Get to Know Mary, by Nancy I. Sanders

Title: Get to Know Mary

Series: A Biography For Kids

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Paperback: 112

Date: July 8, 2014

Age: 6 - 10 years old

About the author:

Nancy I. Sanders is the bestselling children's author of over 80 books including Old Testament Days: An Activity Guide with over 80 hands-on projects. Her award-winning nonfiction children's books include D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet, America's Black Founders, and Frederick Douglass for Kids. Nancy delights in making history come alive to young readers. She lives with her husband, Jeff, and their two cats in sunny Southern California. Nancy and Jeff have two grown sons, Dan and Ben (with his lovely wife Christina). Visit Nancy's website at www.nancysanders.com.

About the book:

Mary was more than just a girl growing up in Israel. She was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus!  Learn about the life and times of this brave young woman and how she became a hero of the Bible.

My take:

I have been given the opportunity to review the Get to Know series. I think it is a great series for every child to have. It helps them learn a little more about certain Bible characters. Most people probably feel as though they know Mary the mother of Jesus already. But to really get to know her, one should read this book. 

Just like the other books, it starts out at the beginning and takes us on the journey of her life. We learn about how she became the "chosen one", became engaged/married, her trip to her relatives house/to Nazareth and so forth. While all this is being told, it is backed up with pictures, maps, pictures of artifacts, timeline, dates, fun facts and a glossary. The fun facts have little symbols by them so you can recognize what type it is. For example, Scriptures ~ oil lamp, Bible Hero ~ sandal, and Eyewitness Account ~ hieroglyphic eye.

The book itself is made to be very engaging. Not only are the pictures and timeline interesting, but also the picture on the cover is nicely done. The author used simple enough words to where a younger person can read and understand the book on their own. Get to Know Mary has a ton of colors in it, which helps liven the book up also.

I think the Get to Know full-color biography for kids series is one that should be included in most children libraries. They are very informational and your children will cherish every single one they read. I know I really like them and I am not even a child.

I got this complementary book from Zonderkidz and Booklook Bloggers for my honest review.

Get To Know Jesus, by Nancy I. Sanders

 Title: Get to Know Jesus: A Biography For Kids

Series: Get To Know

Author: Nancy I. Sanders

Publisher: Zondervan

Date: July 8, 2014

Age: 6 - 10 years

 

About the book: Jesus - part of the Get To Know series - is a unique biography about Jesus, the Son of God. Focusing on the life and character of this Biblical Hero, using color photographs, maps, and other visual resources to tell the whole story, young biography fans will come to learn more about this man of God and the role he plays in history. Featuring a bibliography and scriptural references throughout, this is sure to become a favorite for young readers and for first book reports.

About the author: Nancy I. Sanders is the best selling children's author of over 80 books including Frederick Douglas for kids. She lives with her husband, Jeff, and their two cats in sunny Southern California and has two grown sons. Visit Nancy's website at www.nancyisanders.com.

My take: This is a very good book. I really love this series and so does my daughter. Everyone knows about Jesus, but not everyone knows his journey. This book will help you learn about his life and the journey he took.

Get To Know Jesus, has icons all throughout the book to help them learn extra information. For instance, an oil lantern means Scripture, a foot means Bible Hero, and a hieroglyphics eye means Eyewitness Account. There are pictures of maps, buildings, and artifacts. There is even a family tree and timeline for Jesus. At the very back of the book is a glossary to help you know what some of the words mean.

This full-color biography has a lot of pictures for the kids to look at along with all the information they are learning. The book takes you from when he was young all the way up to his death/resurrection. Along with that are stories of his miracles and some parables.

I feel as though this is a great series for every family to own. Especially if you have younger children. Not that an adult wouldn't enjoy the series also.

I received this complementary book in exchange for my honest review.

Body & Soul, by Bethany Hamilton

Title: Body & Soul

Author: Bethany Hamilton w/ Dustin Dillberg

Age: 11 -14 years old

Publisher: Zondervan

Date: May 6, 2014

About the author: Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination and faith. Her unbelievably positive attitude touched the world after she lost her left arm to a tiger shark while surfing off Kauai's North Shore in 2003. Bethany bounced back, telling her story in the autobiography-turned-movie Soul Surfer.

Now a professional surfer, motivated speaker, and healthy lifestyle advocate, Bethany inspires people globally while working on many charitable efforts, including Friends of Bethany, which supports shark attack survivors and traumatic amputees worldwide.

About the book: As a professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton knows it's key to keep her body strong. But as a Christian, she knows taking care of her spiritual health is just as important. 

While sharing her amazing expertise as a world-class athlete, Bethany helps you become your healthiest, most confident any joyful self. Her easy plan is filled with fun workouts created by her personal trainer, Dustin Dillberg, and includes tons of tasty, good-for-you recipes. Bethany also shares tips for staying stress free and soulful, even on the toughest of days.

My take: Body & Soul is a perfect title for this book. Bethany Hamilton does a great job showing younger girls how to take care of yourself from the inside out. With her little inserted quips and "Bethany's Soul Secrets" gives you uplifting messages to live by. She also has bible texts splattered throughout the book. She does a great job showing people how it is important to feel good on the inside just as well as it does on the outside. There are interactive sections so that you can really get involved and truly understand. She lets them know that obstacles is just a word and anything that you want to accomplish can be done if you put your mind to it. One thing I do want to mention, as I feel it is important for younger people to start thinking about being healthy, I feel as though 11 is too young to worry about it on their own. I think 14 for this book is a good age to start. If you do have a child on the younger side, sit down with them and help them understand the book better.

Another thing she shows us is how exercising is very important when trying to stay or become healthy. Not only does she describe the importance of it, she has her own trainer shows us different workouts to do. He has created four different workouts to choose from or even possibly doing them all. There is one for stability, agility, strength, and endurance. I also like the fact that Bethany lets you know that being skinning is not as important as being "physically" healthy. 

Lastly, she shows us how to eat better. She lets you know what foods are good to eat and what to avoid on packages when you go to buy your food at the store. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bethany also shows you how to make different smoothies and shakes that you can also enjoy. Toward the back of the book there is a whole week planned out for you to following in helping you eat healthy.

From healthy drinks and snacks, portions sizes, preplanned meals, and exercise routines, this book has it all. I think it is a great book for younger girls. They will be able to read how to take care of themselves in a well rounded way. 

This book was given to me for my honest review.