Friday, April 29, 2016

"Angels in the Bible Storybook" Review

Where were the angels when God created the world?
Why did an angel force a donkey off a road?
Who did the angels get out of jail twice?

Young readers will find answers to these and other questions in this exciting storybook, written by bestselling author Allia Zobel Nolan with illustrations by Alida Massari.

Angels in the Bible Storybook gives children a fascinating look into how God’s powerful behind-the-scenes helpers interacted with Bible greats from Abraham, Lot, and Gideon to Zechariah, Mary, and Jesus himself, acting as messengers, protectors, warriors, and more.



To purchase a copy of this book, please click here.

About the Author & Illustrator:

Allia Zobel Nolan is an internationally-published author of over 200 children’s titles and adult trade titles. Her books reflect her two main passions, God and cats. Zobel Nolan lives and writes in Connecticut with her husband, Desmond Nolan and their two feline children.

Alida Massari is an Italian artist specializing in illustration for children. She has illustrated many books, collaborating with Italian, English, German, and American publishers. Her books have been translated in numerous countries. Massari was born in Rome where she studied art and illustration. Now she lives in a little Etruscan town, with her husband and daughter, Diana.


Angels in the Bible Storybook
by Allia Zobel Nolan
Illustrated by: Alida Massari
Zonderkidz Publishing
Publication date: January 7, 2016
Age Range: 4-8 years
224 pages


My Take:

The first thing I noticed when opening this Bible story book was the beautiful illustrations. The images are soft and comforting while also giving the reader a greater visual of the stories.

That being said, I did think it was interesting that most of the drawings of the angels included wings when the book makes a point of saying that angels don't necessarily look like we normally picture them (wings, halos, very feminine, etc.). The book also makes a point of saying that angels in the Bible could have taken human form. But still most of the illustrations have the angels with wings.

That's a fairly minor point, however, as this book does a great job of telling the stories of various encounters with angels during biblical times. You don't realize just how many of these encounters occurred until you see them all in one book! The stories are easy to read for/to young children, and for the most part, the doctrine seemed sound. I did think that some of the stories were a little bit too "dressed up" even for children. Picturing God rolling out grass like carpet takes away from the majesty of God creating everything in the world.

I very much appreciated the scripture references in this book. I always like when Bible storybooks include where the story can be found in scripture so that we can immediately read that portion of the Bible if we want to.

Overall, this book was much more than I was expecting. As with all storybook Bibles, reading it straight from the source along with the storybook is always the best way to go.

I will give Angels in the Bible Storybook ... 3.5 BookWorms.









Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


          

Monday, April 18, 2016

My friend Michelle


 
There are approximately 30,000 Americans living with cystic fibrosis. One of them is my friend Michelle. When I found out that she has Cystic Fibrosis, I couldn't believe it. She is so full of life and is truly a fighter of this disease.

The reason she is alive today is because of the great strides that have been made in Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment. There is still no cure, and that is why I am walking in the 2016 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides Walk in Lafayette.

Will you join me? Support me by making a donation to my Great Strides fundraising campaign today!

Great Strides is a fun, family-friendly event that raises awareness and support for people with CF and their families.

Please support me!
Help me reach my fundraising goal by donating to my Great Strides fundraising campaign. Your gift will help add tomorrows to the lives of people with cystic fibrosis by supporting life-saving research and medical progress. Your gift is 100-percent tax deductible.