While you will mostly see books for adults on my blog, I love opportunities to read and review books for young adults and even children. I have been teaching Sunday school since I was a young teenager and have continued to work with children on a regular basis ever since.
When I saw these books were available, I quickly requested them.
Isaac's Ice Cream Tree
by Angela Henderson, Rachael Koppendrayer
Published by WhiteSpark Publishing
Publication Date January 15, 2019
Genres: Children's Fiction
Contemporary
Main Character Ages: 0-14
Written for: Children
Pages: 35
Synopsis:
Isaac loves the sugar maple in his yard, and he can't help but feel bad for it when its branches are winter-bare. He decides to give it a gift...and is surprised when the tree returns the favor in the new morning snow, presenting him with balls of...ice cream!But how long can the magic last with spring on the horizon?
This magical exploration through the colors of the rainbow, the days of the week, and some of our favorite fruits is sure to delight readers of all ages!
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
What a fun book! At first glance, it is simply an imaginative and somewhat silly story of a boy’s love for a tree and how his kindness towards it was rewarded with ice cream. Truly, what better reward could there be?!! On that level alone, the book is a fun story to give to a young reader to enjoy.
On a slightly deeper look, Isaac’s story also teaches about the days of the week, fruit, colors, and even speaks of changes in the weather related to several seasons!
I love the illustrations in Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree. They are fun and friendly and warm. The colors and fonts used are appealing and fit with the story quite well.
If you are looking for a fun book for a youngster – one who needs to be read to or one who is already reading, Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree is a sweet treat for the senses. Just be sure to have some real ice cream on hand because this book will surely to leave you craving the frozen treat as well!
When God Made Color
by Sheri Carmon
Published by WhiteSpark Publishing
Publication Date March 15, 2019
Genres: Children's Fiction
Contemporary
Written for: Children
Pages: 32
Synopsis:
God doesn't have a favorite color...
God made fish, bugs, birds, and kids in many different shades. All colors of kids are wonderful, and you are one of His fantastic colorful children! In the picture book When God Made Color, the wonders of Creation are spread out before you in all the glories of the rainbow: the deep purples and blues of night, the bright yellows of day, and the pinks and oranges of flowers. And of course, the colors of all the creatures...including us! The brilliantly-colored illustrations will inspire parent and child alike as together they explore the wonders of God's incredible universe. The paintings and text interact visually, creating a heartwarming Listen-Look-Locate experience.
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
The story of creation has shown up in numerous books for children and adults over the years. This retelling is a bit different from anything I have seen before, and as you can imagine, the emphasis is on the colors of creation, making it an option for teaching color in addition to the creation story.
There is mention of God yet no doctrine, so anyone, Christian, Jew or others who believe the Biblical account of creation could use this book to teach their children about it.
The illustrations are big and bold and complement the prose and fill the senses with color. Their feel reminds me of a tropical paradise.
In addition to teaching colors and the events of creation, the story also speaks of the diversity of colors in God’s children, emphasizing the color of the eyes in the text and the colors of skin and hair in the illustrations, and thus this could be a good book for teaching diversity to children.
As a long-time teacher, I am very particular about the books and curriculum I use and find there are very popular books used by many Christians that bother me. Part of that stems from hearing children refusing to accept that something they saw in a video about a Biblical character isn’t fact. This nitpickiness has me disconcerted with the way When God Made Color goes from telling of the events of each specific day of creation and then on the final day, after telling of the creation of the land animals, it jumps to telling how God created his children in all sorts of colors. Not creating Adam and Eve – creating all His children. I do understand the point of this and that the author carefully doesn’t specify when the children were created, or how, yet it bothers me enough I felt I should mention it.
Parents or teachers desiring to give a Biblical view of creation may enjoy using this book to teach it, though be certain to point out that the children weren’t all created on that same day. 🙂
More from Angela
Why children’s books? After all, I teach young teens. Well, my reasons:
- I love art, and reading children’s books is like looking at an artist’s showcase of creativity!
* Shout out to my amazing illustrator, Rachael Koppendrayer! - I love to dream up the impossible, and you can make anything happen in a children’s book!
- I love togetherness and nothing brings a family together like a good book.
As I read picture books with my kiddos, the teacher in me wanted to instruct too. I created a blog (www.kidsbookfriends.com) so teachers, librarians and parents could have little lessons to help them “make friends” with the characters in the stories I featured. Surrounded by such inspiration from these books and my kiddos, I started writing my own manuscripts when my kids were all under age five, mainly sketches of thoughts until I had segments of time where I could construct stories.
After several years of attending SCBWI conferences; connecting with writers; creating manuscripts & editing and revising, editing and revising (you see a pattern?!); and submitting them to publishers, Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree was accepted for publication and was released January 15, 2019, by Whitefire Publishing! (It’s a process!!!)
The message embedded in this colorful, magical story expresses a very real part of my heart as it’s our family motto: “Always remember to look for the rainbow.” My kids and I both literally and figuratively practice this principle, rushing out after every rain to see if the sky is painted with a bow as well as trying to find the good that comes through the storms of life.
Through my journey, I’ve experienced much loss through moving many times, caring for my mother during her dying days, and losing my husband through divorce. Yet in it all, God redeems and uses each pain and joy like brush strokes on a canvass, reminding us of His unfailing promises while creating a masterpiece.
Creativity, imagination, inspiration . . . make magical moments.
Gather together. Dream the impossible. Embrace the colors. . . as I introduce you to a new friend, Isaac! Excited to share this story with you. . . and my next one . . . and the one after that. . . until we have many new kindred spirits . . .together.
Click here for a free printable coloring page.
Click here to learn the story behind the story.
More from Sheri
A child asks, “Who am I?”
Creation Vs. Evolution – The big battle. Many public schools are presenting Evolution as fact and not theory. They leave no room for the concept of Creation. Our little ones are not creatures descended from animals, they are Children of God, created in His image. This is our identity and our children’s Identity and it makes all the difference in how we see ourselves, how we see others and how we engage in the world. Our identity is made clear in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 NIV. As Christian parents and grandparents, we are charged with teaching, encouraging and bringing forth our family line for the LORD. The new picture book When God Made Color, with its awe inspiring illustrations, is about our true identity and about the joyful, loving God who created us and the whole universe – a universe that is still expanding – Isn’t He just amazing?
Click here to view a special video
Blog Stops
A Baker’s Perspective, May 2
By The Book, May 2
Among the Reads, May 3
cultivating us, May 3
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 4
Reflections From My Bookshelves, May 4
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 5
Mary Hake, May 5
For Him and My Family, May 6
Stephanie’s Life of Determination, May 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7
Blogging With Carol, May 7
Lighthouse Academy, May 8
God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae, May 8
Pause for Tales, May 9
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, May 9
Inspiration Clothesline, May 10
Reading Themes, May 10
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 11
Texas Book-aholic, May 11
Have A Wonderful Day, May 12
janicesbookreviews, May 12
A Reader’s Brain, May 13
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 13
Older & Smarter?, May 14
Creating Romance, May 14
Inklings and notions, May 14
Aryn, the Libraryan, May 15
Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 15
The Becca Files, May 15
Giveaway
One grand prize winner will receive The Great Color Giveaway Package of:
- $25 gift card from Amazon
- Rainbow ice-cream cups with colored spoons
- Paperback copy of Issacs’s Ice Cream Tree
- $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble
- Crayola Washable Kids’ Paint – 12 count original and glitter paint (see attached image)
- Paperback copy of When God Made Color
About Angela Henderson
Angela Henderson resides in Dallas, Texas, where she teaches middle school English Language Arts & Reading and is a mother of three. Exploring children’s books for twelve years with her own children during numerous “story times” at the local library and reading hundreds of books to her children, her passion for quality children’s literature led her to write her own work. After creating her blog and Facebook page, Kidsbook Friends, and her Instagram, Instabooks, she’s been able to share her love of literature with over a thousand followers by featuring authors and books. She’s thrilled to introduce her own creative story where magical moments lead to positive perspectives.
About Sheri Carmon
Sheri Carmon seeks to incorporate the beauty of the Lord’s heart, His ways and His love in her writing for children. As an author, her goal is to shine His light through stories. In the past she has published poetry and inspirational compositions with both Blue Mountain Arts and The Group Publishing. Sheri has always cared for the individual needs of families and spent fifteen marvelous, fast-paced years in real estate, specializing in family friendly homes. She and her husband have helped facilitate whole church Bible-reading programs in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. They make their home in Colorado, on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, where they’re surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation every day.
Good morning Phyllis – Thank you for hosting my picture book ‘When God Made Color’ on your blog, ‘Among the Reeds’. I truly appreciate your time, careful thought and thoroughness in your review.
Sheri Carmon, Author
These both sounds like terrific reads.