Book Review: The Christian Alphabet Book by Tracy Sands

The Christian Alphabet Book by Tracy Sands is beautiful inside and out. Inspired during a church choir program, Sands created this alphabet to help all teachers of children provide a fun, instructive way to grow in Christian faith.

The stunning artwork further deepens the tremendous meaning behind the text. Guided by "Love," the dove from above, readers follow from A to Z through a spiritual alphabet that is complemented by definitions, symbols, prayers, Bible verses, poems and songs. Halfway through, the reader is asked to recite what she has learned and to sing "The Christian Alphabet Song," which they can listen to on the book's website. The symbols found on each page are explained in detail at the back of the book, and "Love," the dove from above makes a final appearance with a special surprise.

I highly recommend this book to Christian families and educators everywhere. It's a powerful and unique way to teach our children.

Rating: :) :) :) :) :)

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Love the Dove Publishing (October 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0985792809
• ISBN-13: 978-0985792800
• SRP: $19.95

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I received no compensation of any kind.

NEW Healthy Choice Baked Entrées

As a member of Crowdtap, I applied to participate in a sample of NEW Healthy Choice Baked Entrées. I received a $1.00 OFF coupon to sample one of six varieties.

I haven't had anything with sausage in it for a while, so I opted to try the Italian Sausage Pasta Bake. It was yummy! Just the right portion, it featured whole grain rotini pasta with Italian sausage, tossed in a garlic marinara sauce that was topped with mozzarella cheese.

Since I cook with garlic on a regular basis, I expected to love the flavor, and I did. We switched to whole grain pasta a few years ago. I like that it is healthier for you than regular pasta. What I have always enjoyed about Healthy Choice dinners is their lower sodium content than other frozen entrees. This provided me a quick and easy meal that tasted close to homemade. I'll definitely be buying this and other varieties soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Before and After Christmas Sale at Christianbook.com

Check out the BEFORE & AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE  going on at Christianbook.com! I enjoy shopping their website for personal resources and Sunday school materials, but they have tons of fiction, movies, and music you'll like too.

Sale ends January 3, 2013, so stop by soon.

Teaser Tuesdays - December 11th

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for your to come home from the war and discover what happened here."

~ Page 107, Long Trail Home by Vickie McDonough

Teaser Tuesdays - December 11th

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!(make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I did not believe in ghosts. Or rather, until this day, I had not done so, and whatever stories I had heard of them I had, like most rational, sensible young men, dismissed as nothing more than stories indeed.

~ Page 65, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

You've Got Mail Monday

I can't even keep up with my mailbox, lately. That's why I haven't posted about all the neat things that have arrived. Let's just say, my office is so full of boxes right now, I might need shovel to make a path to my desk.

The girls have been good, though. They haven't bugged about or poked or prodded through the packages. They did, however, ask that question parents never want to hear this time of year, "Is Santa real?"

In addition to the multitude of packages that have arrived via USPS, UPS, and FedEx, I wanted to point out two things. One is Gary's Gray World by Ryan J. Cunningham. Ryan is touring with this book in January, and I'll be reviewing it at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. The Children's Spring/Summer 2013 catalog from Chronicle Books also came in the mail last week.  I haven't browsed through it yet, but I visited their website recently and found the most hilarious book.

I watched the trailer for this one, and though I don't have much of a sense of humor, I really want to buy this book. Now, if I could justify spending $13 on myself after all the Christmas shopping I've done, I would be in business.

Hope your holiday preparations are going well.