About the Book:

Book: Heavenly Rescues and Answered Prayers: True Stories of Faith and Miracles from a First Responder

Author: Andrea Jo Rodgers

Genre: Christian Inspirational

Release date: June 4, 2024

Powerful Stories of Life’s Emergencies

For more than 35 years, veteran EMT Andrea Jo Rodgers has been helping people in their most terrifying and vulnerable moments—and bearing witness to the miraculous power and handiwork of God.

In this new collection of unforgettable stories, Andrea shares more heart-pounding accounts of rescues and interventions from her vast experience as a first responder. Whether it’s a boy fallen through thin ice into freezing water, an old woman and her walker stuck at a railroad crossing, or a loyal dog playing guardian angel for his incapacitated owner, join Andrea as she responds to incredible scenarios that testify to God’s power and love.

Not only will you be astounded by the courage exemplified by Andrea and other first responders, but you will also be inspired by her faith, empathy, and hope—even amid the most daunting circumstances. These powerful stories will encourage you and deepen your awe for God’s amazing mercy and grace.

My Thoughts:

I have always enjoyed reading books about people who work in the medical field. Some of the stories they have to tell are amazing. I have seen Andrea Jo Rodgers’ books mentioned a number of times, but never took the opportunity to read any of them. Now, after reading Heavenly Rescues & Answered Prayers, I wish I had!

Heavenly Rescues & Answered Prayers is written in a very readable, interesting way. Each of the 21 chapters in this book tells a stand-alone story, but taken all together, they tell one coherent story of how God cares for people. Of course, we know that many situations that first responders find themselves in don’t end happily, but in the cases described in this book, there were miraculous survivals and recoveries that are encouraging to read about.

If you enjoy stories with a medical theme, you will want to read Heavenly Rescues—and I’m guessing this author’s other books are just as good. Because each chapter can stand alone, it is easy to put down after just one, making this a good choice when there isn’t much time to read. I liked the verses that were printed at the beginning of each chapter; this helped keep the focus on God and His care.

WARNING: Drug use and drunkenness are mentioned in a number of stories, and once a prostitute was with a person when he overdosed.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Andrea Jo Rodgers holds a clinical doctorate in physical therapy and has worked as a physical therapist for 30 years, specializing in women’s health, oncology rehab, and ALS. She has served as a volunteer emergency medical technician on her town’s rescue squad for 37 years and has responded to more than 9,700 first aid and fire calls. She lives with her family on the east coast. She enjoys reading, writing, day trips, and savoring a slice of avocado toast along with a cup of green tea. Andrea’s latest book, Heavenly Rescues and Answered Prayers, shares more inspirational stories based on her experiences as a volunteer EMT.

More from Andrea:

Have you ever wished you could keep yourself and loved ones safe from danger? Perhaps you envision placing a protective bubble around the newest driver in the family or maybe figuring out a way for germs or cancer cells to bounce off those closest to you. For some, the desire may be not for physical protection but for safeguarding the hearts and minds of family members or friends during periods of personal difficulties.

I’ve been a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) on my town’s first aid and rescue squad for 37 years, responding to more than 9,700 emergency calls. Along with my fellow squad members, I’ve been called to help those suffering cardiac arrest, victims of trauma from accidents, near-drownings, people suffering from drug overdoses, and a variety of other medical emergencies. We’re blessed to be able to serve as instruments of God, acting as cogs in the wheel of heavenly orchestrated interventions. In my capacity as an EMT, I’ve observed firsthand how God carefully puts together all the pieces to create jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring rescues.

“Wow, that was a lucky save!” some might say. I believe it’s not luck at play but rather God’s saving grace. The orchestrator of miracles, He puts all the pieces in motion to create occurrences that are truly beyond mere coincidence. In Heavenly Rescues and Answered Prayers, I share my firsthand accounts of the ways God works to protect and save us. If we open our minds and hearts to the quiet presence of God in our lives, we’ll be able to recognize these heavenly rescues.

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About the Book:

Book: Guess Who Is in God’s Family

Author: Karen Ferguson

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Release date: June 24, 2024

When Lucy comes across some old family pictures, she has a lot of questions for Papa Joe.

• Who are these people?
• Why doesn’t she look like them?

As Papa Joe tells Lucy about her family, he shares with her the uniqueness that God created in each of us from the very beginning, all the way back to our first ancestors, Adam and Eve.

What follows is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her papa discover God’s love and faithfulness for all people throughout all of history.

In this second book in the Questions for Kids series, discover how much God loves diversity and how God created your family in the most beautiful and perfect way.

My Thoughts:

About a year and a half ago, I got to review a picture book titled Guess How Much God Loves You. This delightful story shows a grandfather describing Creation week to his granddaughter after she asks him a question about whether God really loved her. I liked the book so well that I jumped at the chance to read and review the second book in the series, Guess Who is in God’s Family. Yesterday I read it to my little girls, and was quite impressed with this one, as well.

Guess Who is in God’s Family is a beautiful retelling of the story of the Fall of man in Genesis 3. Lucy’s Papa Joe starts by describing the creation of Adam and Eve and God’s plan for them. Then, he describes how the serpent tempted them and they fell for it, and what happened after that. Several parts of the story are told through direct quotes from the Bible. The entire book is illustrated with beautiful paintings. One that really stood out to me was the one showing the cherubim who were tasked with guarding the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled. This is not your normal picture of an angel, but it is accurate with the Bible! At the very end of the book is a teaser for the next one, describing God’s rescue plan. There are also definitions for important words and a few questions to help children think through the story. I really like this book, and it makes a wonderful companion to the first book. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author.  (And yes, I signed up for two tours of this book–the one a few weeks ago, to make sure we got to see the book, and then this one, because I was offered a physical copy with it!)

Since I posted the first review, I have gotten my hands on the physical copy. It is a lovely hardcover, with thick, glossy pages. It feels like a book that will hold up to a lot of love from young children.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and children’s book author with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom she is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attentions, while teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them. She wants every child to know their life matters. Her first children’s book, Guess How Much God Loves You, was published through Ambassador International in 2022. Now a seven book series, her newest book, Guess Who Is in God’s Family is scheduled to release June 2024.

More from Karen:

Did you know the cherubim that guard the Garden of Eden have four faces – that of an ox, human, lion, and eagle? You’ll find their description in Ezekiel 10:14, and it’s quite different from most angels you’ll see in traditional children’s books. But you will see them beautifully illustrated in this second installment in the Questions for Kids picture book series, all about the First Family in the Garden of Eden.

You see, my mission from the very beginning has been to present accurate biblical accounts to young readers that are foundational to increasing their understanding of the Bible and growing a solid faith in God.  Kids are bombarded with so many counterfeit messages these days that contradict the Bible, and it’s leaving them confused and hopeless. Is truth relative? Absolutely not! The real Truth lies in God’s Word, and I am grateful to play a part in counteracting the lies of our culture by presenting Truths straight from the Bible, in a fun and dynamic way.

In this book (and book series), you won’t find a regurgitation of Bible facts (that never worked for me as a child). Rather, you’ll find a young girl with many questions about God and life, much like our own children and grandchildren. And you’ll find her loving grandpa who is happy to answer those questions by pointing her to the Word of God. Their adventures into unique periods in Bible history, driven by some serious 7-year old questions, will help pull young readers into the narrative and connect the Bible to their world. It’ll also open doors to faith-building conversations with parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers.

The hardest part of writing these books? Keeping it short enough to fit into the picture book category ;).

I pray you and your young reader will be blessed as you journey with Lucy and her Papa Joe into the Bible to discover God’s power, His faithfulness, and His never-ending love.

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About the Book:

Book: A Little Christian’s Animals (The Little Christian Learning Collection Book 2)

Author: Lila Noffsinger

Genre: Christian Children’s Picture Book

Release Date: February 20, 2024

A Little Christian’s Animals is the newest installment of the Little Christian Learning Collection, which teaches preschool level learning concepts with Bible stories! In A Little Christian’s Animals, children journey with sing-songy rhymes through ten animal-centered Bible stories. Children will be captured by Lucy Shin’s adorable illustrations, and parents will enjoy nourishing their kids’ hearts and minds. Big Biblical truths are packed into this bite-sized book, the perfect length for little attention spans. Little animal enthusiasts will love Jonah’s whale, Daniel’s lions, Egypt’s frogs, and many more animals! A Little Christian’s Animals is sure to become a family favorite of kids and parents alike!

My Thoughts:

This book is cute! Each two-page spread has just one sentence, giving one simple fact about an animal that is mentioned in the Bible,  along with a beautiful, full-color illustration of that story. These pictures are somewhat cartoonish in style, but not so much that they bother me—and not even my husband, who is a stickler for realism! This book is perfect for 2-year-olds or maybe even 18-month-olds who like picture books. It’s a bit too young for my youngest at this point, but the last page tells where to find the stories in the Bible, The Beginner’s Bible, and The Jesus Storybook Bible. That is a way to expand this little book for older children. On the very last page is a QR code that will take you to a website that offers free downloadable coloring pages of the pictures in the book. My 4-year-old has been enjoying coloring them while we have our family Bible time in the evenings.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Lila Noffsinger is a Christian, wife, and mama to three. Her kids are her inspiration for writing, and she loves creating for them books that are cute, fun to read, educational, and biblically enriching. When she isn’t writing or playing with her family, she loves to read, craft, and hike. Lila lives with her family in San Jose, CA.

More from Lila:

I don’t need to look far to find inspiration for my books. Literally. My little inspirations are usually physically touching me. My three kids (ages 3 and under) bring joy, laughter, and a lot of books into my life. As a mom, I want books for them that are fun for me to read, engaging for them to look at, and enriching for their hearts and minds. What sprung up from that desire was The Little Christian Learning Collection, now including A Little Christian’s 123s, A Little Christian’s Animals, and the accompanying coloring & activity books.

It continues to fill me with joy when my kids pick these books off the shelf to read. My youngest daughter will toddle through the house with A Little Christian’s Animals in her hand, yelling “Am-mi-mals!” as a request to read it. If I accidentally skip the frog on the first page, she will turn back to it so she can point it out. Frogs have become her favorite animals, and, based on Lucy Shin’s adorable portrayal of them, I can’t blame her.

I’ve been so honored by the reports of these books being similarly loved in other households. It brings me so much joy to know that kids are asking to read these Bible stories over and over again.

I love the work that goes into constructing these books. The rhymes are fun to ponder over as I rock babies or cook dinner. I love the research that goes into making the illustrations historically and geographically accurate. Illustrator Lucy Shin is a joy to work with, and the way she turns my notes and scribbles into something adorable seems like magic to me.

I’ve also really enjoyed putting together the coloring and activity books. It’s yet another way to let kids engage with Bible stories, learn something new, and have fun doing it! I’ve been surprised by what a hit they’ve become, and I’m so glad that kiddos around the country are enjoying them. If you want a taste, ALL of the coloring pages are available for free here: https://www.seedlingsbooks.com/color

Overall, writing these books has been a huge blessing, and I’m continually honored to hear how they’re being enjoyed by little readers. Keep your eyes open for more in the Little Christian Learning Collection! There’s more to come.

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About the Book:

Book: KidVenture: Through The Maize (KidVenture Book 3)

Author: Steve Searfoss

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Release Date: March 30, 2023

Chance, Addie and Sophie launch a new venture when they get lost in the country and stumble on the idea of starting a corn maze business. They quickly discover that while it’s easy to rush into a maze, finding your way out is hard. They will need to convince an investor to fund the venture, persuade a reluctant farmer to let them build their maze on his corn field, and figure out a way to work with his headstrong nephew. Along the way they will realize just how little they know about planting corn, designing mazes and writing business plans. Through many twists and turns —and dead ends— they will learn how to keep a partnership together and what the true job of a leader is. There’s only one thing harder than finding your way out of a maze: creating a maze people want to get lost in.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

My Thoughts:

Over the past few years, I have enjoyed reading the first two KidVenture books, about a boy who started two different businesses. Each of these books taught children a lot about finances and business principles. My children didn’t enjoy them as much as I did, but I thought they were good encouragement. So, of course, I was quite interested in reading the third book, Through the Maize, when it was offered!

Through the Maize is my favorite so far in this series. There are a lot of lessons about business and finances, but even more of this book has to do with relationships and how to work with people. Chance was very excited about his new business opportunity, but very quickly found himself in over his head with trying to figure out how to work with people. I really liked the way he asked his father for advice. The lessons Chance learned through the summer are valuable for anyone. As with the first two books in the series, there are frequent tables with the lessons he is learning. Some of these have to do with working with other people, and some are about the financial decisions he has to make. These tables help to keep all the lessons organized and clear. At the end of each chapter are several questions to help children think through the concepts and discuss what the right way to respond would be. The basic storyline in this book kept my interest all the way through, and I found myself laughing out loud at times; I love the humor that is woven into it. Chance’s 3-year-old brother is as funny as most toddlers, and of course there is the broken joke detector that appears in each book.

I have not yet read this book to my children, so I don’t know what they will think about it. Their response to the first two books was disbelief that Chance could have been so foolish in some ways. Having had a bit more life experience, however, I can see how he would have missed some things that seem obvious when reading the story! I definitely like this series, and especially this third book, both for the life lessons taught and for the example of a family who work together, with a father who is there to offer help and advice when needed but who lets his children make mistakes and learn from them as well. 

There is one thing I found annoying with this book–the formatting. I didn’t notice it when I read the ebook, but it made the print book harder to read. That was the beginnings of the paragraphs: They are not indented. All three books are printed the same way, and I find that it makes it harder to know exactly who is talking. So, not a huge deal, but rather jarring and distracting for me!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they’d ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, “Let’s pretend you have a business that sells…” and off we’d go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.

More from Steve:

KidVenture books are interactive business adventure stories for middle grade readers. In every KidVenture book, a group of young entrepreneurs start a business and have to overcome a series of challenges to make their business profitable. Every chapter ends with a series of questions where readers face the same choices as the protagonists and can reflect on what they would do and how they would respond to the obstacle. These can be great starting points for rich discussions if read with a parent or as a group.

Beyond teaching business lessons, KidVenture books are also full of characters encountering ethical dilemmas and all sorts of temptations: the desire to lie when the business is not doing well, the enticement to break a partnership when it’s no longer convenient, the inducement to keep extra profits to yourself and not share them, and so on. Young readers are asked to wrestle with these questions too as the story progresses.

Years ago when my son was about 4 or 5 we went to a corn maze on a school field trip. After a while it occurred to me to hand him the map and have him lead us. I got to show him how to interpret the map, decide which way to turn, and how to look for landmarks. And —this was the best part— I let him get lost, and helped him figure out how to know when you’re lost and how to get  find your way back to a spot you recognize. It was such a sweet memory, an almost perfect vision of what fatherhood is like. And then later I realized, as wonderful as that day was, being a father is much more challenging. The maze has a right way and a wrong way. Life is messier, way more complicated. That thought always stuck with me, the contrast between that day inside the maze and every day outside it. I didn’t know what to do with that idea, until I got a burst of inspiration and decided to write a new KidVenture book based on a corn maze business.

In Through The Maize, there are a group of three siblings who decide to start a corn maze business. Chance, Addie and Sophie remember going to a corn maze when they were younger and lament that it has no closed, so they are inspired to stat one of their own. They go visit a farm just outside of town and present the farmer with a proposal to build a corn maze on one of his fields and fields. The farmer is skeptical and asks for an upfront payment to use his land. This threatens to sink the kids’ new venture before it ever gets going, but after some debate they decide to put together a business plan and find an investor. That’s when the action really starts.

After some negotiation, the farmer agrees to partner with the kids but they must work with his nephew, Cody who is older and has a lot of experience working on a farm. Right away Cody and Chance butt heads, as Cody seems to disagree with everything Chance proposes. Even worse, Cody demands his own share of the profits, separate from what was promised to the farmer. As the kids proceed with their plan, begin planting corn and drawing the maze map, the situation between Chance and Cody only gets worse. Finally tempers explode and the whole venture is in jeopardy. Not only is the business falling apart, there is an investor who will lose his money if Chance and Cody can’t figure out a way to work together.One of my goals with KidVenture books is for kids to feel empowered to take on the world and tackle complex problems. I don’t just mean business problems like figuring out what the price of a product or service should be, or how to market a company. That’s certainly part of it. But more broadly, I want kids to learn how to handle difficult people problems. Business comes down to working with people and to be good at business you have to be good at working with people, whether It’s motivating people on your side to work towards a common goal or negotiating with people on the other side to reach an agreement both can benefit from.

My hope is that young readers will see how Chance handles the relationship with Cody and learn from it. At first, Chance does a terrible job. He’s jealous of the attention Cody gets and he begins to interpret everything Cody says and does as an attack, as a challenge to his authority, even when it isn’t. Things finally start to change when he begins to understand what his role as a leader should be, and that includes making the people who work for him (like Cody) feel like heroes in their own story. That requires humility and letting other people take credit for what they’re accomplishing. Chance has to decide what’s more important: feeling properly recognized, or getting the job done and having a successful business?

Once Chance begins to reframe his relationship with Cody in this way, he also starts to become more aware of how he has been filtering all of Cody’s actions through his own sense of wounded pride and interpreting them in the worst possible way. Chance realizes he has the power to change how he construes what Cody says and does, and this gives him the freedom to focus on what’s important to him (namely finishing the maze) and not be constantly reacting to Cody. This is an enormously empowering realization, one that I hope young readers can learn from which will help them get through their own mazes in life.

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