Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I am sharing some various religious books for different ages. Two are for kids and two are for adults. This is really just a mishmash of a round-up, so I hope there is something here for everyone. Our first book is a book of prayers from different religions and cultures. It is Talking to God: Prayers for Children from the World's Religions by Demi.
This book is exactly what it says it is. It is a collection of prayers from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, American Plains Indian, and Central African. Some of these only have one or two prayers and others have up to six. There are well known prayers like the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary as well as ones that you may not have heard of.
The illustrations are beautiful as they always are in Demi's books. The prayers are simple and it becomes obvious that so many of our "different" beliefs are actually very similar.
At the end of the book there are notes on the prayers and on the illustrations. It gives a bit of history to each prayer as well as a description of the illustrations. The Hinduism illustration the right above is of pilgrims bathing in the Ganges River. I love how the illustrations give a glimpse into the various cultures of the religions. It is recommended for ages five and above. Hazel enjoyed reading it with me and wants to explore it more. It is a beautiful book!! Be sure to check out our reviews of some of Demi's other books.
Tommy Nelson's Brave Girls Confidential by Travis Thrasher is about the five girls (the same as the ones in all the Brave Girls series) going to a sleepover at one of their summer beach houses. They share their own life experiences with one another and how God plays in their lives. This book is about friendship, life lessons and turning to God with your problems. It is recommended for ages 6 to 10. It deals with so many things from parents getting a divorce, fights with friends, school troubles and so many other things. It is all told in the girls' voices. I purchased Hazel the Brave Girls Bible Stories awhile ago and she loves it so I knew she would be excited to get this new book!
Hazel's Corner
If I were to rate this book out of five stars I would give it ten stars!! What I liked about this book it relates to real life. I like how the beginning it was a sleepover and the stories were being shared as part of it. I found that nice. I liked the stories a lot, because they relate to real life. I like how at the end it goes back to the sleepover as the conclusion. I liked one of Honor's stories because I could relate it to my own life. Honor skipped a grade and went on to high school instead of middle school. She is being teased by the fellow high school students which is similar to my own experience at my previous school.
Our next book is for adults. It is actually written for parents of autistic children. I plan on passing it on to my good friend who once shared her experience with you about having an autistic child. A Pair of Miracles by Karla Akins shares her own experience as a mother of twin autistic boys as well as support for other parents. First I want to start by saying Karla Akins is amazing!! She and her minister husband adopted twin baby boys and welcomed into their house the challenges of having two autistic children added to their family. They turned to their faith as well as on-line support groups and much more to get through those challenging times. She has written in support on every page in this book for other parents. For ones without autistic children there is still some great advice but also an explanation about autism and some of the challenges in dealing with it. This book combines personal stories with humor and hope. It will bring parents on a path of answers, faith, peace and hope. It is a must read for anyone working with people on the autism spectrum.
Our final book is an adult novel with religion mixed in. It is A Trail of Crumbs by Susie Finkbeiner. It is the second book in the series and the third book will be coming out soon. Ready to go back to the Great Depression? How about to the middle of Oklahoma and the dust bowl? The Spences pulled together and got through the crisis from A Cup of Dust. Now there are more issues including death, a tornado and the need to leave Oklahoma due to the dust. How will they make it back home? Will Pearl ever feel like Michigan is home? Throughout the story there are bits of Christian references. Pearl's grandmother was very religious and instilled it into Pearl. Pearl remembers it even if she is not sure she believes it. It is always on her mind. There are many sad moments in this book yet there is a feeling of hope throughout it. It is a book that will pull you in and you will want to know what happens to Pearl and her family. Those are our religious books for today. I hope you will check them out!!
