CelebrateLit

About the Book:

Book: MOVING to The Peaceable

Author: Grami McAdoo (Caryl McAdoo)

Genre: Children’s Animals Picture Book

Release Date: December 22, 2022

Moving can be hard for any age, but the wise old hens might make it easier for the little ones in your life! Follow their journey!

My Thoughts:

The photography in this book is beautiful! My littlest girl enjoyed looking at the pictures and hearing the story read to her. She has no concept of moving, since she was born in this house, but I can see that this book would be a good resource to help children who will be moving to understand what is happening. Some pages tell the story of the move from the chickens’ perspective, and other pages contain dialogue from the author to the child reading the story. Here, she tells the story from her perspective and encourages and reassures them that change can be good, moving is an adventure, and they can trust their parents and God. 

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:

Award-winning, Christian author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory. Of her best-selling novels, readers love her historical Christian romance family sagas most, but also enjoy their contemporary cousins, Caryl’s Biblical fiction, her new historical mystery series, and tales for young adults and mid-grade booklovers. The majority of reviewers award her stories five-stars and praise Caryl’s writing style and the depth of her characters, feeling as though they get to know them well.

The prolific writer loves singing the new songs God gives her almost as much as penning new novels—hear a few at YouTube! She’s been married to Ron fifty-four years, and they share four children and twenty-four grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl:

This is the story of how I became a Chicken Lady from start but not the finish! I have two more “chicken”! books planned based all on the true story! Before we had “backyard birds”—except mine are also front and side yard!—I called our back in the woods twenty acres in Red River County The Peaceable. After the chickens, I added “Farm & Bookery”

My husband of fifty-five years Ron and I now incubate purebred chicks and raise them to laying age—usually four to five months—then sell them. We both love being around our flock, and the supplemental income is nice as well. They grow so fast; watching them is both so much fun and also relaxing!

I know each hen and rooster by name, and they all are so affectionate! They come running whenever I head out the door (mostly because they want to see if I brought any food! ) I love thinking about what they are saying to each other with all their clucking and purring and cackling!

This is why the books are partially written from the hens’ point of view as our first animals’ series, The River Bottom Ranch Stories featuring horses and goats and dogs among other wild animal characters. And all those farm animals were real ones that we owned and loved, too—like the chickens!

This series ‘Grami’s Stories for Children’ also has a narrator’s story throughout, and that’s me, Grami McAdoo! I talk to the children through a few pages full of dialogue to teach them about poultry and things of God. In MOVING to the Peaceable, I talk about changes and how they can be scary, but God is always with us wherever we go.

The illustrations are photographs of our real chickens and The Peaceable Farm & Bookery. In the back of the book, there are a few pages of “Chicken Terminology” and fun “Chicken Facts” to teach the little ones more about the wonderful world of chickens!

I pray they will love the story and be blessed by it! 

To purchase your copy, click here.

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To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book:

Book: Legacy of Love

Author: Kathy Mills

Genre: Christian Nonfiction

Release Date: January 31, 2023

Legacy of Love is a heartfelt memoir that delves into the author’s personal journey of facing troubles and finding peace in the midst of adversity. Drawing from the powerful scripture of John 16:33, the author shares her experiences of praying for protection and blessings, only to realize that God’s answer may not always come in the way she expects.

When her husband Brad is diagnosed with cancer, the author’s faith is put to the test. She grapples with questions and doubts about God’s love, but eventually comes to understand that God’s presence and strength can be found even in the midst of difficulties. Through prayer and praise, she learns to rely on God in critical moments, discovering the true heart of God and experiencing His peace that surpasses all understanding.

Legacy of Love is a story of hope and courage, reminding readers that God’s love never wavers, even when faced with trials and tribulations. It encourages readers to shift their hearts from the temporal things of this world to the eternal love of God, and find peace in His unwavering presence. This memoir will inspire and uplift anyone who is going through challenges, reminding them that overcoming is possible through faith in God’s enduring love.

My Thoughts:

One genre I frequently request for review is memoirs. I have always liked to read true stories. However, I have learned that some memoirs are very easy to read, and others are not. My most recent, Legacy of Love, is one that is harder to read. I really appreciated Kathy’s honesty as she described her journey with her husband, Brad, through cancer and chemotherapy and other treatments. I really appreciated the way she pointed to God all the way through and gave Him glory. It was simply hard to read—mostly because of the subject matter! I do recommend this book for those who need to be able to see God at work in the hard times.

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:

Kathy Mills is a former Flight Attendant who started her flying career at age 19 and flew for nearly 33 years before retiring in 2005 with US Airways. Traveling is still one of her favorite things to do.

Kathy is a member of Kempsville Christian Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where her husband Brad served as their church’s worship minister until his death in 2008.

To those who know her best, she’s an eternity-minded daughter of the King, who loves to share her message that with Jesus, there is nothing this world can do to a child of God, that God can’t use to empower them to bring Glory to God.

More from Kathy:

Comfort is found in God’s Love and Promises

My longing for more time with Brad is as strong today and will remain in me until I see Him again. I have not experienced one day since Brad’s death that I have not had at the least a moment (usually many moments) of longing for Brad to be with me still. I find comfort in knowing that God who knows my heart understands.

As Believers, we are blessed to have Jesus who understands firsthand the pain of separation that death presses into our souls. I have often felt Jesus sit alongside of me and just grieve with me when I am overcome. I believe Jesus hates death more than we do. I like knowing this. In fact, I need to know this; it comforts me. Our Father is always at work…and He has purposed for good to come from even the most heartbreaking losses. I would never say Brad’s death is good. Yet from the amazing and most gracious love of God, He lifts me up from my anguish and invites himself into my sorrow with His unique joy and transforms me.

God has brought good out of my sorrow. It took my sorrow for the good to be done. I wouldn’t have planned it this way, but I trust God’s plans more than I trust my ways. God will do no less with your sorrow. It’s one of His promises, and God keeps all His promises.

“He heals the brokenhearted. And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow].” Psalms 147:3 (AMP)

God’s love tells us this: I have my heart set on you.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book:

Book: A Little Christian’s 123s

Author: Lila Noffsinger

Genre: Christian Children’s Picture Book

Release Date: October, 2022

A Little Christian’s 123s is a fun and playful read that teaches kids numbers with rhymes and Bible stories. This charming bite-sized book is packed with Biblical truth, and children learn not only their numbers but also the foundations of Christianity!

Big, bold, colorful numbers help little ones with number recognition, and kids of all ages learn about key biblical stories in this endlessly re-readable book. The pictures are inspired by real, geographic places, and they give adorably illustrated glimpses of what Jericho, Mt. Siani, and the Sea of Galilee actually looked liked!

Kids love this charming book for the colorful and engaging illustrations, and parents love that it teaches numbers wrapped in Biblical truth, and that, with every read, their kids are reminded that Jesus loves them.

My Thoughts:

I read this book to my 3-year-old. She enjoyed it, and loved that she could recognize most of the stories referenced in it. Each two-page spread has just one sentence, written over a number and containing that number. The picture on the page illustrates a story from the Bible, which the sentence refers to. At the end of the book is a page which give the location(s) in the Bible in which each story can be found, as well as the pages on which the story can be found in two common Bible story books. While this picture book is great for 1-2-year-olds (my littlest is already a bit beyond it!), these references can be used to expand the book and make it even more useful. The pictures are delightfully cute! While they are slightly cartoonish, they don’t have the “bug eyes” that my husband hates.

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 grew up in a lazy beach town and now lives in an energetic city with her husband and two daughters. She has always loved sharing her Christian faith through the written word, and she is now excited to share her debut children’s book.

In looking for books for her first daughter, she had difficulty finding options that were not only educational but also spiritually enriching and visually engaging. After having her second daughter, she had some midnight hours to let her mind wander, that wandering turned into what became A Little Christian’s 123s. She looks forward to publishing more books in the Little Chrsitian series, teaching preschool level learning concepts with Bible stories. A Little Christian’s Animals is currently in the works and expected to be available Fall 2023.

When Lila isn’t writing or researching what camel saddles looked like for a future book (true story), she is playing with her girls, cooking, crafting, reading, and adventuring with her family.

More from Lila:

My first daughter was a good sleeper. As an infant, she would wake up, eat, and 20 minutes later we’d be snuggling into our respective beds to return to dreamland. My second daughter was a different story. When she woke up and ate, it was only the start of our time together. To stay awake, I thought of traits of my family for each letter of the alphabet. My daughter is Adorable, Bubbly, Caring, and so on. After nights of this, it morphed into things from the Bible for each letter, and then later for each number. I enjoyed dwelling on these thoughts through the midnight hours.

Meanwhile, in the daylight hours, I struggled to find books I wanted to read to my 1.5 year old. We read and enjoyed a lot of books! But I desired to find a book that was cute, biblically enriching, and educational. We had plenty of books that met one or two of the categories, but I had this unexplainable urge to find a book that hit the trifecta.

Through God’s prompting and my own sleep deprivation, my nighttime musings and my daytime seekings merged into the idea of writing my own book: A cute, Bible-based book about numbers 1-10. The trifecta!

The book idea grew, and within the year people were reading published copies of A Little Christian’s 123s! I am eternally grateful to illustrator Lucy Shin, who took my awful sketches and pages and pages of historical and geographic reference pictures, and turned them into such cute and engaging art! Without her, the book may have been educational and biblically enriching, but I promise you that nobody would have wanted to look at it.

Since publishing the book, it has sold hundreds of copies and been enjoyed by kids all across the country. My daughter loves to tell me that Jesus loves her and that He is her friend, which she learned from the last page. I hope and pray that similar experiences are happening in other homes as well!

It is an honor to be on tour with Celebrate Lit, and to celebrate this tour, I hope that you will enjoy these coloring pages inspired by the art in A Little Christian’s 123s. Thanks!

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book:

Book: The Smell of Spring

Author: Mary Hake

Illustrator: Marina

Genre: Picture Book

Release date: December 15, 2022

In The Smell of Spring, April, a blind girl, enjoys the world around her and discovers spring scents. Join April and her menagerie of pets in their springtime adventures. The Smell of Spring shows children how we experience the world around us through the sense of smell. Kids will enjoy her many interesting pets and can have fun with the activities at the end using the sense of smell.

My Thoughts:

What a sweet picture book! I read The Smell of Spring to my 8- and 3-year-old daughters, and they both enjoyed it. Because we live in the Southern Hemisphere, we are experiencing fall at the time of this writing rather than spring, but a good share of this story is still applicable in this season.

This beautiful picture book’s main character is a blind girl. Throughout the book, her eyes are closed, so that the reader can remember that she is blind. However, though she can’t see, she can still experience the changing seasons. As she smells a new, unfamiliar smell, her mother explains to her that it is the smell of rain.

The girl goes on to experience many more things. She smells flowers, and the muck her dog gets into. Then, she smells delicious Easter eggs, the stench of a skunk, and finally, her favorite smell on her favorite day of spring: her birthday cake!

The pictures in The Smell of Spring are delightful. I love the way the illustrator showed smells wafting through the air. The text is fun, too; each page is written as a rhyming couplet. We loved seeing the girl’s pets. She has a dog and cat, but also a rat and something that looks like a ferret. Other little details in the pictures are fun to spot, as well. My little girls and I had a short discussion about smell and different ways of experiencing the world around us after reading this. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the books in this series!

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:

Mary Ann Hake has loved learning and writing for as long as she can remember. She has been scribbling stories and poems since she first learned to write and has published hundreds of stories, articles, poems, puzzles, devotions, and more for both children and adults plus written hundreds of book reviews. She loved working in a bookstore and as a librarian and enjoyed reading to children at story times and conducting summer reading programs. She has also taught writing to children and at writers’ conferences. In addition to writing, she continues to work as a freelance editor. Visit her website, www.maryannhake.com, and subscribe to her newsletter for activities for children and updates on future books. Also find her on Facebook at Mary A. Hake author, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057370041720.

More from Mary Ann:

I have always loved books and reading, and even as an adult I still enjoy picture books. I had tried writing my own in the past, but The Smell of Spring is the first picture book I have published. The online classes I took during the pandemic and all the years of writers’ conferences, particularly Oregon Christian Writers conferences, have helped me learn and polish my craft. I have published hundreds of pieces, for both children and adults, in a variety of periodicals and a dozen compilation books plus some curricula.

I chose to present this concept book in rhyme because it came out more appealing and fun for kids than straight prose. The Smell of Spring shows how a blind girl uses her sense of smell to experience life around her. Along with her menagerie of pets, April explores her world. The story includes elements that would make it a handy companion text for connection to science: senses, the weather, nature, animals—domestic and wild, flowers and trees, and food. It also models responsibility as April cares for the animals. The Smell of Spring is the first book in the four-book series of Smells of the Seasons.

Readers of all ages are enjoying this fresh look at springtime.

Comments from early readers:

“In sweet, simple prose, with lovely illustrations, this book shows a child how they can appreciate their sense of smell.”

“A delightfully whimsical book that invites children to become mindfully aware of the many smells, both pleasant and unpleasant, that accompany the spring season.”

“A charming way to encounter the season for all children.”
“This was a very delightful book! I loved all the places she found smells in. I also loved how you made the book rhyme. It flowed very smoothly.”
“So well done, from the rhyme to the message.”

“Mary Hake gives the reader insights into what the world is like to a blind girl, who perceives the world through other senses besides sight. The focus on smell may encourage young listeners/readers to pay closer attention to the smells they like or dislike and to be more aware of different aspects of their world. It may also make them more understanding of children with disabilities.”

“Teachers, parents, and children will appreciate the activities at the end of this book.”

“The whole book is full of delightful images and easy-to-read phrases that describe all the many smells. Including some fun relatable parts. I think children will get a kick out of a few of the smells.”

Sign up for updates on my website, https://maryannhake.com/, and received a PDF of activities for children using the sense of smell. Further fun things will be coming in the future.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book:

Book: A Life Set Free

Author: Rena Groot

Genre: Non-Fiction

Release date: 2019

A Life Set Free was carried in my heart for years before I finally had the courage to write it. It was written under a mosquito net in China. The final editing took place at a guest house in Israel. It is filled with stories from God sparing my life to leading me on incredible adventures as an ambassador with “The Department of Eternal Affairs” to so many cool places ~ Haiti, a jungle village in Belize, the Ghetto in NYC, behind the Iron Curtain in Poland and Romania, Israel, China, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, Africa, and Greece. It is a story of God’s love and faithfulness.

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy reading the story of a person’s life. This book was no exception. Rena Groot has had quite an interesting life and tells of it well. I appreciated that she did not go into details about the abuse she suffered, but just let her readers know it was there. Many of her experiences as a follower of Jesus are quite encouraging to read. I especially liked the way she described her turning to Jesus. I did wonder about the way she and her husband seemed to go their separate ways much of the time; that did not seem wise. 

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:

My name is Rena Groot and I am honored you have chosen to take a moment of your life to read this. I am an artist, author, have a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and a Masters of Religious Education from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta. I have been a teacher in Canada and China, a tour manager from the Rockies to the Pacific, a missionary to the ends of the Earth, a mom of four ~ and best of all, a child of God.

More from Rena:

Why did I write this book? Because I had to. I wrote it for me…but God wanted me to share it with the world…with you…so you could be encouraged and know that God loves you…more than you can possibly imagine.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.