Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Book Review: Little Shepherd by Cheryl Malandrinos

Title: Little Shepherd
Author: Cheryl Malandrinos
Paperback: 16 pages
Genre: Children’s Book
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (August 21, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN – 1616330856
ISBN – 978-1616330859

Obed is in the hills outside Bethlehem when the angels appear to announce the Savior’s birth. Can he trust that the miracle of the first Christmas will keep his flock safe while he visits the newborn King?

Review:

Just in time for the Christmas gift-giving season comes a new children’s book by Cheryl Malandrinos that is surely one of the best retelling of the timeless Christmas story about the birth of our Lord.  Little Shepherd is about little five-year-old Obed, the son of one of the shepherds, and how he is constantly troubled by the fact if they leave the sheep, no one will be there to watch them and they will either be eaten or stolen.  Obed must learn to have faith which is hard for even adults to have sometimes.  His father tells him the angels will be there to watch over them, but that doesn’t seem to satisfy him.  However, he follows his father, leaving the sheep behind, to see this new baby everybody was talking about.  Without giving away the ending, Obed discovers what faith is really all about and that miracles do happen.

The illustrations by Eugene Ruble are simply breathtaking and the author has the gift of story-telling that only seasoned children book authors have.  Cheryl Malandrinos and her Little Shepherd is a wonderful book about faith, miracles and the real reason of what Christmas is all about.
I recommend this book to parents of children who want to believe in miracles.  A perfect addition to a young family’s library to recapture the real spirit of the holiday season.

My Rating: 
5 Rainbows

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Book Review: Charlie and Mama Kyna by Diana Rumjahn

Title: Charlie and Mama Kyna
Author:  Diana Rumjahn
Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
ISBN: 1419656872
38 pp

Charlie and Mama Kyna is a sweet tale of three friends – Charlie, a frog, Leo, a lion and Joe, a giraffe – who embark on a journey to find a good home. In this delightful children’s picture book written by Diana Rumjahn, we are all taken on an enchanting journey in which Charlie, “a sweet green frog with a red bow tie with white polka dots,” finds Leo and Joe sitting in an orange tent in front of Mrs. Cupcake’s Bakery.  Soon they tire of living out of a tent and not having a real home, so Charlie takes them back to his house in which he had run away from for breaking his mother’s vase and not wanting to get in trouble over it.  The three form a bond as they travel through creeks and over hills on their way to Charlie’s mother’s house.  Instead of being upset over the vase, Charlie’s mother is extremely happy to have him home again and welcomes his new friends into her home.
What is interesting is that this book was originally a film titled Going Home, which was shown worldwide and an official selection at the prestigious The Times British Film Institute’s London Film Festival in which Diana wrote, directed, filmed, produced and edited.

The illustrations were superb and blended very nicely with the overall theme of the story which gave it a whimsical feel good feeling.

A really cute little picture book which toddlers up to pre-school will really enjoy!

My Rating: 
5 Rainbows

Monday, March 10, 2014

Book Review: Monsters Stole My Bedroom by Julia Abby Thomas



Title: Monsters Stole My Bedroom
Author: Julia Abby Thomas
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Toy Surge Group, LLC (March 3, 2014)
Pages: 29
Format: eBook

My kids are grown and I don't have grand-kids but if I did, this little book would be downloaded and read to them before they go to sleep at night.  I love it when I read children's books that help children get over their fears and having monsters in the bedroom is the most common fear kids have.

Beautifully illustrated, Monsters Stole My Bedroom tells the story of a little girl who, after brushing her teeth at night, hears sounds from her bedroom overhead.  Lots of purple furry monsters are running about causing such a mess that the girl gets over her fear of having them there by worrying more about the mess they are making.

Cute, cute book and the illustrations are whimsical and it makes you just want to hug the monsters instead of being scared of them.

I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

My Rating: 
5 Rainbows