Read and Share DVD Volume 1

Read and Share DVD Volume 1 is a collection of 13 animated Bible stories. I watched these DVDs with my two kids. They are 5 and 6.5. Here are some of our thoughts.

The Good
First of all, the kids found these videos to be enjoyable. They sometimes even asked to watch more than I had planned for our daily Bible time.

I found the animation to be pleasant. It looked hand-drawn, but the shadows and such were so well done that I think it must have been computer generated.

Topics such as Satan and polygamist marriages were handled tastefully without re-writing history. Angels were made to look powerful instead of cutesy. I found this refreshing for a children's product.

The Annoying
Noah's ark was represented as a tiny vessel that could barely fit two elephants let alone 2 or 7 of every kind of animal in the world. Also Noah's family was represented as a bunch of white (or possibly Hispanic) looking people. This undermines the fact that all people on earth today came from this one family.

Not very much of the Old Testament was covered. For example there is no mention of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the judges, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Hezekiah, Josiah, Daniel or Nehemiah. After Jacob and Esau you skip to Baby Jesus. Granted this is Volume 1, but if these stories are going to be included in Volume 2 then the chronological nature of the videos will be skewed.

There are a couple of minor inaccuracies. For example, one of the disciples that Jesus takes with him to Jairus' house is a woman. I want accuracy even in the small things especially when my children are watching.

The title of this DVD is misleading. There is nothing to read. After getting the DVD, I learned that the title is after a Bible story book. But I didn't know that when I got it and so was expecting some kind of reading to be intertwined.

Because of these annoyances I can't give this very well animated and scripted video 5 stars. I have to go with 3.5 (maybe 4).

The Word of Promise The Gift of Psalms

Overall, I liked The Word of Promise The Gift of Psalms. I am reviewing it on two criteria: format and content.

Format
This is a very elegant presentation. Th book has a nice solid feel and the CDs are tucked into the back cover of the book so they are easy to keep together.

As with most audio books, the reading was way too slow for my taste. I wanted to listen to it on 1.5 speed but for some reason Windows MP wouldn't allow it.

30 of the 50 psalms and devotional readings are read aloud on the CDs. I think it would have been better just to read all of the psalms without the devotional readings. I might have wanted to listen to it over and over then (even with the slow speed).

Content
The content was good. There was variety in the psalms chosen. I thought some of the commentary didn't quite hit the mark, but most of it was very good. I did find a few spelling/grammar mistakes. (And I am terrible at such things.)

I think that this book CD combo would be a good gift for a new Christian since much of the commentary points to Christ.

Kiss

Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is certainly a page-turner; I read the whole thing in a couple of days. I enjoyed the unique plot and its various twists (though you could see some of them coming if you were paying attention).

I think the point of this book is really needed in today's society. The point, as I understand it, is that you can either gain perspective from your mistreatment or problems in life or you can gain pain. The choice is up to you. I also really liked the theme of the truth being worth fighting (possibly dying) for. I found this refreshing in a society leaning more and more toward truth being relative.

The main reason that I cannot give this book five stars is I found the memory stealing abilities of the heroine a little unnerving. That is an ability that I would attribute more to a "bad guy". Shauna, the heroine does see it as stealing, but she feels she has no choice.

Also if you are looking for Christian fiction, this book may leave you wanting a little deeper spiritual emphasis. On the other hand, if you just want a good clean read with suspense and intrigue then I recommend Kiss.

Rex

I just finished an inspiring book. Rex is a book about a blind autistic musical savant told from the perspective of his mother, Cathleen Lewis. I really enjoy books about people overcoming extreme obstacles with the Lord's help. This is definitely one of those books.

Rex starts life blind due to a malformed optic nerve. He makes great progress until autism becomes apparent. He refuses to eat (living on protein shakes). He becomes hyper-sensitive to sound (running water, light switches, etc.) and touch. By the end of the book he is a tween who can travel the world playing music, has begun to make friends, and has learned to ski. Throughout all of his trials joy shines through in a way that many people envy.

The transformation of his mom is also amazing. The story starts with a career-minded newlywed and ends with a Christian single-mom who is devoted to her son and can praise God even for his difficulties. She was a person who depended on mental abilities to survive and understand the world. Now she looks through the lens of faith. She was an unchurched, irreligious woman whose heart softened toward God before God made any breakthroughs in her son's ability to cope in this world. Now she has a strong faith in God in part thanks to her brother who had the guts to say that maybe God had allowed this to happen for his glory.

I recommend this book. It is a great story of two transformations.

Word of Promise NT on MP3

I found the Word of Promise New Testament on MP3 to be enjoyable listening. Now if you want to actually study the New Testament (or part of it) in any kind of serious way, I recommend you purchase a NIV or NAS with wide margins and some pens. Read slowly. Take notes in the margins. Draw arrows. But if you want to fill your mind with good thoughts and are tired or listening to Christian music, I highly recommend Word of Promise. The translation is easy to listen to because it is not to academic. The actors did a good job. (Jesus was a little sappy, but that is how He is usually portrayed in audio or video.) The sound effects were really well done. Not overwhelming, they added just the right touch. The speaking speed is way to slow for my taste (as are most audio books), but that's ok because I listened to it in Windows Media Player on fast play which was perfect. Some of the book introductions I found annoying or questionable, but you can easily skip them if you don't want to listen since they are a separate MP3.

My biggest complaint is the incompatibility with Zune. My Zune (even with my IT husband's help) would never open the whole thing at once. It was 2 chapters from Acts and 3 chapters from John, etc. The silly thing would never download the whole CD or even a whole book. For this reason I give this audio Bible 4 stars.

House of Dark Shadows

House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparlulo is the first in a series called Dreamhouse Kings. I was a little disappointed in this book. Not because of the book itself so much as that it didn't meet my expectations for Thomas Nelson. I was expecting something with Christian undertones. This book is largely irreligious except for one mention of the family looking for a church after their move. From a Christian mom perspective, I found some of the slang a little crude. Also I think that some people might object to a sentence revealing that the main character smoked two cigarettes and didn't think his dad would make too big of a deal about it.

The story line is pretty intriguing. The cliff hanger ending makes you want to purchase the next book. There is even a cool twist at the end. But through all of this the family never turns to God. They never pray about their perilous situation. They are completely reliant on themselves. You never get a hint that they are reliant on him in any way.

The parents are decent examples, firm but kind. The mother quit her job to stay home with the kids. The dad is the obvious leader of the home without being overbearing. The family dynamics seemed decent. The main character, Xander, is a little whiny at the beginning, but gets over himself quickly enough that I didn't have to grit my teeth to get through the book.

I think had I just checked this book out from the library I probably would have given it 3.5 or even 4 stars. But I was expecting so much more from Thomas Nelson that I can only give it 3 stars.

The Moon Shines Down

I have received my second book from Thomas Nelson for review. It is The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown.

I have read Good Night Moon once a long time ago. I have a vague recollection of a mother and baby rabbit. So if you are looking for a review comparing the two, this is not the one for you.

I started this book with a slightly tainted mindset; I had read a negative review several weeks before. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't horrid, but I can't say that it was great. Let me start with the negatives and get them out of the way. The wording was very choppy. The rhythm didn't seem consistent throughout the book. Some of the rhymes seemed forced. I thought the story would have flowed better if it followed some recognizable path around the world instead of jumping from one continent to another. I also found it annoying that at the very end it suddenly tries to become a Christmas story. This just did not flow for me.

On the positive side, my mission minded heart like the idea of visiting children from different countries around the world and asking God to bless them. I also found the illustrations pleasant. The are colorful and fun. The koala as a main character adds an international flair.

Overall I give this book three stars. It was OK, but certainly not great.

Review of My Little Girl

Thanks to Wickle, I am now receiving books to review from Thomas Nelson. My first one is My Little Girl by Tim McGraw.

I have to start this review by saying that I am NOT a country music fan. So I would probably never have purchased it as there is a picture (a small one) of Tim McGraw on the front cover. That being said, I found this book to be delightful.

It is a story about having fun just being together. The story line follows a father/daughter pair from morning until bedtime. It reminded me that all of my best memories of my dad are of doing normal non-spectacular things like building snowmen or riding on his back. This book is a good reminder that children don't need to be razzle-dazzled by fancy gifts or big vacations; children need interacting parenting parents.

The little girl in the book reminded me very much of my own little girl. She has a hodge-podge of tastes which I enjoyed glimpsing. I liked the father as well.

The illustrations are great. They fit right in with the story. The vibrant colors go so well with a vibrant girl.

If you have a daughter between 4-6, she will likely love this book. When I read it to my daughter, she asked, "Mommy, can I keep this book because I love it." It would make a great Valentine's day gift, but really would be appropriate any time. Enjoy.