I wanted to extend my thanks to Lindsey Rodarmer at Zonderkidz for giving me the opportunity to review the first four books in Mike Thaler & Jared Lee’s Tales from the Back Pew series.

When it comes to church, kids sometimes think and say the darnedest things.  The Tales from the Back Pew series takes a light-hearted look at some of the misconceptions our children may have about church.

In Mission Trip Impossible, the main character is a bit concerned about the mission trip his church is about to embark on.  He’s not quite sure how he’ll deal with the wild animals, jungle, cannibals, bad weather, and other harsh conditions.  Much to his surprise, this mission trip only goes as far as the other side of town.  Even though his trip turned out to be much less exotic than he first thought, he still gets to tell his new friends about his best friend, Jesus.

In Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday, the main character is wondering if church will be anything like the stories he’s heard.  There’s obvious cause for concern when you consider the fact that you may get drafted into the service, be forced to sit on smelly benches called pews, and deal with the guy up front they call the sermonator.  On top of all that, they actually make you pay to join in the singing.  Fortunately all his fears are laid to rest when he finds that the people are actually pretty nice.  Sunday school even ended with cookies and milk!

In Church Summer Cramp, the main character is trying to process all that the pastor has promised them about the youth group’s trip to summer camp.  He’s not quite sure how getting lost, becoming a mosquito burrito, and sleeping in tents are anybody’s idea of a good time.  In spite all his objections he remembers that God took care of the Israelites when they were in the wilderness wandering around lost and sleeping in tents.  If God took care of the Israelites, he can trust that He will take care of him too.  Besides, canoodling, throwing horses, and possibly running into Bigfoot sounds like it might be fun.

In Easter Egg Haunt, the main character is heading over to the Easter egg hunt at church.  In preparation, the kids paint all sorts of things on the eggs.  After the kids finish the decorating, their Sunday school teacher tells them the real story of Easter.  As it turns out, Easter is actually all about Jesus.  Eggs and bunnies were added later, much like Santa Claus was added on to Christmas.

Children ages 4-8 and their parents will enjoy the light-hearted fun found in the Tales from the Back Pew series.  As you complete each story, you’ll be able to talk about the realities of “church life” and how it really isn’t as bad as they maybe thought it was at first.  Be on the lookout for two new titles in this series (Walking the Plank to the Baptism Tank & The Three Wise Guys), both scheduled to release later this year.

Mike Thaler, known as the Riddle King of America, is the author of the popular Black Lagoon books and the Heaven and Mirth series.  He lives in Portland, Oregon, and travels nationally, speaking in schools, libraries, and churches.

Jared Lee is an accomplished illustrator with experience working for the likes of L.L. Bean, Procter and Gamble, Hasbro, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and the U.S. Postal Service.  He currently resides in Lebanon, Ohio.

You may download a PDF of this review: 

Buy these books on Amazon:

• Mission Trip Impossible
• Easter Egg Haunt
• Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday
• Church Summer Cramp

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to Lindsey Rodarmer at Zonderkidz for giving me the opportunity to review Sally Lloyd-Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible:  Every Story Whispers his Name.

I’ve been working my way through The Jesus Storybook Bible with my children for several months.  It only took a few of the short stories to make it one of their all time favorite Bible story books.  The intended age range for this book is four to seven years old, but my children as young as three and as old as ten have enjoyed it as well.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is comprised of 21 stories from the Old Testament and 23 stories from the New Testament.  What makes this book unique is the way each story from the both the Old & New Testaments clearly point back to Jesus as the central figure of the Biblical story.  The illustrations throughout the book are colorful, exciting, and age appropriate.  Parents and kids alike will appreciate Sally Lloyd-Jones excellent writing style.  This is by far the best children’s Bible story book I’ve ever seen.  It will be a great addition to any family’s library.

Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books for children.  She is the author of three bestselling Children’s bibles, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning Baby’s First bible.  She has written many picture books for children, including Handbag Friends and Time to Say goodnight.  A native of England, Sally lives in New York City.

Jago is an accomplished illustrator with several prestigious awards to his credit, including a Macmillian “Highly commended” Award for children’s Illustration in 2003, an AOI Silver Award in 2004, and the National Literacy Association Wow! Award.  Jago lives in Cornwall, England, with his wife and daughter.

You can download this review as a PDF: 

Buy this book on Amazon:  The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to Lindsey Rodarmer at Zonderkidz for giving me the opportunity to review Bill Myers’ Freddie’s Fast-Cash Getaway: The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Freddie’s Fast-Cash Getaway is the third installment in The Bug Parables series written by Bill Myers and illustrated by Andy J. Smith. The Bug Parables series strives to bring the parables of Jesus to life in humorous and creative ways that will appeal to children ages 4 – 7. This latest title is a colorful bug-sized retelling of the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32.

The prodigal son is played by an ant named Freddie. He has aspirations to leave the family worm farm behind for a more adventurous life in the big city. Surprisingly, his father grants his request and Freddie is off to fulfill his aspirations. After only a short time in the big city, Freddie discovers that he ran out of friends as soon as he ran out of money. Out of desperation, he takes the dangerous job of cleaning the cat cage at the carnival and soon comes to realize that even his father’s servants live better than this. With the little money he earned, Freddie returns home to discover love and forgiveness from the father who never stopped watching and waiting for him.

Your children ages 4 – 7 will enjoy reading about Freddie’s misadventure in the big city. I especially enjoyed the rhyming throughout the entire story. This made it fun to read and kept the story moving at a steady pace. Andy J. Smith has included a lot of intricate details in the illustrations, so be sure to take some time to examine each scene in the book. If you enjoy Freddie’s Fast-Cash Getaway, you should also consider Stink Bug Saves the Day!: The Parable of the Good Samaritan and The House That Went Ker—Splat!: The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, also from The Bug Parables series.

Bill Myers (www.billmyers.com) is a bestselling author and award-winning writer/director whose work has won forty national and international awards. His books and videos have sold eight million copies and include such titles as The Seeing, Eli, The Voice, My Life as…series, and McGee and Me.

Andy J. Smith thought about careers as a Walrus Wrangler, Intergalactic Spy, and Ghost Hunter but they didn’t pan out. So Andy thought he’d try drawing silly pictures for a living. It turned out to be a great choice! Before getting into illustration, Andy worked on several graphic novels and now has added picture book illustrations to his portfolio. He promises there will be many more books!

Download a copy of this review in PDF: 

Order this book from Amazon.com: Freddie’s Fast-Cash Getaway: The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Bug Parables, The)