Book Review Blog

Anyone who has spent time with young children in the days leading up to Christmas knows the energy that they bring to the season. The wonder with all the lights, the charge as the decorations trim the tree, the excitement while decorating cookies- there’s nothing quite like it. There’s so much energy around the season…

There is a handful of book series that my children adore; The Chronicles of Narnia, The Penderwicks, Harry Potter, and anything by Robert McCloskey and Virginia Lee Burton. They have created many impromptu plays around the stories, recreated the worlds from the stories using legos, paints, and items found in nature, and retold the stories…

We all know the pithy saying from Benjamin Franklin about what is certain in life; death and taxes. I would add that pain is something else that is common to the human condition. There are varying sources, degrees, and manifestations of pain, but it comes to us all. Most of us would like to avoid…

Remember the television show, Cheers? Remember how a certain character would walk into the place and everyone would call out, “NORM!” That’s me when I walk into a library or our local bookstore. I rarely leave home with a book, and that’s because I usually leave with at least 3; two for my kids and…

There was an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Penny accidentally shot Sheldon’s favorite couch cushion with a paintball. Penny winds up taking the cushion to the dry cleaner, and Sheldon has a hard time adjusting to a different seat while he waits for its return. When it is done, he sits in utter…

I am not a person who lays down rules when teaching a class. I find them to be prescriptive, and not of the behaviors we desire in the classroom community, but of the ones we try to prevent. I also find that they create an environment where children are either nervous or rebellious. (Don’t worry-…

I have a lovely stack of what I refer to as ‘boosters’. These are resources that fill in gaps, go more deeply into topics, and are versatile enough to be the spines of lessons as well as excellent support resources. They boost up just about anything I need to use with a group of children…

I began a new position a week ago, and as is wont to happen when you walk into a new space, you find that you have closets, classrooms, and other areas to sift through and organize. I had just finished pulling out a box filled with catalogs and magazines from 1989, discarding crayons and pencils…

If you ever want a good laugh, you should gather my older three children and have them do a live action version of The Pilgrim’s Progress. We have read many different adaptations of this book over their childhoods, really sinking into the original when they got to middle and high school. They love to whip out…

It gets tiring as a children’s minister and as a parent having to constantly check for proper representation of God’s children in books. Combing through curriculum, finding ways to supplement so that every child can see him/her/themself in the lessons takes a lot of my attention. When Glenys Nellist first released Love Letters From God;…

For over two decades, I have had the honor of partnering with congregations across the country and in many denominations, helping them discern what they are called to be doing in ministry with youth. The conversation about confirmation always features strongly. There are many different models- two years, one year, six weeks, mentor-led, leader-led, pastor-led,…

One of the greatest honors of my life is being able to live among and learn from youth. Their clarity, their energy, and their strength regularly help me see the world through better lenses. I truly appreciate their questions and their low tolerance for garbage. If they see people acting in ways that do not…

As you would expect in a place that houses 7 children and 2 adults, my home is strewn with papers, pencils, crayons, and markers. Under the table, under the couch, between the cushions, shoved into drawers, even in the refrigerator (not sure why, but it happens). There are sticky notes on surfaces, dry erase boards…

Eight years ago, my family and I moved from the New York City suburbs to a city in Pennsylvania. New Yorkers have a reputation for being loud, brash, and sometimes rude. My experience with them has been more about being helpful, community minded, but in loud and somewhat brash ways. Pennsylvania is much more subdued.…

Last year, Picture The Bible by Stacy Johnson Myers landed on my desk and I was instantly enchanted by it. I have enjoyed it alongside many children, used it as inspiration for projects with families, and have snuggled up with it with my own babes for a bedtime read. When Pilgrim Press released God Loves You, also by…

This resource bridges two giant roles in my life; parenting my crew of seven and serving in the field of children’s and family ministries. It’s too hard to choose which perspective to use for this review, so I’m deviating from my usual form and offering you two opening paragraphs, as well as two closing paragraphs.…

Except for one brief year when I had a class composed only of boys, I have found my life to hold a fairly even mix of the traditional gender identities. It would make sense that the world would hold an equally even mix of stories and traditions featuring male and female identities, but if you’ve…

Everyday, around 1 pm, you’ll find me cuddled up on my bed with my toddler, reading some books and getting him down for a nap. Everyday, at multiple points in the day, you’ll find me negotiating some sort of sibling squabble that centers around why someone should be permitted to do something because they’re better…

One of the best pieces of advice I received as a new parent was, when a child was out of sorts, take them outside or pop them in water. Both environments have proven their magical effects time and again as I parent my crew, and I often think of that advice at baptisms. Baptism completely…

There are floor to ceiling bookshelves in every room of my home and they are all filled with books that we love. We read a LOT and we quote a LOT and we dramatize scenes from our favorite fiction a LOT. In the mid-aughts of 2000, my three oldest children made their theatrical debuts in…

My kids are currently listening to Queen’s Greatest Hits album on repeat. They’re big fans of “You’re My Best Friend”, and we’ve had a bunch of conversations as we drive to field days and swimming and piano about what makes someone a best friend. What character traits really matter? What skills do we need to…

Perhaps you, too, have your cell phone in use more than you would like? Perhaps you, too, continue to work on finding ways to leave it behind, only to find that you need to keep it close because you know one of your children or your aging parents will be calling and need you? Perhaps…

I’ve been working in children’s and family ministries for over two decades and have been parenting for an almost equal number of years. So many children’s Bibles have come across my desk in those years, and sadly, very few are worth using. The Peace Table, from Shine Publishing, is one of those rare books that…

I spend a LOT of time with children; reading with them, tying shoes, hiking, cleaning up with them, and answering their questions. I work really hard at being present to answer their questions and talk about what matters to them, but there are times where I’m distracted. I can count on kids to bring me…

Full disclosure: I practice yoga. It is a respite for me, despite the fact that I often have a toddler hanging off my back as I move from down dog to a lunge into warrior one. I appreciate how there is flux in my practice, never moving through the series of poses the same way…

Twenty years ago, I served as the director of Christian Education in a congregation in the town where I lived. Whenever the kids would see me out at the grocery store, the library, or playground, they would get all flustered because they thought I actually lived at the church. I even invited them to my…

I spend a lot of time with children. In fact, it would be fair to state that I binge-watch kids. I love to hear about what matters to them, I love to be involved in their wonderings, I love watching them gain new skills and develop into the humans God created them to be. I…

Have you ever hedgehogged a book? Put so many sticky notes and bookmarks in it that there are pieces of paper sticking out in every direction, akin to the quills on a hedgehog? That’s how my copy of The Purpose Gap; Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive by Patrick Reyes looks. It…

I think it’s fair to say that everyone has a subtle rhythm to their households, myriad little practices that flow into one another that help us make room for what matters, equip us to get the small tasks that make up the flow of our lives completed. I am hearing over and over again from…

I am blessed to receive texts from friends and friends of friends who are looking for information to help the children in their lives. Sometimes the texts are simple, like what’s your favorite sneaker to get for my kid in leg braces. Sometimes the questions are more involved, like how can I help my child…