Home Is Right Where You Are: Inspired By Psalm 23

Home Is Right Where You Are is a beautiful story inspired by Psalm 23 that a mother wrote for her six children. Throughout Psalm 23, we are reminded of the incomparable love of God. As our shepherd and dwelling place, the Psalm reminds us of God's goodness. Parenting begins the minute we hold our babies for the first time. It does not end the minute they leave for college or begin their first job. Our prayer is that God's Words spoken at home have taken hold and that the seeds we've sown will grow and flourish.

The artwork and words are absolutely beautiful. Here are a few pages from the book.  

 

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

The Specimen

The Specimen tells the tale of a young, sickly boy who goes missing. Isobel and Thomas live in a small room in Edenbourgh, Scotland. Thomas contracted scarlet fever when he was young, which left his heart scarred and greatly compromised. Following an encounter with a Dr. Burnett, Isobel learns that Thomas has a rare heart defect and has not long to live. She is instructed to take her son home. With whatever time Thomas has left, Isobel decides to live life to the fullest. Isobel teaches music. While she is away teaching music lessons, she comes home to find her son missing. Her son's caretaker had fallen asleep and could not be woken. Thomas is nowhere to be found. One and a half years later. The search for Thomas continues. A variety of animal and human parts are displayed in jars in Dr. Burnett's office, which attracts onlookers from near and far. His collection is constantly expanding. Isobel and some friends visit Dr. Burnett's to see his latest specimens. Isobel comes across a specimen that is of a child's heart with the same rare defect her son possessed. She feels her heart racing and faints. Inquiring how they obtained the heart, she begins to question the medical student present. There is no question in Isobel's mind that this is her son's heart. A few days later, Isobel returns to the exhibit dressed in disquise and can't locate the heart. It's gone. Her son is crying out to her and this draws her to a side room, where she hears the sound of the beating heart calling out to her. She lights a match in her room and she sees her son's heart on a shelf. She quickly extinguishes the match after it starts to burn her hand. Her immediate departure from the room is followed by a questioning as to why she was there. Her response is that she thought it was the restroom. Could this really be her son's heart? She will need proof, but how? Is anyone going to believe her? Is she going to be considered mad? Did her son die for his heart?

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

The Weedflower

A little girl notices a tiny weedflower in the schoolyard and it becomes the topic of the story, The Weedflower. She nurtures and protects the flower, admiring its beauty. As time goes on, other schoolchildren begin to notice the flower as well.

With so much love the flower soon towers over the schoolyard fence. 

As time goes by, the flower becomes a furry white puff ball of white. The children are enchanted by the flower's beauty.

There are some who are not pleased with the giant white puff ball. There is a consensus among the adults that it must be removed. When they try to pull it up, the roots are impossible to pull out. As a very large person, the schools principle is able to pull the weedflower out of the ground easily. The white seeds scatter through the air as he pulls the weed.

Come the following September a surprise awaits everyone! 

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

The Gray City

The Gray City is a story about a child who moves to a city without color. Grayness and unhappiness prevail in the city. Everywhere Robin goes, she wears a yellow raincoat. 

In her attic room, Robin mourns how gray everything is as she looks out onto the city. Where has all the color gone? she wonders. 

 

The first day of school, while everyone else colored pictures in gray, she colored a picture in colorful colors. Due to this, she gets in trouble and has to go to detention. 

As everyone stands on the corner with gray umbrellas, she stands in her yellow raincoat. 

It is impossible for the gray city to prevent the most beautiful rainbow of colors from forming in the sky. As she stared at the rainbow's colors, Robin wondered where it ended. To find out where the rainbow ended, she followed it. 

Ultimately, the rainbow came to an end in a most peculiar place. Eventually, it led to a library. Robin entered. There were only a few gray books on the shelves. Robin's yellow raincoat attracted the librarian's attention, so she decided to tell her the secret of the library. A fantastic hidden room filled with colorful books would teach Robin all about the origins of color. 

Robin would take this knowledge and help to change Gray City. 

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

The Tiger and the Crane

 

In The Tiger and the Crane, a group of animals work together to protect their village from light-furred hunters (humans) and blood eaters (animals that eat other animals). A panda named Guan is the village's master. When Guan is close to the end of his life, he gathers all of the animals and tells them it is time for him to leave. There are three possible candidates on hand to take over village duties: Mung a red-headed crane, Ku a binturong, or Qingyang a Tibetan macaque. Within the village, the three pupils have various responsibilities. A conversation between Guan and Mung, the red-crowned crane, occurs before he dies. Mung is comforted by Guan's assurance that one of the three will make an excellent successor and master. Mung's heart is anxious and he believes they will not survive without Guan. Mung receives many words of wisdom from Gaun. Gaun's words to Mung are, "To do is to learn; therefore, you must do. Solutions are not found by worrying." After Guan dies, the three animals take charge until the village animals decide who will be their new master. After hearing gunshots and smelling blood, Mung investigates. He finds the hunters and discovers that they have killed a mother lion. Taking the orphaned young tiger cub under his wing, Mung trains him to defend the village. Throughout the story, the village animals protect their homes through cooperative efforts.

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

Within My Branches

The story of "Within My Branches" is based on the life of a tree. Initially small as a dandelion, the tree grows into a giant that tickles the clouds with its branches. Throughout its life, the tree has experienced a lot both from natural happenings and from human hands.

"I've sheltered rain soaked gods."

"Now and then, certain guests proved a bit intrusive."

"I've weathered many storms..."

"I've scattered my offspring to the winds."

"I surrendered the best of my trunk for the keel and stern of a tall ship."

Not only does this book contain beautiful words, but it also has beautiful pictures.  

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

The Man Without Shelter ~ A Review

 

Indrajit Garai's "The Man Without Shelter" tells the story of Arnault, a homeless man who has just been released from prison after being wrongfully accused of a crime he didn't commit. As Arnault enters back into society, he finds that he is no longer familiar with the world around him. Now homeless he must forge a new life for himself with few belongings and not much money. His lack of a valid ID and residence prevents him from securing a good job. Rather than asking for handouts, he roams Paris streets looking for day jobs and a place to sleep. Lucy, a lawyer, has just left her comfortable job and life. An investigation into the law firm where she worked has just been launched. When she was attacked at an ATM machine, her life was about to change. Arnault sees Lucy being attacked and jumps in to save her from what would otherwise have been severe harm or death. Despite his heroic actions, he is arrested for public disorder. Lucy, unable to cope with what just happened to Arnault, decides to become his legal representative. When Arnault is released from police custody, he discovers that his tent home has been removed by street crews hired to clean up Paris. After finding refuge in a homeless encampment, Arnault befriends a homeless family. Arnault stumbles upon a horrific scene while searching for a troubled youth. There is a child hanging on for dear life after falling off an eleven-story balcony. Arnault leaps into action to save the child from imminent harm. After his heroic deed goes viral, he is soon visited by a group of French National Guard men. Arnault is offered a job by the French Rebulique. A new job gave Arnault the opportunity to receive training that would ensure his job security in the future. Many homeless people were able to find permanent housing and employment as a result of his reputation in society. For the sake of not spoiling the whole story, I will end my summary here.

There is no doubt in my mind that "The Man Without Shelter" is worth reading. There is so much packed into this 127-page book. Heartwarming and inspiring, this story will illuminate the homeless life. A relatable plot keeps readers engaged and wanting more. Readers will experience a gamut of emotions. Stories like this can happen anywhere. This book will open your eyes to a world that we can barely comprehend unless we find ourselves homeless and living on the streets ourselves. This book is a reminder to us all to have gratitude for what we possess, to help those in need, and to respect those with less than we have. As much as I enjoyed this book, I hope you will as well. 

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

Picture This! Flipbook

Children from preschool through third grade will enjoy Picture This! Flipbook's twenty detailed scenes that teach and introduce the Wh-questions, Who? What? When? Why? Where? and How?. Additionally, the Flipbook introduces children to prepositions, descriptions, actions, and emotions. The pages of the book are laminated for durability. This flipbook is part of Timberdoodle's Preschool Curriculum. 

In Picture This!, you will find the following picture scenes:

• Classroom

• Camping Out

• Fall time

• Rainy day 

• Circus fun

• Grocery store

• In the snow

• Fun at the park

• It's a birthday

• Carnival time

• On the farm

• Picnic spot

• Library

• Toy store

• Visit the zoo

• In the kitchen

• At the beach

• Pet shop

• Restaurant

• Airport

An accompanying question guide and prompt card are included with each themed illustration. Let's look at the illustration of the toy store. Parents/teachers will find between 9-11 questions per category on the question guide.

Who is pushing the cart?

What animals live in the zoo?

When do you get presents?

Why is the boy using a ladder?

Where do helicopters fly?

How many balls are there?

Children are asked a number of questions from four categories on the prompt card that goes with the toy store illustration. Here are a few examples.

Prepositions - Find something that is (in, between, under).

Actions - Find these (singing, popping)

Emotions - Level 1 (scared, angry) Level 2 (amazed, alarmed)

Descriptions - Find something that (is soft and cuddly)

Picture This! was a huge hit with my 26-month-old grandson. As your child grows, this flipbook will grow with him or her. He was able to answer Who, Where, and some How questions. He enjoyed the colorful pictures and the fact that there was so much to identify and see. When I called out certain items in the pictures, he liked finding them. There was no shortage of things he wanted to point out and name, and he was eager to count them as well.

The farm picture captured my grandson's attention and he counted all the animals and named them. Among the new words he learned were windmill, scarecrow, wheelbarrow, and watering can. As we looked at the picture, we talked about what the children were doing. As he listened to me, he repeated the children's actions back to me.

My grandson pointed out the girl in the wheelchair in the picnic spot picture. He pointed to the chair and said, "She sitting in a chair." I thought that was pretty observant for his age. Many new words were learned, including kite, hot air balloon, bridge, frisbee, and park bench. His attention was drawn to the picture for a long time.

A great feature of the flipbook is its ability to stand up.

I think Picture This! is a fantastic tool for children to explore learning. It is a flipbook that I would highly recommend for home or school use.

How To Read & Understand The Psalms

How To Read & Understand The Psalms by Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel is a comprehensive guide to approaching, studying, and understanding the Psalms. Each chapter explores a type of psalm, and multiple examples are examined in each chapter. Setting, form, and structure are thoroughly analyzed, as well as a survey exposition of the Psalms. Each section concludes with a reflection summary. This book aims to help Christians read the Psalms more profitably. As stated in the preface, this book is written at a lay level to make it as approachable as possible. This book aims to enable all readers to grasp the psalmists thought process when writing the Psalms.

The Psalms is the most frequently quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. As Hebrew poetry, the Psalms are limited in parallelism, brevity, and terseness, and in imagery and figures of speech. A mindful reading of the Psalms requires contemplative consideration. Psalms are best comprehended by reflection and meditation, not by simply reading them hurriedly. Each poem conveys a message that the writer seeks to convey. The blessed man is the one who meditates on God's Word both day and night, as stated in Psalm 1:2.

The following chapters are included in How To Read & Understand The Psalms.

1. Introduction to the Psalms

2. Hermeneutics: Interpreting the Psalms as Believers

3. The Historical Setting of the Psalms (3, 4)

4. The Royal Orientation of the Psalms

5. The Liturgical Setting of the Psalms: Songs of Ascents (2, 110)

6. Hebrew Poetry (133, 121, 23)

7. Form Criticism and Psalm Forms

8. Praise Psalms (117, 98, 96, 103, 150, 33, 100, 8, 81, 95)

9. Petition-Lament Psalms (54, 5, 13, 38, 58, 102, 142, 27, 42-43, 69, 6, 44, 51, 22, 90)

10. Individual Songs of Grateful Praise (66:13-20, 30, 34:1-11, 116, 32, 40, 92)

11. Songs of Trust (131, 62, 91, 139)

12. Messianic Psalms (72, 110, 2, 16, 45, 22, 34, 8, 40, 69, 118, 16)

13. Didactic Psalms (37, 15, 19, 73)

14. Rhetorical Devices and Structures (2, 110, 100, 92, 25, 32, 51, 24, 58, 49)

15. The Final Arrangement of the Psalmer (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150)

This book is definitely not a casual read. It takes a bit of concentration to read How To Read & Understand The Psalms, but it is worth the time. 

The Hobbit Encyclopedia

Hobbit fans' ultimate guide to everything Hobbit is The Hobbit Encyclopedia. In this 334 page book, you'll find descriptions of characters, language and writing systems, objects, constructions, places, noteworthy events, and sources of inspiration. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings introduced readers to the world of Middle-earth and to the fantasy world that would inspire Tolkien's future works. This encyclopedia is the perfect place to start if you haven't read Tolkien's works before. A variety of grayscale and color illustrations in the book allow readers to experience Tolkien's world realistically. Maps were not included in the book, which disappointed me. It is written in an easy-to-follow format that will appeal to fans and new readers alike. The entries are quite comprehensive, engaging and capture the attention of the readers, making them want to read the book from beginning to end. Tolkien's works are well represented and researched by the author. Throughout the decades, Tolkien's writing has captured the attention of readers, which makes this book relevant today.

Below are a few of the amazing illustrations that you will find in The Hobbit Encyclopedia. 

This book is set to be released on September 3, 2024. You can pre-order the book on Amazon. 

 

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