The Bible Story Handbook

Teaching the many stories from the Bible to children of all ages is made easy with The Bible Story Handbook: A Resource for Teaching 175 Stories from the Bible. Teachers need to understand why teaching Bible stories is important to effectively instruct. Next, it is necessary to understand whether there is a right or wrong way to use Bible stories. Lastly, the stories in the Bible need to be placed within the context of God's ultimate plan. In addition to these topics, 97 Old Testament stories and 78 New Testament stories are included in this book.

Each story has the following components:

• Title

• Scripture Reference

• Lesson Focus

• Lesson Application

• Biblical Context

• Interpretational Issues in the Story

• Background Information

• Mistakes to Avoid

We will examine the story of David and Goliath. The story is found in 1 Samuel 17.

In this lesson, David trusts God to deliver him from the mighty Philistine, and God is with him. (It talks about with God how it was possible to accomplish this feat.)

There is a lesson application in this lesson: God is with those who trust in him. (It lists what we must do.)

According to the Biblical context, the books of Samuel show how God established his king, David, on the throne, to demonstrate what his own kingship is like.

In the story, Saul's role, Saul's armor, and Saul's failure to recognize David are discussed as interpretational issues.

Background information is provided on three topics: champion warfare and the divine role, the giant Goliath, and slings and sling shots.

Furthermore, when it comes to avoiding mistakes, it is imperative to remember that God is the hero, not David. Additionally, God does not always grant us victory over our enemies. This wonderful story shows God to be a trustworthy God. It is important for children to trust God because of who He is, not because of what someone else did or believed.

As stated in the book, this handbook will help you teach Bible stories with biblical faithfulness, historical accuracy, and God-centered passion. The need for this book is greater than ever in today's culture of loose evangelicalism. I found this book to be a valuable resource as a believer of more than 30 years.

Disclaimer - I received this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. 
As an Amazon affiliate I may earn commission if you click the link. 

Alice in Wonderland: If It Was Written by Shakespeare

Alice in Wonderland: If It Was Written by Shakespeare by Lit Fusion is a twist on the classical children's tale by Lewis Carroll. What happens when you combine Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and William Shakespeare? Well, join the fun down the rabbit hole for a literary experience like no other.

The book's contents.

CHAPTER I - DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE

CHAPTER II - THE POOL OF TEARS

CHAPTER III - A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE

CHAPTER IV - THE RABBIT SENDS IN A LITTLE BILL

CHAPTER V - ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR

CHAPTER VI - PIG AND PEPPER

CHAPTER VII - A MAD TEA-PARTY

CHAPTER VIII - THE QUEEN’S CROQUET-GROUND

CHAPTER IX - THE MOCK TURTLE’S STORY

CHAPTER X - THE LOBSTER QUADRILLE

CHAPTER XI - WHO STOLE THE TARTS?

CHAPTER XII - ALICE’S EVIDENCE

This is from Chapter 2 when Alice tries to get through the Garden Door.

"With haste she returned to the little door,
Alas! It was shut once more.
The golden key lay upon the glass table's gleam,
'And things are worse than ever," she did deem,
"For never ere have I been so small,
Never have I felt so insignificant, in this thrall.
And I declare, it's an unfair plight,
Oh, the injustice of it all, it is not right!'"

This is from Chapter 7, The Mad-Tea Party in which Alice tries to understand time according to the Mad Hatter.

"‘Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what thou’rt at!’
Dost know the song, perchance?” said he.
“Something like it, I’ve heard,” quoth she."

A Shakespearean twist on Alice in Wonderland was definitely my cup of tea. It is a fairly easy read. The book is designed for readers between the ages of 6 and 18. This book introduces children to multiple literary genres at once. In addition, this book would be an excellent choice for family reading time. This is a book I highly recommend.

Disclaimer - I received this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. 
As an Amazon affiliate I may earn commission if you click the link. 

A Bit Much

The book A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush is a collection of poems intended for the everyday reader who might have never been interested in poetry before. Her poetry tackles some of life's most common experiences with humor. The poetry in this collection will speak to everyone in some way. The book will make you laugh from beginning to end.

There are four sections in the book.

Part I - When You Have a Crush on Everything and Everyone

Part II - When the Monster Turns Out to Be Three Dogs in a Trench Coat

Part III - When You Have Main Character Syndrome and Aren't Looking for a Cure

Part IV - When Someone Telling You to Relax Actually Works

With over 140 poems, the title is quite fitting as some of them are A Bit Much.
A journey into the world of words is undertaken in this book. Poems that motivate and inspire you to live life more lightly. A perfect pick-me-up after a long day.

I have listed a few poems that I found relatable and/or entertaining.

Frequent Crier
I Think My Parents Invented the Staycation
Best Friends
Crush Energy
You've Got Mail
Love Is What, Now?
Loving Each Otter
My Boyfriend Is From Alabama
Dawn Soap and a Toothbrush
Mortifying Every Poet Dead and Alive by Trying to Describe Love
Growing a Pair
Mermaid in America
Basically an Archaeologist

A Race Against the Guac

Society tells women
that we are avocados;
ripe for just the teensiest amount of time
Better make gaucamole while you can!
Then –– faster than you can say,
"Guac is extra" –– we're seen as
bruised, gray mush; too soft to be useful
But joke's on them:
we've been queso this whole time
And ask anyone
that shit never gets old

Ordering from the Kids' Menu
Cool as a Cucumber
A Little Bit Louder Now
Two Very Enthusiastic Thumbs Up
Cartwheeling Snakes May Be Trying to Bamboozle Predators

It's Amateur Hour Somewhere

Starting something new
is like a one-man show
for a one-man audience:
the only applause worth seeking
is your own
Don't rob yourself of that
while you wait for approval
from somewhere else
Sometimes winning yourself over
is the greatest show on earth

A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush is entertaining and witty. You won't be disappointed with this fun and lighthearted book of poetry. This is a book I would recommend.

Ivy in Bloom

 

In Ivy in Bloom, Vanita Oelschlager celebrates Spring with poetry from great poets and writers of the past. Oelschlager starts her book in poetic verse, lamenting winter's dreariness and spring's promise. By using shades of black, grey, brown, and white, illustrator Kristin Blackwood plays on this dreary time between seasons. Blackwood begins to paint the pages with brilliant colors as springtime approaches. In order to complete her book in verse, author Vanita Oelschlager ceases writing and instead uses the writings of famous poets and writers from the past.

Here's a look at how the first poet's words transition from the author's writing.

Vanita Oelschlager wrote:

When, oh when,
Will spring be here?
When will outside be
Yellow and blue,
Green and red
And bright orange too?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote:

W(hen) winter winds are piercing chill,

This came from his poem Woods in Winter.

Ending the book are words from Robert Browning's poem, The Year's at the Spring.

God's in His heaven —
All's right with the world.

Kristin Blackwood illustrates a sunny day with birds flying through the air. In the background are trees. The green grass is dotted with colorful flowers. A rod iron and stone fence surrounds the area. At the forefront is a barefooted little girl in a pink dress swinging on a swing.

At the back of the book, there is a listing of all the poems and the writers' words. Words that appear in the text are highlighted in green. The poet's or writer's brief facts are given, as well as what poem or written text they are penned.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

The Bean Book

 

Recipes from Rancho Gordo's acclaimed kitchen are included in The Bean Book by Steve Sando. It is embarrassing and regrettable that I had no prior knowledge of Steve Sando and Rancho Gordo Beans until I read The Bean Book. Now I'm hooked. When I saw this book was up for review, I was so excited. My knowledge of beans has grown tremendously and I have found many delicious new recipes. It never occurred to me that there was a cult following for beans! There was a waiting list on Rancho Gordo's website for their Bean Club. Hey Gordo, want to hook me up?

Bean lovers won't be disappointed with this collection of delicious, nutritious, and delectable recipes.

It's the dog days of summer in Texas, so I'm excited to see recipes for: Bean Salads, Beans & Grains, Baked Beans, Bean Patties, Sweets, Salsas, and Dips & Appetizers. Other recipes, such as soups and stews, will have to wait until cooler weather returns.

This book contains the following contents:

Introduction
50 Heirloom Bean Varieties
Bean Dips & Appitizers
Bean Salads
Bean Soups
Bean Braises, Stews & Other StoveTop Dishes
Beans & Grains
Baked Beans
Bean Patties, Fillings, Sauces & More
Sweets, Stocks, Salsas & More
Acknowledments
Index

Unlike many crops that draw nutrients from the ground where they grow, bean plants do not function in this manner. Nitrogen from the atmosphere is transformed into a biological form in the bean plant, which is essential to plant growth.

When making beans, there are many variables to consider:

• How old are the beans?

• How hard is your water?

• How do you store beans?

• What pot will you use to cook your beans?

• What is the weather like?

There is a Master Recipe for Pot Beans.

THE BEAN-LOVER'S PANTRY

• Dried Herbs and Spices

• Chilies and Chile Powders

• Vinegars and Oils

• Other Essentials

50 HEIRLOOM BEAN VARIETIES

1. Alubia Blanca

2. 2. Anasazi

3. Bayo

4. Black turtle

5. Buckeye

For all 50 beans there is a picture of the beans along with a write up on the bean. I will share with you about the Black Turtle bean.

BLACK TURTLE

In some regions of the world,
"beans" means black beans.
Black turtle beans have a rich,
fudgy texture and inky bean
broth that needs little more to
make a soup. It's easy to think of
them for beans and rice, Brazillian
feijoada, or Oaxacan enfrijoladas,
but they're also delicious in
salads or chilis.

Rancho Gordo's Midnight
Black bean is a classic, versatile
black turtle bean that hold its
shape through lots of cooking
yet retains its famous creamy
interior.

RECIPES: Norman Rose Tavern's
Black Bean Burger, page 231,
Midnight Black Bean Soup,
page 122, or Moros y Cristianos,
Page 186

After making a large pot of beans who doesn't love refried beans or hummus! There are recipes for Glorious Refried Beans and Simple Hummus.

ALL of the recipes look amazing!

I would highly recommend this book.

Kimberlee Gard Books

The Little i Who Lost His Dot is a whimsical children's book that tells the story of the lowercase letter "i" who comes to Alphabet School on the last day without his dot. Some of his lowercase classmates gasp, point, and stare when he arrives at school. It is only then that little "i" realizes his dot is missing. A substitute dot is offered by his friends in order to help. A gumball is offered by a lowercase "g" and a zero is zoomed over by a lowercase "z". How do you think things will turn out? Will lowercase "i" be able to find his dot?

In The Day Punctuation Came to Town children will be introduced to the Punctuation Family. Much like Kimberlee Gard's first book, The Little i Who Lost His Dot, punctuation marks are transformed into talking characters. There are four characters readers will meet: the very energetic Exclamation Point, the quite curious Question Mark, the dependable Period, and the unsure Comma. 

When the Punctuation's arrive at school all of the letters ask, "Who are you?" and "You don't look like letters." This is the day that everyone learns all about punctuation. 

The author gives each punctuation personality traits so that children can learn their significance and function. Poor Comma who has always felt lost finally sees his incredible importance in a sentence. 

What a fun and non-intimidating way to learn punctuation! I hope the author plans to write another book to introduce other punctuation marks.

Everyone remembers the game Red Rover, Red Rover. Kimberlee Gard has turned a children's game into a fun way to learn vowels in Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over. This book teaches children their vowels without them even knowing.

A game of Red Rover is decided upon by the consonants. The five vowels, a, e, i, o, and u, know how they stand out from the other letters. They are always intimidated by playground games. If little "i" runs too fast, he loses his dot. Little "o" rolls around quite a bit. If little "u" turns upside down, everyone thinks he is an n. Little "e" seldom says a word because he keeps quiet. Little "a" was always asked to lead the way.

In no time, the consonants realize that forming words is impossible without vowels. It is then that Y asks the vowels if they want to join. There are so many words you can make with the whole alphabet together!

There is a fun message at the end of Red Rover, Red Rover, Send a Vowel Over that children will love. Check out all of Kimberlee Gard's books.

Water, Water

 

Billy Collins' collection of poetry Water, Water is 91 pages long. It was the book cover that initially intrigued me, depicting a rabbit racing across a meadow.

I highlighted some of the poems that I found particularly engaging.

Magical Realism

BC/AD

Turning the Pages of A History of Art the Morning After an Argument

Emily Dickinson in Space

Eden

Display Case

Zero Grannies

Margins

Reading the Guest Book

MARGINS

I cannot thank you enough

so I will thank you insufficiently,

for the book full of reproductions

of the whimsical drawings found

in the margins of medieval manuscripts,

which you gave me the last time we met for ice cream.

I love turning the colorful pages

and seeing the tiny scribal adornments,

especially of animals still around today ––

the robin, the frog, the spoonbill, and the hen,

not to mention the goose, the fox, and the partridge,

all surviving in our meadows, swamps, and barnyards.

I also enjoyed the half-boy blowing a horn

and the four monks rowing a rowboat,

but I would really like to meet the guy

who distracted himself one morning

early in the thirteenth century

from the arduous job of copying the Alphonso Psalter

by drawing a monkey doing a handstand

on the back of a comely mermaid

as she is offering a breast to a nursing baby.

I'd like to buy that man a few flagons

and a slice of venison to chew on

as we got to know one another in his favorite pub.

He would introduce me to his friends,

a ploughman, a merchant, and a wayward prioress,

and I would refrain from telling him

about motion pictures and moon landings.

After a while, light would leave the windows

and the ruddy publican would call the time.

Then outside under the sign, as we said goodbye

I would add "But in the end, of course,

life is not all hand-stand monkeys

and comely nursing mermaids."

"It isn't?!" he would shoot back with a booming laugh,

which would leave me nonplussed as I walked back.

past printing presses, guillontines, microscopes,

locomotives, radios, and ice cream parlors,

all the way up to the encircling arms of the present.

My mind can visually picture the manuscript drawings and the meeting between the two gentlemen. It would have been so hard to keep future events a secret. In the last stanza, the poet wraps up the poem beautifully as he journeys back to the present.

My style was definitely not reflected in some of the poems in the book, but I think everyone can find that in any collection of poems. I think Collins' poems capture life's paradoxes and everyday experiences. He captures both common and quite unusual events in his poems, such as children learning their ABCs and an astronaut reading Emily Dickinson in space. Water, Water is a book I enjoyed reading and I am sure you will as well.