What’s So Wonderful About Webster by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick, Illustrated by Daniel Fernandez
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

What's So Wonderful About Webster is a kids' book that takes a Scriptural look at the fact that the Lord made us, and we are His handiwork! Through the experiences of Webster and his classmates during Field Day at school, we are reminded that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)

I enjoyed the way that Webster's parents are portrayed. They are supportive of their son without being fussy or allowing him to wallow in self-pity. They encourage him to seek God for help and provide Webster with Scripture that he can remember when he is alone. They are not preachy or gushy, they are simply doing the job of a parent.

The artwork of this book (see some sample pages) does a great job conveying emotion, which is very important for a kids' book. My children were able to correctly identify and relate to the emotional struggle Webster faces, and rejoice with him in the end. The colors are vivid, the scenes are fun, and together with the story, and memorable book was born.

As I parent, I don't mind reading this book over and over with my kids. It was a great conversation starter and causes you and your kids to be uplifted and reminded of God's great love for us!

I think kids aged 8 to 13 would most benefit from the message of this book, but kids as young as 5 will enjoy it and at least catch a glimpse of the message it is seeking to portray.

Great kid's book!





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. A favorable review was not required. This post contains affiliate links.

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society on Boasting by Randall Goodgame, Illustrated by Joe Sutphin
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

This is the second book in the "Slugs & Bugs" series called The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society, or SOERS. If you have listened to the Slugs & Bugs music, you might already be familiar with The SOERS as they are favorite characters from the songs.

In the inaugural SOERS book, two young raccoons, Maggie and Morty, are introduced to sharing instead of stealing. Now we join the reformed raccoon pair as they begin to boast to each other about how much better he or she is sharing compared to the other! Into this scene steps wise old Chauncey, who lyrically guides them to the understanding that when we give, we should not boast of the deed. The two repent yet again and go on to give gracefully.



This is a cute book with a clear message. This volume did a great job of making the message simple and easy to understand. The artistry is still great, colors are vibrant, and the scenes are interesting.

This is a good book for children ages 4 to 10 to discuss both sharing and not boasting.

Also, note that the odd typesetting issue from the first book was corrected in this one so the line breaks and rhyme schemes flow much more naturally.




Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. A favorable review was not required. This post contains affiliate links.

The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society by Randall Goodgame, Illustrated by Joe Sutphin
Stephanie's Rating: 4 out of 5 bookmarks

The following book is part of the "Slugs & Bugs" story collection.

This book, The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society, is the first of a series of books featuring a few fun, masked raccoons!

Let me pause a minute and say, the illustrator, Joe Sutphin, did a great job! The colors are rich, the scenes are fun, and the facial expressions are easily read. The paper used for this book is the good, heavy, slick kind that is perfect for a quality children's book.

Now, back to the story. At first, I couldn't decide if this book was supposed to rhyme or not! A friend pointed out to me that I was breaking up sentences in the middle do to a fluke in the typesetting. Once I got past that, the story made sense and was fun.

Randall Goodgame

An older raccoon, Chauncey, takes two younger raccoon siblings, Maggie and Morty, on a tour of the Raccoon headquarters. There they learn that the natural raccoon inclinations of stealing and such are habits that can be broken! Chauncey explains that when you learn to give to others joyfully, you will receive even greater joy yourself. "God loves a cheerful giver"! By the end, the two young raccoons have learned to share, and dance off happily to go play. Enjoy the journey with them!

Note: There was a side activity happening that was expressed in the pictures only and not in the words, and though I usually catch such things, I totally missed it this time! At the end of the book, when I caught on, I had to turn back and try to figure out what exactly had happened. See if you can catch it!

Kids ages 4 and up would probably catch the message in this book, and children younger than 4 would still enjoy the lyrical words and the vibrant colors, even if they miss the message.

For all the above reasons, I give this book 4 out of 5 bookmarks.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. A favorable review was not required. This post contains affiliate links.

Scarlett's Spectacles by Janet Surette
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

Looking for another way to emphasis to your children that their outlook on life produces a specific end? Look no further than "Scarlett's Spectacles: a cheerful choice for a happy heart" written by Janet Surette and illustrated by Shane Crampton.

This book is great! The pages are thick cardboard that would be next to impossible to destroy (minus spilled juice), the illustrations are fun and engaging, and the words are written lyrically so the story flows without interruption. It is very easy for a child to notice the grumpy expression and sour attitude that Scarlett portrays, but it isn't an attitude that receives any glory. Only once the attitude changes and the face brightens do you really want to get to know Scarlett and enjoy her day with her! The message is there and very powerful, but not in an overt and preachy way.

This book takes us through the days and disappointments of a little girl who is determined to be upset, until the day her epiphany comes, and she realizes her mom is right! Life can be full of joy when we have a happy heart. This is a book to read again and again until the message becomes part of the fiber of a family. And parents, you won't mind reading it multiple times! Oh, hallelujah!

Sample Page

I would recommend this book for children ages 2 - 7 for boys, had 2 - 10 for girls. Since it is a book about a girl, I'm not sure older boys would really enjoy it.

Get started young with character training! Read Scarlett's Spectacles to your tots and children, and see what good will come.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. A favorable review was not required. This post contains affiliate links.

Epic: The Story that Changed the World (One Big Story) by B&H Kids Editorial Staff & Aaron Armstrong, Heath McPherson (Illustrator)
Stephanie's Rating: 4 out of 5 bookmarks

Epic: The Story that Changed the World, takes many of the main Bible stories and puts them into comic book format. The stories were compiled and retold by Aaron Armstrong and the B&H staff, who did their best to highlight in every story the foreshadowing of the plan of God for the eventual birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The illustrations by Heath McPherson are superb. The colors are very rich and the pictures are easy to understand. The characters are drawn in patent comic book style.

If taken as a storybook, and NOT as a replacement for the actual Bible, I think this book is fine. The pictures and comic book layout could help a child understand a Bible story a little better. I understand, however, that some might be offended at the Holy Scriptures being made into something common - personal discretion must be used for that issue.

While my smaller children enjoy looking at the bright pictures, I would recommend this book for ages 10 and above due to the long story explanations and the grasping of the "Big Story" concepts.

As a storybook, this 320-page volume is a beautiful way to explore the main stories from the Bible in full color. Children aged 10 and up may better understand how the salvation plan of God was being revealed from Genesis all the way through the time of Jesus the Christ!

I give this book 4 out of 5 bookmarks, one less than a perfect score only because I'm not quite sure how I feel about seeing the Bible message reduced to comic book form.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

God Gave Me Grandma by Pamela Kennedy
Illustrated by Xenia Pavlova
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

My favorite part of God Gave Me Grandma is the pictures!

This board book, for children ages 2-6, is written in small, rhyming vignettes. Each open fold of pages is one large picture of a cute pair of animals with one as the child and one as the Grandma. They are engaged in some normal "life" activity that is described on the page in rhyming verse. Each set of pages contains the phrase, "That's why God gave me Grandma," or "I'm glad God gave me Grandma" - a repeating phrase is always great for small listeners as they can anticipate its coming and actively participate in the book.

This book was just plain fun to read, and even MORE fun to look at and discuss the pictures! I looked back through the book to decide on my favorite pair of animals, and was delighted all over again at way too many to pick a favorite!


I like how this book encourages children to look for, and find, and be thankful for the everyday activities of life that are made special by the care and attention shown by a loved one. It's a great tool for learning, "In everything give thanks"!

I would recommend this book to parents and grandparents of small children. Have fun exploring the pages together!





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.


Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Easter Is Coming! by Tama Fortner and illustrated by Wazza Pink
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

Easter is Coming! is a children's board book newly released in time for Easter! This book makes no references to bunnies and eggs and Spring dresses. It is a chronological look at the Biblical events leading up the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - the real Easter message! The author has done an excellent job using age-appropriate language and encapsulating an entire story into three to four sentences that clearly show the connection to Easter. Every story section ends with the phrase, "Easter is coming!" My young nonreaders enjoyed joining in on that last phrase at the end of each story. This was an enjoyable retelling of the joy and promise that is Easter!

Blurb copy, courtesy of the publisher, B&H:

Mommy and her little ones are settling in for story time, and this time it’s the biblical story of Easter that she’s telling. As the youngsters hear God’s tale unfold with its sometimes somber notes about sin and death, they are softly and continually reminded, “But Easter is coming!” By the end of the book, the anticipation has built and the children can celebrate the ending and the glory of Easter Sunday.
In a time when children’s Easter excitement often focuses on only egg hunts and candy, this book offers a different—and true—reason for joy and expectancy. It's designed to be read and reread on the days leading up to Easter, telling the greatest story and building a sense of anticipation and celebration in little hearts.

Sample Page Click to enlarge

This sturdy board book has delightful spring colors and interesting pictures. I would recommend it for children aged 2 - 7.

On a personal note, the artist has depicted Jesus and a few disciples with long hair which is not my personal preference. It doesn't detract from the story, but it was a source of irritation for me.

This book is a great way to bring the message of Easter back to a beautiful holiday.

NOTE: The back cover states that there is bonus content for this book at bhkids.com, but we could not find anything for this title.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

One Big Story Seek-and-Circle Bible Battle by B & H Kids
Stephanie's Rating: 4 out of 5 bookmarks

One Big Story Seek-and-Circle Bible Battles written by Alyssa Jones is a dry-erase board book with busy scenes in which multiple listed items must be found and circled. The pages are wipeable, so as long as a permanent marker doesn't get substituted for a dry erase marker, this book will last forever.

Our four-year-old, all-boy boy, is enthralled with this book! The scenes are fun and interesting and very full, so searching for the listed objects is fun and challenging, but not overly so as to be almost depressing (thinking of "Where's Waldo" at this point, shudder). Kids of ages 4-12 should enjoy searching the picture to find all the required list; four-year-olds over and over, and twelve-year-olds at least a few times. Each page has a condensed story and Scripture reference for the battle portrayed. It also has a Christ Connection blurb that teaches how the happenings of the Old Testament were a shadow of the Christ, Jesus, who was to come.

Sample Page (Click to enlarge)

There are two things about this book that I would have preferred to be different. Firstly, for younger, non-reader users, it would have been nice to have a picture list and not just a word list of things to find (our seven-year-old has to read the list for the four-year-old and sometimes grows weary of this. Secondly, the last battle included, Judah Taken Captive, is a dark and dreary page that shows the children of Israel being led away into captivity! I'm not sure if the kids catch the mood, but every time I look through the book and come to the last page, then turn that page to close the book, I feel a sense of sadness and discouragement. I would have imagined that one more battle could be found where Gods people were victorious and children could be encouraged in the Lord.

While this is an excellently illustrated and bound book and a fun concept, the lack of ease of use for younger kids and the last gloomy page make this book 4 out of 5 bookmarks for me.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.




Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

365 Trivia Twist Devotions by B&H Kids Editorial Staff
Stephanie's Rating: 5 out of 5 bookmarks

Like fun facts and wacky trivia? Enjoy a short daily devotional? Want something that your kids, ages 10 and up, can enjoy? This book is for you!

365 Trivia Twist Devotions: Fun Facts and Spiritual Truths for Every Day of the Year is a fun and engaging read. While a bit old for my kids to understand, they still like to look at the pages and ask what the pictures are about. Each page has the date, some kind of attention-grabbing clip art, a verse, and an "Also on This Day" fact. Each day is about 3-minute read and gives a bite-sized amount of Scripture to ponder. Kids ages 10 and up would find this book interesting and thought-provoking, and with 365 different facts, this book could be used multiple years in a row without becoming boring.

I read from a King James Version Bible, and this book uses the Christian Standard Bible for most of the Scripture quotes, so I was not able to engage with the text as much as I would have liked.

For content and clarity, for fun and interesting, I give this book 5 out of 5 bookmarks.





Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.





Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

God's Book of Proverbs: Biblical Wisdom Arranged by Topic by B & H Publishing
JD's rating: 5 of 5 bookmarks

This little volume is quite a gem! The book contains every single verse of the book of Proverbs broken down into 60 categories. Examples of some of the topics are Integrity, Purity, Friendship, Anger, and Marriage. Since some verses contain multiple themes, those verses appear in each applicable category. God's Book of Proverbs uses the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation of Scripture so depending on which version you're used to reading, you may find the text slightly different. The book also contains an article titled “Connecting Wisdom to Jesus” by Trevin Wax.

The book is quite small; only 6.5 by 4.5 inches (16.51 cm by 11.43 cm). It is a 224-page hardcover volume and also has a handy bookmark ribbon. The cover has a nice fabric sort of feel to it and the version we received also had a half slipcover, pictured below. While one could read the book straight through, I found it quite a nice practice to choose a particular category which either corresponded to my feelings during a particular day or was a topic that I wished to explore. I would then read through several of the verses in that category.

This pocket-sized book is perfect for gifting as well as for personal encouragement. The way the text is arranged makes it easy to dip into various topics on a daily basis and be encouraged by the wisdom of God's Word. In addition to the Topic Listing in the front of the book, it also contains an extensive index of specific terms and ideas which allows the reader to go a bit deeper into a particular topic.


J.D. Sutter is the producer and host of the Bookworm Banquet podcast and editor of the blog. He is the founder of Porchlight Family Media.










Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

The Big Book of Bible Stories for Toddlers from B&H Publishing
Written and Illustrated by B&H Kids Editorial Staff
Stephanie's rating: 5 of 5 bookmarks

Editor's Note: This book is part of the Big Picture Interactive Series from B&H Publishing.

The Big Book of Bible Stories for Toddlers is a colorful and interesting take on this popular concept. It is aptly named "for Toddlers" as the durable construction and thick cardboard pages will not be destroyed by young children.

The 19 stories chosen are typical for this style of book, but the corresponding illustrations are not. For example, while most stories about Noah's Ark show the animals entering the Ark, this book has the animals exiting the Ark under the glorious spread of a rainbow. Each page presents a fresh view of these well-known and loved Bible stories.

Beyond the story on each page, there is also a "Big Picture Question" and a "Big Picture Answer". At first glance, it seemed like some of the questions had nothing to do with that particular story, but on further reflection, I realized that the question is meant to be a launching point for discussion about the "Big Picture" behind the story. These questions and answers could make for some interesting and spiritually profitable discussion with children older than the Toddler category who might also pick up the book to read the short, simple stories and see the vibrant artwork.

Sample page from this book Click image to enlarge

Of interesting note, this book is connected to the B&H Kids app for smartphones. Once downloaded, a scene from the book can be selected and the picture on the page turns into a pop-up picture on the phone screen. A woman's voice also begins to tell the story in more depth than the short story printed on that page. My toddler was not able to make this work unassisted as the phone needs to be held very still for a prolonged time, but he did enjoy seeing the picture in a new way and hearing the story anew.

While there are many Bible story books for children, this book has a few interesting characteristics which help it to stand out from others similar to it.




Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.




Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.