A Christmas Prayer ( An Amy Parker Book Review)

Want to reiterate what Christmas is actually all about to your little Christmas celebrants?
Then Amy Parker's A Christmas Prayer is the book you need to pick up.


Book Brief:

In the tradition of A Night Night Prayer, this precious little child wanders through the house on a snowy Christmas night offering a prayer of thanks and blessing. The child finishes with thanks to God for the greatest Gift of all.

Noting all the characters in the Nativity, this lovable little nighttime prayer book has interactive dialogue and soothing rhyme for a child to repeat as they look around their world at Christmastime.

Between the soft Christmas glow of the illustrations and the smooth rhythm of the child’s prayer, A Christmas Prayer will make every parent and child want to snuggle up by the tree and offer a prayer of thanks to God for His many Christmas blessings.

I love the way Amy draws in all the important people from that Christmas day through the innocently simple 'Thank you' prayer of the little girl.

As the little child ends her prayer recognizing that Christmas is more than the toys and gifts she gets and all about the best gift of all Jesus, she leaves in the reader's mind a picture of the first Christmas scene....a beautiful reminder of the reason why we truly celebrate the season.

Marlijan Ramljak's sweet illustration of the child with her disheveled short hair brought back memories of Bunny girl's second Christmas at home and the image of her kissing the baby Jesus doll in the cradle.

This soft padded board book will make a special Christmas present or pre Christmas gift for young listeners/readers.

* I have reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *


Buy it:

You can buy A Christmas Prayer for 9.99 US$


'Love on the Sponsor'

- Follow Tommy Nelson on Twitter.

- Fan Tommy Nelson on Facebook.

- Follow Thomas Nelson on Twitter.

- Fan Thomas Nelson on Facebook.






** EBMR Disclaimer: Tommy Nelson sent me this book for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Amy Parker, Christian, Christmas, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program, Tommy Nelson

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 6:01 PM 0 Comments

One Hand, Two Hands ( A Max Lucado Book Review)

I've always appreciated Max Lucado's work but never thought he'd publish books for children. Imagine my delight when I noticed he's based in Texas and yes, he has a book out for children (and I just found out that it's not his first!), simply titled One Hand, Two Hands


One Hand, Two Hands tells the young reader (or listener) all the things one can do with one's hands. From tying one's shoe laces to picking up things and praying, one's hands should be used for all the right purposes.

The book finally ends by enlightening the child on how his/her hands can be helping hands, kind hands and loving hands.

The 10" x 10" book is colorfully illustrated by Gaby Hansen with sweet featured characters, making it an attractive book for even very young children to look at.
Bunny girl enjoyed learning while reading the book. (Bunny Boo also listened in without wiggling around on my lap...thanks to the illustrations!)
It doesn't matter how old your child may be...it never hurts to reinstate the importance of using one's hands productively and not be mean or rough with the same.


* I have reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *


Buy it:

You can buy One Hand, Two Hands for 16.99 US$.


'Love on the Sponsor'

- Follow Tommy Nelson on Twitter.

- Fan Tommy Nelson on Facebook.

- Follow Thomas Nelson on Twitter.

- Fan Thomas Nelson on Facebook.

- Print out One Hand Two Hands Coloring Sheets.





** EBMR Disclaimer: Tommy Nelson sent me this book for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Christian, Max Lucado, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 3:14 PM 0 Comments

Hermie & Friends : Antonio Meets His Match (Review Only)

Hermie & Friends : Antonio Meets His Match is a Max Lucado dvd that teaches children that it's important to love one's neighbor irrespective of how nice the neighbor is.

The dvd focuses around a colony of ants and our hero of the story, Antonio, who finds that Angus, the bully who recently moved into 'their territory' was anything but pleasant. Angus gets on Antonio's nerves to the extent that he even thinks he has to 'oust him' out of the garden but God intervenes and works on Antonio's heart. Over time Antonio realizes that God wants him to love and respect Angus even though he is the way he is.

This was our first Hermie & Friends movie and I did hope it would be one Bunny girl would enjoy but sadly the dvd didn't excite her as much as some of the other Thomas Nelson ones.


* I have reviewed this dvd as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *

Buy it:

You can buy Hermie & Friends : Antonio Meets His Match for 14.99 US$




** EBMR Disclaimer: I have received a free product for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Hermie and Friends, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 8:22 AM 1 Comments

CLOSED: Baby Bounty Bash - Thomas Nelson's Woman's Study Bible-NKJV (+Giveaway)

This post is a 'Baby Bounty Bash' feature...The Online Baby Shower Extravaganza on Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports from March 25- April 25-2010.


* Click here to view the name(s) of the winner(s)*

Somebody once said "To the world you might just be one person but to somebody you are the world." To all Mommies (and Mommies-to-be) out there, you know you are your child's world. Isn't it so important to make a positive, long lasting impact on your 'little world'?

I believe a Mother has such an important role to play in shaping the life of a tender child and to be the best Mommy you can be, I believe with all my heart that it is important for us to become the Mommy God wants us to be.

I know, I know, you ask how you would know you ARE transforming into a God ordained Mommy. There's only one way.... dive into the Word of God, the Bible, to see what you need to do to move onto that path of 'Awesome Mommy-hood'

Thomas Nelson has recently published a personal sized 1840 paged Woman's Study Bible (NKJV).


It has been a while since I bought a good study Bible and right after the Dake's Study Bible this is, without a doubt, my favorite study Bible especially with its woman centered devotional balloons scattered in different areas of the Bible, thought provoking quotes and 'woman of God' building thoughts.

If you notice, it is generally hard to find a Woman's Study Bible in the NKJV translation, so this Bible is such a blessing as I have long desired to own and learn from a study Bible for women in the translation I love the most.

Thomas Nelson's , Personal Size, Woman's Study Bible (NKJV) includes

• Study Articles by authors such as Anne Graham Lotz, Kathy Troccoli, Nancy Leigh DeMoss and many others
• Annotations explaining difficult words and passages with emphasis on applications for the lives of women
• 325 Topical Notes on issues of concern to women
• 100 Portraits - profiles of biblical women
• Inspirational quotations from well-known women
• Introductions and outlines to the books of the Bible
• Helpful indexes and concordance
• New King James Version text
  

The Bible's cover-face is light blue in cover and its attached spine and back-cover is made from flexible leather. I would definitely recommend that this 6.30" x 9.20" x 1.60" gilded-silver edged Bible be bought an additional seal-over cover to enhance the life of the Bible as it will get smudgy with frequency in use.
(Ask me, I know. I love picking up my new Bible to read, so much so that its now slowly looking a little dull and smudged on the light blue exterior part. Considering its not a month old yet, I know I have to go get myself a cover for the same to prolong the cover's life.)

What else can I say but this....I've been blessed with this Bible and I know that this is one investment, ladies, you will NOT regret making.


* I have reviewed this Bible as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *


Buy it:

You can buy Thomas Nelson's , Personal Size, Woman's Study Bible (NKJV) for 54.99 US$.


Win it:



Here's how you can win it:

1. Mandatory entry (without this, all other entries will be disqualified)-

Tell me who your favorite woman in the Bible is and why.


2. 'Love on the Sponsor' entries:(1 entry each)

- Follow Thomas Nelson on Twitter.

- Fan Thomas Nelson on Facebook.

- Follow me on Twitter and tweet once daily...

RT @ebmommy Win a ThomasNelson's Woman's StudyBible-NKJV at EBMR's BabyBountyBash(4/24) http://bit.ly/9wNPAj #giveaway #win #bible #faith

3. Additional entries: (1 entry each)

- Fan me on Facebook.
- Follow Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports (EBMR) via Google Friend Connect
- Subscribe to the EBMR email updates
- Snag the EBMR Blog button
- Snag the Baby Bounty Bash button
- Blog about this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)


This giveaway is open to US Residents , 18 years and above. 1 winner will be chosen with the random.org generator on April 24th 2010 at 10 pm Central time.




** EBMR Disclaimer: Thomas Nelson sent me a Bible for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Baby Bounty Bash, Bible, Christian, Mommy and Baby giveaways, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 5:28 AM 224 Comments

CLOSED: The Story of Easter- Children's Book & DVD (+ Giveaway- ends 3/27)

* Click here to view the name(s) of the winner(s)*

I love that Thomas Nelson acknowledges that children have such an important place in God's Plan that they have Tommy Nelson, a newly dedicated division, solely focusing on kids.

Just in time for Easter, we were sent The Story of Easter by Gwen Ellis and The Read & Share Dvd Bible: Easter for review. Now I firmly believe that it's important that we never dilute the real reason behind why we celebrate Christmas or Easter. It doesn't help our kids that there are Easter Bunnies popping out of the woodwork all around and hardly any mention of the true reason we celebrate this beautiful time.

If you've been struggling to explain the story of Christ's death and resurrection to your child, in a simple, awe inspiring , hope and joy filled manner, The Story of Easter by Gwen Ellis and The Read & Share Dvd Bible: Easter are great aids.

The Story of Easter begins with Jesus riding on the donkey into Jerusalem amidst cries of Hosanna. The story takes your little one through the last supper, the time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, that humbling moment at Golgotha and the exciting moment of seeing the angels at the empty tomb. This short 36 paged book covers Christ's appearance to the disciples and His Ascension into Heaven.


I particularly like how the crucial part of Christ's death on the Cross is touched upon in a way that does not alarm a young child yet introduces them to what Easter is really all about.

The book comes with a 15 minute dvd with short snippets of the story in animated form.

Bunny girl loved the 'Can You Retell the Activity' segment at the end of the book and was able to rearrange all the pictures from the Easter Story in the order it unraveled. I could tell that the simplicity of the story and the aptly captured illustrations by Steve Smallman remained instilled in her mind.


Buy it:

You can buy The Story of Easter by Gwen Ellis for 10.99 US$


If you'd prefer a more descriptive version of the Easter story, The Read & Share Dvd Bible: Easter is a must buy.


Beginning with Judas leaving the Last Supper to betray Jesus, this 30 minute 3D animated dvd will keep even adults glued to their seats. The dvd includes those missing parts of the story that were not touched upon in The Story of Easter and here again Gwen Ellis' ability to tactfully deliver the Truth in a gentle yet impacting way, is to be appreciated.

The creators of this dvd have very sweetly added 2 little bunnies in the mix to perhaps bring to the young viewer's attention that the focus of Easter and its essence is more about Jesus and what He did for us than the more visually seen symbols, that are equated to this time.

I'm hoping to ask if our 4-6 year olds can watch this dvd in church as I really think it will bless their little hearts and prepare them to celebrate Christ's Resurrection with more meaning.

Note: You can watch the Easter story in its entirety or if you'd like to break the explanation of the Easter story into parts, the dvd has been pre-divided into 3 minute story segments as well.


Buy it:

You can buy The Read & Share Dvd Bible: Easter for 14.99 US$.


(Thanks to Tommy Nelson we received this book and dvd to review.)


Win it:

Two readers will have the opportunity to win a Tommy Nelson Easter set that will include The Story of Easter by Gwen Ellis and The Read & Share Dvd Bible: Easter

(This Giveaway will end on 3/27 as I want the winners to receive their prize sets before Easter)


Here's how you can win it:

1. Mandatory entry (without this, all other entries will be disqualified)-

Tell me your favorite part in the Easter Story.

Additional entries: (1 entry each)

- 2. Follow Tommy Nelson on Twitter.

- 3. Fan Tommy Nelson on Facebook.

- 4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet once daily...

RT @ebmommy Win 'The Story of Easter'- a Gwen E. Book & Dvd at EBMR's (3/27) http://ow.ly/1qtnYh - 2 WINNERS #giveaway #tommynelson #easter

- 5. Fan me on Facebook.

- 6. Snag my Blog button

- 7. Blog about this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)


This giveaway is open to US Residents , 18 years and above. 2 winners will be chosen with the random.org generator on March 27th 2010 at 10 pm Central time.




** EBMR Disclaimer: Tommy Nelson sent us this book and dvd for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Easter, More giveaways, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program, Tommy Nelson

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 6:14 AM 130 Comments

CLOSED: NCV Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers (+Birthday Giveaway)

* Click here to view the name(s) of the winner(s)*

Thomas Nelson has a New Century Version Bible just for Moms aptly titled God's Wisdom for Mothers.


This 1504 paged Hardcover Bible includes these special sections:

• Book Introductions: historical, emotional, and spiritual context for each Bible book
• Walking In...: ways that are pleasing to God
• Our God Is...: discovering who God is and what He does, based on His words and actions
• Godly Character: exhibiting godly qualities in daily living
• Passing It On: creating a legacy of faith to inspire the next generation
• Moms in the Bible: lessons from some of the Bible's most famous mothers
• Insights: short, practical thoughts on Bible passages from a mom's perspective
• Wonderful Counselor: issues facing moms from the perspective of a Christian therapist
• Questions Kids Ask: answering the tough questions about God, the Bible, and Christian life
• First Touch Verses: verses to mull over throughout the day
• Topical Index

I have gone through a few e-snippets from the Bible and love the mini 'Mommy' encouragement passages, devotions and thought points that have been highlighted on every other page. Also included are mini insight notes by Bobbie Wolgemuth.

My only hold back is that I'm very biased towards the New King James Version of the Bible, so would've loved to see this in an NKJV mold.


* I have e-reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *


Buy it:

You can buy NCV Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers for 29.99 US$.


Win it:

One reader will have the opportunity to win NCV Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers.


Here's how you can win it:

1. Mandatory entry (without this, all other entries will be disqualified)-

Tell me who you'd love to win this gift for. (Can even be yourself!)

Additional entries: (1 entry each)

- 2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet once daily...

RT @ebmommy I would love to win the NCV Mom's Bible: God's Wisdom for Mothers on EBMR (4/3) http://tinyurl.com/yh8o68b #giveaway #bible #win

- 3. Fan me on Facebook.

- 4. Snag my Blog button

- 5. Blog about this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your blog post)


This giveaway is open to US Residents , 18 years and above. 1 winner will be chosen with the random.org generator on April 3rd 2010 at 10 pm Central time.





** EBMR Disclaimer: I have not received a free product from Thomas Nelson for review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the information provided by Thomas Nelson and based on my views and opinions of the e-snippets viewed.**

Labels: Mom's Bible, More giveaways, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 9:11 AM 114 Comments

Kabul 24 by Henry O Arnold and Ben Pearson (Book Review)

If you need a book to really encourage you in your walk in faith, Kabul 24 is a must read. Once I picked up this book, I found it hard to put it down and this is one book I plan to give a few of my friends as a must keep.

This is the true story of 8 Western humanitarian aid workers from the organization- Shelter Now International (SNI) and their 105 days in captivity in the cold, inhumane prisons of Kabul. As each page of the book progresses you will see how God uses each day to make them stronger not just in their faith but also in their character and countenance. You will also read how God brings help from the most unexpected sources and how God miraculously proves Himself in more than one occasion.

Yes, there are pages that are traced with betrayal, pain, sadness and frustration but even in the midst of all of this, what shines stronger are the beacons of faith, hope and trust in the confidence that the God we serve would not let them down.

This is such an encouraging book and just goes to show the world who reads it that our God who rescued Daniel from the lion's den is the same God who saves these 8 men and women of faith from situations that honestly seem certain death....not in the 3rd century or 50 years ago but just a mere 8 years ago, in the year 2001.

You can buy this book from Thomas Nelson's online store for 14.99 US$. Amazon.com does sell this at a discounted price of 10.19 US$

Read this book and be blessed!

With this month being Pastor Appreciation month, I believe this would make a wonderful gift to give the Shepherd of your church...trust me....it will be a blessing.


* I have reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *

** EBMR Disclaimer: I have received a free product for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**

Labels: Kabul 24, More giveaways, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 4:58 PM 1 Comments

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (Book Review)

Nobody really gets a chance to go back and edit their lives. What's done, has been done...chapter closed...move on. Well, nobody except Donald Miller. After having lived a life that he termed 'lived' and writing a book about his life, 2 movie producers decide to contact him and make a movie on his life. Exciting opportunity, yes!......but there's a twist! An honest, sit down, one-on-one talk reveals to Donald that his life in the past was just too humdrum for an audience to watch. He'd have to rewrite parts of his life to bring spunk, humor and adventure to the full screen.

Would Donald Miller succumb to the pressure and change or will he prefer to leave his life, on record, ....'boring'? Read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years to find out!

If you'd like a light read and a book filled with stories, thoughts and pockets of humor pooled together then this is the book for you. Personally, this wasn't the kind of Christian book I generally enjoy reading. For me, maybe, the book's brief was more exciting than the content and I thought there would be more in terms of solid Christian encouragement and insight built in.. but this was not so. (You can view more reviews on the Thomas Nelson site.)

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was just released on September 29,2009 and retails on the Thomas Nelson site for 19.99 US$ or on Amazon.com for 11.69 US$

* I have reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *

Labels: Christian, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 5:51 AM 0 Comments

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins, illustrated by Claudine Gevry (Book review)

Always wanted to give a child a simple yet descriptive book on Jesus but never found the right book yet? Well, guess what?... I think I just did!

The moment I received ' The Jesus Book' I fell in love with it because of the simple way in which Jesus is introduced to a child.

Stephen Elkins has beautifully broken this book into several segments, to answer the questions every child (and adult) may ask....

• Who Jesus is.
• What Jesus did.
• What Jesus taught.
• When it happened.
• Where it happened.
• Why it happened. (This is something Bunny girl has asked us countless number of times with regards to Jesus death on the Cross. I love the way this is answered in the book.)
  
• How it happened.
  

Each segment is further broken into little story paragraphs and each story is titled based on the verse or passage in the Bible that deals with the topic concerned.The book also includes time-lines under the 'When it happened' segment and the maps under 'Where it happened' act as great aids to teach older kids .

The illustrations help convey the story on each page well. Each illustration is colorful, bright and remind me of those cute little Christmas cards where characters have small round faces and tiny button eyes.

I would say, Stephen Elkins has been able to bring out the Salvation Message to young children in the clearest most understandable way possible.

This 96 paged hardcover book, comes with an audio cd that holds 40 old time Christian classics, sung by kids and retails at 16.99$ from Thomas Nelson Publishers (click here to buy it).

I personally believe books like these are an investment for our children.


* I have reviewed this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program *

Labels: Christian, Reviews / Giveaways, Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger Program

posted by Marina@EBMR @ 4:33 PM 1 Comments