The Christmas Train by Thomas S Monson – Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

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The Christmas Train

In this children’s picture book, President Thomas S. Monson recounts a Christmas memory from his childhood. As a boy, he yearned for an electric train. To his delight, on Christmas morning he got exactly that a train that operated through the miracle of electricity. Then he noticed a second train that his mother had purchased for the boy down the street whose family was struggling. Although it was only a wind-up train, it had an beautiful oil tanker car, which little Tommy wanted for his own. Soon after, Tommy s mother invited him to accompany her to the neighbor s home to deliver the gift. Young Mark was thrilled with his new train and, of course, didn t notice the missing train car. However, a remorseful Tommy did. What happened next will bring the spirit of Christmas into every heart and home. Illustrated by renowned artist Dan Burr, The Christmas Train is sure to be a classic Christmas story and a beautiful addition to every Christmas library.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

 

Includes a QR code for a FREE download of President Monson’s narration of the story!

Winner of the 2012 Gold Medal Mom’s Choice Award!

Download the new interactive Christmas Train app for your iPad!
The pages come alive with animations, sound effects, and narration by the author, Thomas S. Monson. Kids will love listening to a true Christmas story, read by a familiar voice, while navigating trains, turning Christmas lights on and off, and experiencing the importance of giving during the Christmas season.

Click Here to Learn More  About the Author

President Thomas S. Monson was set apart as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. He had previously served for twenty-two years in the First Presidency of the Church, after having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since October1963. Five years after his call to the Twelve, he was given a special assignment for the work of the Church in Europe, requiring many visits with members behind the Iron Curtain. He was instrumental in the construction of the Freiberg Germany Temple and in advancing the Lord’s work in other eastern European countries that were part of the communist bloc. He also served as chairman of the Scriptures Publication Committee and supervised the process that resulted in the new editions of the scriptures. His ministry has been characterized by his compassion for the needs of individuals and his gift for one-on-one service. President Monson and his wife, Frances, are the parents of three children, grandparents of eight, and great-grandparents of eight.

About the Illustrator

Dan Burr earned his bachelor of fine arts degree from Utah State University and a master’s degree in illustration from Syracuse University. He and his wife, Patti, are raising their two children in the Teton Valley of southeast Idaho, a setting that provides great artistic inspiration and fantastic fly fishing. Dan is a well-known illustrator, having been in the business for many years, most recently working as a children’s picture book illustrator. A few of the books Dan has illustrated are The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes; God Bless Your Way; A Christmas Journey; and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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The God Puzzle by Valerie Ackermann

Cover Rating: 4 Stars****

Blurb:

The God Puzzle is a colorful, easy to use tool to help you communicate to your child the rich truths about God, His ways, His will and His love. The God Puzzle will help you address doctrinal themes of the Christian faith in a kid friendly way, present Bible lessons in an interactive way that will hold the child’s attention and deliver quality teaching with no preparation needed. 75% of children leave the church when they leave home. Something isn’t working. Sunday School isn’t doing it all. Kids need answers, good ones. And they need them from you, the parent. This book enables you to give them simple, clear answers.

You can purchase it here: Amazon * B&N * BAM * Deeper Shopping

About the Author:

Valerie Ackermann was born and raised in a small prairie town in Saskatchewan, Canada. After high school, she began studies and graduated with a BA in Theology from Briercrest Bible College.

There she met her husband Chris. After living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for a year, they went to work at Hume Lake Christian Camps.

After moving to Fairfield, CA in 1998 they attended Parkway Community Church which was a well connected church to both of them. They became parents of two active young men who each operate at 100% boy plus some. The Ackermann household is busy with a lot of fishing tackle organizing, trampoline flip contests, dirty baseball pants, finding the right cleats for practice, forts in the dining room, pancakes with way too many chocolate chips, tying ropes to skateboards to pull behind bikes, and a thousand other bad ideas!

In 2004, Val began working on paid staff at Parkway Community Church as the Director of Children’s Ministries and is currently in that position today. This involves overseeing volunteers, planning programs, and facilitating the classes for Sunday school. In 2006 she began a Monday Night program called BLAST, and a kids choir STOMP. Val also teaches her own class every Sunday and loves staying in the classroom and on the front line with the kids.

Val has a desire to see parents equipped to teach their own children about God at home as there is not the time in Sunday school alone. Seeing the need for a resource that was both theologically deep, yet written in language to a child, explaining the Bible and God in a step-by-step process that led to Christ as the center of our faith.

You can find Valerie here: Website * Twitter * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Facebook

~My Review~

When I was young one of my favorite books was a big hardback book of Bible stories. I loved the pictures and the way it explained the stories of the Bible in a way my young mind could understand. I still linger around those type of books when I go to a bookstore even at my advanced age. They wormed their way into my heart and I developed a love for them when I was very young. The God Puzzle by Valerie Ackermann brought back those memories. It’s like a giant storybook but with so much more.

It covers such subjects as :

Who is God?
What Happens because of Sin?
Who is Jesus? What is the New Covenant?
What are My Old Self and My New Self?
How do I Spend Time with God?

Very deep subjects but they are explained in a way that is easy to understand. Kids will gain a knowledge of the Bible they have never had and have fun while doing it.

It is full of activities like:

Fill in the Blanks
Multiple choice
Matching the Scripture with the correct verse
Writing Prayer Letters to God (love this!)

As your child is doing these activities he/she will gain valuable knowledge that will help them grow to know and love God. I love this book as a whole and, if I had kids, I would appreciate having this wealth of knowledge to impart to them in such a fun yet effective way. You can’t read this book and not learn. I would recommend it to anyone with children within the specified age group (7-12) and even suggest it as a gift if you don’t have children yourself. It’s really an amazing learning tool!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

 

 

Litfuse Group Author Page

 

A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear by Mayra Calvani – Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

 

A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear

On a very bad day, Little Bear offers Mama Bear various items to make her feel better, but she’s too busy to notice-until he gives her his super, so good, so very special dolly. Silly humor, alliteration, repetition, and onomatopoeia make this a fun read-aloud story. Suggested age range for readers: 3-7

Amazon Kindle * Amazon Paperback

Amazon Hardcover

 

Praise

“Mayra Calvani magically intertwines two generations perspectives of one’s bad mad sad day through caring efforts and that together difficulties can be overcome. A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear is sure to be a delightful time shared by parents and their young muses.” –Amazon reviewer

“The humor of the story, married with the artwork, leaps off the page. After seeing the illustrations, you can’t imagine the story any other way. With so much to read and see on every page, it is truly captivating – a delight for eye and ear.” –Amazon reviewer

“Enter Mayra Calvani’s world with this sweet and funny story about a little bear that wants to help his overwhelmed mom, who is having a bad, sad and mad day. A great story teaching the little ones, in a fun way, that adults aren’t perfect and can have bad days too. Children will enjoy the illustrations. A wonderful gift for this upcoming Christmas!” –Amazon reviewer

 

Author Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications like The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, Bloomsbury Review, and others. She lives in Belgium with her husband of 25+ years, two wonderful kids, and her two beloved pets. When she’s not writing, editing, reading or reviewing, she enjoys walking with her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family. She’s represented by Serendipity Literary.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Blog

 

Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 12/9/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Cinderella Goes to the Potty by Justin Blaney

Cover Rating:

Blurb:

Isfits. Postmodern fairy tales and cautionary confessions.

What Is Isfits?
A cast of characters sampled from icons of adolescence, re-imagined.
A graphic novel, like you’ve never seen before.
This eBook is 1/6th the full length graphic novel. Read it in about 5 minutes. Enjoy for years.

About Cinderella Goes to the Potty
Cinderella scratched a new line on the wall every night when the clock struck twelve. For 999 nights, she’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t stay long enough to see 1000. Cinderella heard the old man and the old woman clunking up the stairs. The clock began to chime. Cinderella was out of time. She had a decision to make–the kind of decision that could change her life or take it from her.

Purchase it Here: Amazon
 

 

#1 bestselling author, Justin Blaney, was born in Los Angeles and began his writing career in Mrs. King’s English class at the age of 6, but after a tragic accident involving a manual pencil sharpener he suddenly declared that writing was “not his thing.”Instead, he moved one state north to make his fortune in the organic meats industry.

After being named the Sausage Baron of Springfield, Justin grew tired of farming fame and moved yet another state north where he can venture into the meat department at Whole Foods without being pestered for the secret to one of his famous recipes.
 

Since then, Justin founded several companies, earned an MBA, began producing films, went parasailing, rode an elevator to the top of the Space Needle and decided to give writing one last shot, the result of which is a book about a shut-in named Evan Burl who never takes a bath. Evan Burl and the Falling, the first novel in a series that has very little to do with hygiene, reached #1 bestselling status in the suspense, fantasy and teen genres.
 

Justin lives with his wife and three daughters in Issaquah, a suburb of Bellevue which is a suburb of Seattle.

You can find Justin here: Website * Facebook * Twitter

 

 

 

Cinderella Goes to the Potty is a very cute story. It tells about Cinderella who is being held captive by an old man and woman. The tree potty had to be fed and they were coming to get Cinderella to use her as a sacrifice. But Cinderella is going to try to escape. Will she manage to get free in time?

 

While it is a very short story I think kids will love it. It has the essence of a thriller but with kids in mind. I would recommend it to anyone with children. Not overly young though as it does have the thriller aspect. I wasn’t overly fond of the way the printing was at times (wrapped around objects) which made it difficult to read but I would like to point out that the illustrations are amazing. They are a must see!

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone and I received no monetary compensation.

 

My Rating:

 

 



Hello! I’m partnering with Justin Blaney to help him spread the word about his fun new book series, Isfits.

He’s launching the series with a Kickstarter campaign—he wants to turn these fun/unique stories into full-color, hardback, glossy-paged books.

Who’s Justin? Justin Blaney is a virtuoso. He does a little of everything, but one of the coolest things he does (besides writing amazing stories) is run an organization called Innovate for Jesus (resources for pastors, ministry leaders, non profits, authors, etc.). The site features people like Francis Chan, Rick Warren, Pete Wilson, Matt Chandler, Mary DeMuth, and more.

Besides the super cool graphics, what is special about Isfits? Justin is releasing his Isfits series in the general kids book market rather than as Christian releases. His hope is to spread the gospel message to children who aren’t normally exposed to Christian content.

What Is Isfits?

• Postmodern fairytales & cautionary confessions
• A cast of characters sampled from icons of adolescence, re-imagined.
• A completely new genre of fiction. Since that’s hard to describe, let’s call it a graphic novel like you’ve never seen before.
• Nearly 200 original designs, optimized for inspirational display in your home, office, prison cell, igloo, or hut.

Click here for more information. If you’d like to sign up to review the first book in the series, Cinderella Goes to the Potty (It’s a five-minute read! You’ll love it!), email info {at} litfusegroup {dot} com (and be entered to win $100 Amazon.com gift card!).  And if you’d like to learn more and support Justin’s Kickstarter, GO HERE.

Catie’s Secret Kindle Fire Kid Pack Giveaway from Laura Nonemaker – Blog Tour & Review

Cover Rating:

Series: God’s Secret Garden Adventures
Date Published: November 5, 2012
Pages: 32
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Author: Laura Allen Nonemaker
Genre: Children’s Fiction
ISBN-10: 1625101236
ISBN-13: 978-1625101235
Book Source: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tate Publishing for my honest review.

Blurb:

Catie Caterpillar looks different from any bug Herbie and Bella have ever seen. When Herbie makes fun of Catie, Mayor Benny shows him why he should not judge anyone by how they look. In the end, Catie reveals a secret and the bunnies learn the joy of forgiveness. Catie’s Secret is the third book in Laura Allen Nonemaker’s children’s series, God’s Secret Garden Adventures. Like the two previous books, Benny’s Angel and Fred D’s Amazing Escape, Catie’s Secret invites young readers to join an exciting adventure while it teaches a valuable lesson.

You can purchase it Here: Amazon

Author Bio:

 

Laura’s desire to write took root as a child in Bermuda, when a favorite teacher at Mt. St. Agnes Academy published one of her essays in the local newspaper. Her aspiration sprouted again in Louisville, Kentucky during the 1980s, when she conceived the idea for TecNotes, a newsletter she wrote and edited for TubeTec Inc. During this period, she also studied commercial art at Jefferson Community College. Since then, Laura has written in a variety of genres and her work has appeared in Essence Treasury: Celebrating the Season, Alive!, Kentucky Monthly magazine and Focus on the Family Clubhouse JR magazine.

 

You can find Laura Here: Author Page * Facebook * Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

Catie’s Secret is about two bunnies, Herbie and Bella, who like to a place called Peaceful Meadow in God’s Secret Garden. It’s called Peaceful Meadow because it is a peaceful and happy place. Herbie and Bella come across a very unusual bug the likes of which they have never seen. They son learn that she is a caterpillar and her name is Catie. When Herbie begins to tease Catie because she is different their uncle, Mayor Benny, points out things that are different on the surface but have beauty on the inside such as Catie the caterpillar.

 

This is such an adorable story and, the best part is, it teaches a lesson. Children are not only entertained but they learn something in the process. They learn that no matter how we look on the outside we are all very special and that teasing and making fun of others can be very hurtful. This book would be great to read to small children and they will absolutely love the illustrations. I love a story with a moral and I definitely recommend it.

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers for my honest review. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone and I received no monetary compensation.

 

My Rating:

 

 

 

 

 



Click to Tweet: Teasing others might seem like fun but words can be very hurtful.

Q & A: I ask the question… you supply the answer. 🙂

Do you have children? And, if so, do you have a favorite children’s book to read to them? What book is it? Let me know by leaving a comment below. 🙂

Catie’s Secret is the second book in Laura Allen Nonemaker’s children’s series, God’s Secret Garden Adventures. Laura is celebrating Catie’s Secret with a Kindle Fire Kid Pack giveaway!

  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Butterfly Pavilion Hatching Kit
• Butterfly Pattern Carryall Bag
• Butterfly Suncatcher Kit
• Benny’s Angel T-Shirt (small)
• Catie’s Secret and Benny’s Angel with free E-Live audio downloads by Laura Nonemaker

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 23rd. Winner will be announced November 25th at Laura’s blog.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Laura’s blog on the 25th to see if you won.