , whats going to happen next? Also it helps you learn a lot about orphans and what they go through. A Family Apart has a lot important teachings to offer. I would love to read the next six books in the series.

This wonderful book A Family Apart has a lot of meaningful things that can be learned. One lesson that can be learned is, that you don't know what you've got until its gone. If you have something or know somebody that means a lot to you, once you lose them you don't realize how important it was until its gone. A moral that can help you in life is to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is good because if you are trying to reach a goal and you believe in yourself you will reach that goal and if you don't you might not. Another lesson that can be learned in this book is to love your family. You should love your family because they do a lot for you and they are your only family. The last great moral is to accept changes. Even though accepting changes is hard we have to, because sometimes we cant change them. As you can tell this great book A Family Apart has a lot of important teachings to offer.

This was a thrilling book about a poor family that live in newyork the family has to deal with many problems first the dad dies, then the 3rd eldest gets in to some trouble because he is a copper thief Mike (the copper thief) is sent to a hearing The judge announces under there mothers wishes that the children ( Petey, Peg, Danny, Mike, Megan, and Frances) are to be sent west on the orphan train. Before the train leaves Frances the eldest child overhears that two kids in the same family are more likely to be adopted if they are boys. So Frances promising her mother that she would take care of her youngest brother cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Frankie. That's just the beginning Frances and her brothers and sisters encounter many other things on there quest to the west. Read this fantastic book and your eyes will open up to a whole new world of adventure thieves, slaves, fear, and depression it's sure to make your heart ache.This is a book you will always remember.

This book has been a family favorite for many years. My children love the rhymes and the whimsical story and love to picture a giant sandwich being constructed. I got this book for all my nieces and nephews this year and it was a big hit.

"The Giant Jam Sandwich" is great for any kid with a vivid imagination its laid out in such a way that it flows like honey or in the case of this book STRAWBERRY JAM! The basis of this book is the town of "Itching Down" has one serious dilemma, one day in flew 4 million wasps and of course they were wreaking havoc for everyone and everything so what do you do to try to get rid of these pesky wasps? why build a giant jam sandwich and trap them in it!
From what I see this book came out 30yrs ago its has a fun rhyming text, the illustrations are great I love the expressions of the townsfolk and it showcases a community really coming together to solve a big buzzing problem. A great food fun book a lot like "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" which I also highly recommend. This book is complete fun for the family a great story to bring along for picnics just don't forget to pack your own jam sandwiches!

My son who is graduating from high school requested this book as a graduation gift. It is one of his favorite memories from childhood and may have even influenced his decision to become a professional pilot. A charming story told in rhyme accompanied by whimsical illustrations. An asset for any child's library.

I grew up with this book and am rapt that amazon could find it for me.
I love the simplicity of the book, the story, pictures etc.
I am now able to read it to my children.

This was a favorite of mine as a child, so I was excited when my daughter was the right age to read it. She enjoys it immensely and loves to point out and name all the details in the colorful pictures.

Opus is listening to the same (boring) story he's heard zillions of times before when he departs from the text, in quite a spectacular way - flying through the milky way, going diving with Abe Lincoln's statue, nearly crashing into an airplane...!

It does go on and on for a while. Not for kiddos with short attention spans.

I am a homeschool mother. Homeschooling was recommended to me for my 8 year old by an educational consortium of public school administrators, psychologists, and independent Dr.'s in the fields of child development, biology, and classic studies. This book, "Goodnight Opus", is hands down, my favorite children's book. I have bought countless copies for friends and aquaintances. I have read it to grown men who keep my yard, neighbor ladies, and numbers of children in the kid sections of 4 local libraries. While it would be silly to correlate this book to my child's level, know my child - now 15 - is working on her 2nd college degree. My original copy is displayed in my library on it's own library stand. 1993 should be ignored completely - the book is timeless. Berkeley Breathed should be one of my closest friends!!

Both charming and mesmerizing, Berkeley Breathed has created an endearing bedtime story for his greatest creation, Opus. Even at 30+ years old, I can still sit down on any given night, and take 10 minutes out of my evening to be swept away to to the marvelous Milky Way and remind myself that sometimes, it is perfectly normal and quite a bit of fun to depart from the text, even if just for awhile.

love the pictures in this!! its got so many little details- you notice something new every time. and its crazy imagination that today's children's books are seriously lacking. my favorite part is with abe lincoln- "he said he himself had chased a few dreams. now that he's marble- he wished for small things. "and what," i said "would you most like to do?" "a swan dive" he said- so we stripped and did two...

Wonderful story, fantastic art. A childrens book from my favorite cartoonist in the whole world, and my two year old son won't go to bed without a reading. This book is an instant classic.

One of the great things about children is the way they can take words literally . . . and give us a new perspective on life as we stop to think about the words we employ for well-understood adult idiomatic expressions. "Is there really a human race?" might thus be seen as a literal question about all the racing around that children see around them, as perhaps reinforced by television shows like The Amazing Race and other reality show competitions. Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell take that literalness and turn it into motherly wisdom for a child who's concerned about what it means to be in so much competition.

As I looked at the second two-page spread in the book, I had to laugh aloud as I saw the vision of people racing through what looked a lot like Central Park in New York City while mom and child sit on a park bench. I have often wondered why New Yorkers walk so fast . . . and now here is a story that picked up on that.

From there, the child asks mom a series of naive questions about the race:

"Did it start on my birthday?"
"Do I warm up and stretch?"
"If the race is a relay, is Dad on my team?"
"Am I a jockey or am I a horse?"
"Is there pushing and shoving to get to the lead?"
"If the race is unfair; will I succeed?"
"Do some of us lose?"
"What am I winning?"
"And why do I do it, this zillion-yard dash?"

Mom then provides a bit of perspective:

"Sometimes it's better not to go fast. There are beautiful sights to be seen when you're last."
"Shouldn't it be that you just try your best?"
"Shouldn't it be looking back at the end that you judge your own race by the help that you lend?"
"So take what's inside of you and make big, hard choices. And for those who can't speak for themselves, use bold voices."
"And make the world better for the whole human race."

As you can see, the book turns back to the subject of brotherhood without getting stuck tricky philosophical bases. Instead, brotherhood is just presented as the way to go. Very nice!

As charming as the words are, the illustrations are critical to this story and carry it forward much more powerfully than any words alone could do. As usual, Ms. Cornell gives both panoramic images and tiny details that will intrigue the most observant young child. As an example of the detailed humor, the child's backpack has an open package in it. If you look closely and turn the page, you can see that these are "Nutrition Patches . . . No Need to Stop and Eat . . . Eat and Run!" Now, even a sober-sided adult who doesn't like to read to children can appreciate humor like that.

To me, the best aspect of the book is that the story and illustrations open the doors for a nice discussion between parent (or grandparent) and child. Too many children's books try to exclude the reader from having a role as a discussion leader. I would describe this book as being designed to be a discussion starter. And it's a discussion that is good to have . . . getting out of the rat race so you can join the human race.

Slow down, make good choices, help others, and enjoy!

Mu problem with this book is that the title really has nothing to do with the content. Maybe I'm just being picky, but before I read the book to my sons, I prefaced it with telling them what "Human Race" means--people as a whole, or all the people in the world. I was expecting and hoping to see a message about how people are really just people, regardless of color, physical differences, etc. But as I read the book, we quickly realized that the book isn't really about "The Human Race". I LOVE, LOVE the message of the book-take time to enjoy the journey of life, don't get caught up in winning or losing, etc. But the title and the message seemed incongruous to us. That certainly doesn't really effect the value of the story or message, and the book itself is very fun to read and listen to. But it really has nothing to do with what most people mean when they use the term "Human Race".

Jamie Lee is very clever with her wordings and rhymes. The illustrations are very eye-catching. Always looking for a new way to challenge and stimulate children's minds....this is it!

Jamie Lee Curtis, Is There Really a Human Race? (Joanna Cotler Books, 2006)

Man, this book started off so well. Of its thirty-two pages, fully twenty-six of them are great stuff. Playing on the multiple meanings of the word "race", Curtis asks all sorts of amusing questions about humanity. While it does get a tad overbearing at times with the moralizing ("If the race is unfair, will I succeed?" comes flying out of nowhere, for example), it's quick, funny, and wonderfully illustrated by Laura Cornell. Unfortunately, then come the last six pages, where Curtis tosses away the metaphor and dives straight into the moralizing. Show Don't Tell is gasping by the wayside, obviously not having the lung capacity to finish. Sense of Subtlety got knocked over the head by an unscrupulous racer and is lying in the gutter, quietly sobbing. Not Talking Down to Kids lost his jockey and bolted for the track bar. Moralizing and Sanctimoniousness hit the wire in a dead heat.

Still, the first bit's worth it. **

While I don't usually review picture books, I highly recommend this charming book for adults who need to be reminded to slow down. I bought a copy to purchase for a youngster -- but was so moved by the message that I plan to keep it myself and will have to buy another. Curtis's important message is sure to strike a chord with over-scheduled adults who happen to be reading the book aloud to children. Cornell's whimsical illustrations (I loved the girl who's got the biggest hair "without product") make you pause for a closer look as you follow the text, which is exactly what a good picture book should do. This book makes a great gift for anyone -- regardless of age. -- Cindy La Ferle [...]

Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers is a wonderful book! Fans of Harry Potter will really love this book!

I stayed up all night reading Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers. I couldn't stop reading. It was a great book. I love the detail. It definitely brought it to life. I find the idea interesting because everyone kind of has a box of whispers of there own. Some people choose to open it and some choose to keep it locked.

I've read Kendra Kandlestar And The Box Of Whispers, and I thought it was one of the BEST books ever! I would LUV to read Kendra Kandlestar And The Door To Unger!

Kendra is different from the other Eens, because she was the only one who told her secret. It was scary when they were locked inside the cage. Kendra is just like Hiccup, a normal person outside, but a hero inside. I think that it would've been very scary to go into the dragon's lair. Kendra is smart and brave. I would rate this book 10/10 and recommend it to people who like adventure and fantasy.

This book is about a brave Een girl named Kendra Kandlestar who is eleven years old. She lives with her Uncle Griffinskitch in the town of Faun's End. Eens are magical creatures who live behind the magic curtain which keeps out their enemies.

In the beginning of the book, the Een's greatest treasure "The Box of Whispers" gets stolen. An unusual group of 5 characters are sent out to find the box and Kendra and her best friend Oki somehow get included in the group. The find the box they must go on a journey outside the magic curtain.

I liked this book because it has lots of adventure and it kept me involved. I didn't want to stop reading. I would give this book 10 giant carrots out of 10! I would recommend it to anyone 7 and over because my mom liked it too.

"Look-Alikes" is a compulsively fun book for both kids and grownups. Big colorful pages tell a simple narrative of travel and city life through huge static phenomenally detailed photos of dioramas that a chock-a-block with fascinating detail and hidden visual jokes. For example, a concession stand at a train station is made out of a funnel; the 40s retro lighting fixtures at an old style deli are actually white rubber drain plugs. The central activity is to locate and identify these visual tricks. There's a snippet of text on each page that list some of them for you to find - some easy and some devilishly hard.

Beyond the "Where's Waldo" type gameplay, these images succeed on a several other levels as well. They are big and colorful and a visual feast of detail and happy narrative content. They are superb dioramas which fascinate the modeling monkey bone. They are full of trains and people and buildings and scenes. The whole assemblage conveys happiness and order while simultaneously conveying zaniness and wild abandon. It's totally great! I'd put the age range from 5 to 95.

My Grandson had checked out a couple of the Look-Alike books from the Library. He really liked them, so I decided to get him one for his 5TH birthday. He really enjoys finding the look alike objects in the pictures, and spends a long time for a five year old doing so.

My twin 5 yr old boys love these books. It has become a night time ritual with them. There are so many cool things to spot. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for something to do during quiet time.

My 3yo son and 37yo husband both love this book (as do I). We can easily spend half an hour or more every evening playing a modified I-spy game - and it's no easy feat keeping a 3 yo entertained that long. I would highly recommend it for travel, except that it's a large size book which makes it a bit unweildy to carry.

This is a another book filled with fascinating ways the author puts together pictures using common everyday items. You'll never look at ordinary items the same way again once you see how she creatively puts together her pictures. Children and adults alike will be fascinated by this book. If you want to give a child a book he or she will look at over and over again, this is a good choice.