Disclosure: Thank you to Tyndale House and Nav Press for sending the girls these books in exchange for our review. Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here.
Remember last summer when I shared a few posts (here and here) about what Ella was reading? I really want to be better about sharing books the girls are loving, because I get questions all the time about how we encourage the girls to read and what books we recommend. As a part of Tyndale’s Book Blogger program, we’ll have an opportunity to read and review some of their children’s titles over the next several months and I’m thrilled to share the first round with you today. Yes, we received these for free in exchange for our review, but they all got rave reviews from Sophie, and I highly recommend adding them to your collection.
Good Night Tales by C.S. Fritz | Good Night Tales leads your children through a vivid, beautiful, and imaginative adventure through Scriptural truths. This collection of Scripture-based stories brings a forest to life through animal kings, trolls, plum-loving giants, and fiddle-playing crickets. Stories include reimaginings of Israel asking for a new king, parables about searching for the kingdom of God, and Psalm 23.
Good Night Tales might be the best kids’ book I’ve read in the Christian genre in a very long time. Not only are the illustrations exquisite (just look at the image below!), but the stories themselves are beautiful and weave the scriptures and story of God’s love throughout, in the most perfectly subtle way. The day these books arrived, Sophie read the first story — Kings of the Forest (based on 1 Samuel 8) — out loud to me. It was so reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia and told the story of the King of kings — the one true king — and how he saved the forest from death and destruction. I loved watching her read a story that didn’t appear to have any scriptural significance on the surface, but then recognize that the true king was a perfect image of Christ. We’ve been talking with her about belief and God’s sovereignty and this story allowed us to reinforce some of those things, in such an organic and authentic way.
God Made the World by Sarah Jean Collins | Who made the sun, the stars, the moon, and the animals? God did! And who made me? God did! God made the entire world! Author and artist Sarah Collins brings a fresh approach to her illustrations using geometric designs to create bright, beautiful, and exiting pictures that preschoolers will want to look at over and over again.
This is the sweetest board book about the creation story! It is a little young for my girls, but that didn’t keep us from reading through the story several times. It’s short and sweet, presenting a single day of creation on each page, but the illustrations are the real treasure. They are so graphic and incorporate pattern beautifully!
Even if your children are too old for this title, it makes the perfect gift! We added it to a pair of cozy pajamas for a sweet treat for our Vera Claire.
Tora Fright Patches Things Up by Tracey Madder (Prayer Monster Series) | Tora’s prize-winning ceramic armadillo has been broken by her little brother! How can she ever forgive him? By asking God for help! Tora learns that God is always willing to help us forgive others when we ask him.
Pi Fright Skates Into Trouble by Tracey Madder (Prayer Monster Series) | What happens when Pi Fright is tempted by a top-of-the-line new skateboard? Will he make the right choice, or will he take money that doesn’t belong to him to make his dream come true? Pi learns that prayer is the answer when you have a hard decision to make.
R.J. Fright Kicks Away Her Fears by Tracey Madder (Prayer Monster Series) | What’s a tough little monster to do when she’s afraid of spiders, dogs, and the dark? She takes time to pray, of course! R. J. Fright learns that true courage comes when we trust God with our fears.
I shared these books on Instagram yesterday and I wasn’t kidding when I said they were darling. In the Prayer Monster series, each of the Fright siblings encounter a dilemma and learn to apply biblical principles to help them solve a problem. In Tora’s book, she learns to embrace forgiveness after her little sister breaks a recent art project. After stealing money to purchase a skateboard, Pi has to save his own money to pay his parents back and learn the importance of integrity. When everyone assumes R.J. is the bravest monster they know, she fesses up to how terrified she is and how she braves her biggest fears. The thing Sophie and I loved best about these, is that include a short and simple prayer at the end of the story, that would be so easy for kids to memorize and incorporate into their spiritual lives!
Thanks so much to Tyndale and Nav Press for sending us these adorable books. We were so excited to add them to our collection and can’t wait to share more with you soon.
