July Picks part 2: More Children’s Books!

Our staff picks for July are children’s books that we stock at the store.

Dr. Heather’s Pick: In Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson

Dr. Heather says: “When I was 11 or so this book made me laugh out loud. In this book a grandmother tells her granddaughter stories connected with objects found In Grandma’s Attic. The format makes this a good book for reading aloud.” Ages 9-12

Sheila’s Pick: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Sheila notes that lots of people don’t think about the creation theology in the Narnia Chronicles. Perhaps it is because this book often gets shuffled off to the side. Read this book, enjoy the creation scene, and join the order debate — is The Magician’s Nephew best read as an introduction to Narnia, or after The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as a prequel to that book. The debate rages on.

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July Staff Picks — Children’s Books!

July Staff Picks feature some of our favourite children’s books because Summer brings out the kid in all of us. Right?

Cindy’s Pick: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Cindy says: “A young girl, her brother, and a friend set out on a fantastic journey with a mysterious stranger in search of her missing father.  Science fiction and fantasy combine to bring the reader into the tesseract concept (a wrinkle in time) and a journey filled with danger, adventure and choices that will ultimately affect not only their lives but the whole universe.  Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, this is the first book the “Time Quintet”.  Suggested reading age: 12 and up.”

Carolyn’s Pick: Raiders from the Sea by Lois Walfrid Johnson

Carolyn says: “Lois Walfrid Johnson was one of my favourite authors as I was growing up, and all of her books have remained solidly on my “keeper” shelf since then. This book is the first in her Viking Quest series, which follows the story of a young Irish girl and her brother who are captured by Vikings in the late 10th century. The book is full of  adventure, history, and an authentic, non-moralistic engagement with what Christian faith might look like in difficult circumstances. Reading level: Ages 10 and up (probably younger if parent is reading to child).

 

Bibles for Children and Youth

While we are best known for our superb collection of books for our adult customers, we also have a small section for the next generation of theologians. I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the most popular version of our Children’s and Youth Bibles.

The most popular children’s Bible we have is the Jesus Storybook Bible.

This compact Bible is best-known for its vivid, colourful illustrations that appear on every page highlighting the most popular and important stories in scripture. The storytelling is simple but faithful to the original text. At the beginning of each story the author gives you the reference to the full story, so parents can read the full text in advance to help them explain the story to their child more fully if they wish.

Additionally, there are now a series of DVD’s available to go along with the Bible.

A second recommendation is the Spark Story Bible from Spark House Media.

This Bible is designed to grow with the child. In addition to the bright, colourful illustrations, and big beautiful text highlighting the biblical story, there are a few additional features that ensure you won’t be dumping this Bible just because your child is getting older.

Meet Squiggels. Squiggles is an expressive caterpillar that seems to be found on every page. Its changing expression gives visual clues as to the mood of the story you are reading.

Also, there are questions along the way to help your growing learner go deeper into the story. For example “Think of a time when you have been sad. How did God make you feel better?” and “If you were the boy who gave Jesus his food that day, what would you tell people about what happened?”.

For the tweens and teens in your family, we have two recommendations:

The Action Bible: God’s Redemptive Story, is a biblical comic book. At over an inch think it is loaded with incredibly drawn, action-oriented and attention-grabbing images that rival any of today’s comics or graphic novels. It’s so well done, they might just forget they’re reading the Bible (or, learning something!).

This really is a stunning work of art and biblical truth. Get yours soon, because I might just be buying one for myself.

The Action Bible received the Christina Book Award’s ECPA Medallion of Excellence.

Also for the older children is the Manga Bible series, available either as a complete Bible or as individual books focussing on specific topics. Wonderfully drawn in the traditional style of Japanese manga cartoons, these works highlight the action and adventure of God’s story.

Come on in and take a look at our selection. We’re not only for adults.