Introducing New Children's Books from Zonderkidz, Including Women of the Bible Stories, A Tale About Thomas Edison, A Turtle and His Talent and Learning to Pray for Kids!
* I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of these books from the publisher, Zonderkidz. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. This blog post includes affiliate links. View my affiliate disclosure here.
CHRISTIAN KIDS · Book Stack · New Releases
Introducing New Children's Books from Zonderkidz, Including Women of the Bible Stories, A Tale About Thomas Edison, A Turtle and His Talent and Learning to Pray for Kids!
It is always a pleasure to share brand new books with you as soon as they become available. Here, you can find some fantastic new resources for both toddlers and elementary-aged school children that cover a broad range of topics including teaching kids how to pray, a children’s biography about Thomas Alva Edison, stories of women from the Bible and a sweet, little board book about a turtle who discovers his own God-given talent!
Scroll down to learn more about each book...
Devotional Style · Women of the Bible · Character Building
Her Story, Her Strength
50 God-empowered women of the bible
By Sarah Parker Rubio, Published by Zonderkidz
Age 8+
Girls are beautifully and wonderfully made in God’s image. This comprehensive collection of stories focused on 50 women of the Bible shows how God worked in their lives and continues to have a plan and a purpose for his beloved daughters today.
In a world that too often tells girls that they are not enough, Her Story, Her Strength uses biblical retellings and reflections that include the historical context behind each story?to remind young women that they have a God who loves them deeply and empowers them to live and love like he does. For any girl ages 8 and up who is asking questions about her worth, identity, and place in the world and church, this colorful and engaging book provides a positive, loving, and scriptural lens that helps them interpret the messages they receive from their peers, media, and society.
Girls who read Her Story, Her Strength will:
come to a profound, unshakable understanding of God’s love for them and their value in his eyes.
see how they reflect God’s image both innately and through the actions, words, and attitudes they choose each day.
learn about biblical characters and events in a way designed specifically for them.
My Thoughts:
What a beautiful and precious book for young girls! I love how this book is set up like a devotional, offering so many different stories of women mentioned in the Bible and their impact on the world around them. From well known women such as Eve and Queen Esther, to lesser known women such as Jael and Damaris, this book brings these women to life in a simple-to-understand, easily-relatable way.
Each of the 50 stories tells the name of the woman, offers a Scripture reference and then tells a short story in a few paragraphs using dialogue and descriptive narrative. Then, in the next section, the book explains when the story took place, what the world was like at the time and gives more context and historic detail. It also explains more about what the Bible says regarding that woman and her actions or decisions. Lastly, a third section highlights the feelings, emotions and spiritual impact behind the woman’s story while asking self-examination questions and identifying with young girls today. The words point girls back to Jesus and the hope, refuge and help that can be found in Him.
I believe this book is going to be a valuable resource for my daughter and I found it to be beautifully illustrated, easy to use and understand, deeply relatable and highly encouraging. I love that it is character building and encourages young girls to grow their faith. I know I will enjoy learning more about these women, some of whom I’ve only ever heard mentioned, making this a resource both my daughter and I can benefit from!
This is a great book for homeschool studies, special one-on-one time, and family devotions. It is not applicable to girls only, but would also be beneficial for young boys to hear or read as well, though it does appeal to girls visually. It would also make a great gift or perhaps even a Sunday school or church library resource.
Biography · EDUCATIONAL · NEURODIVERGENT Inclusive
The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison
Written by Raymond Arroyo, Illustrated by Kristina Gehrmann, Published by Zonderkidz
Age 4+
From New York Times bestselling author and news anchor Raymond Arroyo comes the first book in the Turnabout Tales series—a picture book biography of one of America’s most famous inventors, Thomas Alva Edison, and a story about how a small spark can create a big light.
No one thought much of young Thomas Alva Edison. He couldn’t focus at school and caused trouble around the house. But where others saw a distracted and mischievous boy, his mother saw imagination and curiosity. At only seven years old, Al, as he was called as a young child, was educated by his mother at home, who understood his potential could be unlocked with non-conventional learning, allowing him freedom to explore, dream, and be inquisitive. Those early years of encouragement and loving guidance shaped Al’s future and formed the man who would apply those valuable lessons to inventing the phonograph, the motion picture camera, the light bulb, and more.
In The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison readers will:
meet the larger-than-life personality of Thomas Alva Edison
hear an inspiring tale of how failures and struggles can lead to milestones and achievements
learn about the power of curiosity and imagination
take a carefully researched and actively told romp through history
My Thoughts:
This is my first Turnabout Tales series book. I wasn’t familiar with the series prior to reading this book. As a homeschool mom, I’m always on the hunt for books that excite, intrigue and offer educational impact.
Telling a brief story of Thomas Alva Edison, this book begins in Edison’s early formative years and focuses on his natural, insatiable curiosity that led to boyish, often dangerous, endeavors. Be aware of the child you’re purchasing this book for because of that. It highlights how Edison’s father, often impatient and angry with Edison, didn’t understand his personality, potential or brilliance, but a mother who did. Nancy Edison values, supports and encourages her son’s creativity, innovation and education. She is the guiding force in his formative years that Edison credits as the reason he became an inventor.
I love the illustrations throughout this book. They are really well done and tell the story every bit as well as the narrative does. The narrative is short, easy to understand and detailed. As an adult, it is easy to see that Edison may have been neurodiverse and because of this, sometimes not accepted in social situations. His studious mind and desire to constantly know more drives him to work hard, to study constantly and to never give up. In addition, his mother’s support and acceptance is unwavering and inspiring. Those portions of the story are worth noting.
I found this story to be somewhat character building and educational however, I do intend to use this book in our homeschool setting with caution. Because it is short and easy to read we will use it as a conversation starter or prompt to research more about Thomas Alva Edison, his character, his contribution to society and his inventions.
Note: There is no religious or faith-based content in this book. For parents concerned about the euthanisation of animals by Edison using electrical current and staging him as a source of inspiration to children today, I highly recommend doing your research to better understand Edison’s character, work and life then use your parental or teacher discretion. This book does not mention animals. It does include a time when very young Edison dangerously tried to climb into a grain silo, snuck away from his mother, and set a fire in his father’s barn.
Toddlers & preschool · Slide-and-find · Board book
Turtle Finds His Talent
Discovering how god made you special
By Lucille Williams, Illustrated by Amanda Gulliver, Published by Zonderkidz
Ages 1+
Children ages 2-6 will love this adorable and interactive board book that encourages them to embrace their unique gifts and talents. Little ones will also learn throughout the story that God made each of us to be different, and our differences are what make us special.
Allie the bunny can hop up and down, Lincoln the fox can run fast, Joey the giraffe can reach high up into the sky … but what can Tanner the turtle do? Feeling embarrassed by his lack of talent, Tanner pulls himself into his shell to hide. But when he emerges, he’s surprised to see his animal friends are amazed by what he can do.
Turtle Finds His Talent:
Has child-friendly content that is meaningful and speaks to a child’s inquisitive mind, with features that encourage imagination and play
Includes a fun, interactive pull tab feature that allows toddlers and preschoolers ages 2-6 to help Tanner hide and come out of his shell
Is durable, and the perfect size for little hands
Is ideal for cozy lap reading and story time with children and grandchildren
Makes a great gift for birthdays, Christmas, and Easter
My Thoughts:
This is a very sweet book with soft, subtle colors and adorable illustrations! My daughter loves books about animals so this was an easy choice. She loved pointing at the various animal friends that Tanner the Turtle encounters. Each day Tanner discovers something unique and exciting that his friends can do, then returns home to ask his mom why he can’t do the same things. His mother lovingly and gently reminds him that God made him special in his own way. One day, Tanner’s emotions cause him to draw into his shell to cry and his friends cheer, thinking that is a wonderful talent, and obviously something they cannot do. As the result, Tanner’s self-confidence is bolstered and he discovers his own talent.
This book is encouraging and inspiring for little hearts and minds, reminding them that they are indeed special and created for a purpose. It is short, easy to read and offers one page that has a pull tab which allows Tanner to pop in and out of his shell in a celebratory move. It appears to be sturdy, though mine was a bit hard to tug for my daughter who’s four and required some assistance on my end. The book appeals best to toddlers and preschoolers.
Faith building · picture book · Actionable
The Beginner’s Bible: Let’s Learn to Pray
Talk to god about anything and everything
Published by Zonderkidz
Start children on the path to a fulfilling, lifelong prayer habit. The Beginner’s Bible Let’s Learn to Pray offers young children an interactive introduction to prayer, showing them they can talk to God about anything and everything.
Featuring helpful examples from classic Bible stories, children will learn the basics of prayer, including why we pray and how to pray. With fun prompts, accessible questions, and bright, colorful illustrations, children will be eager to talk to God about their daily experiences, and will learn how to listen to his still, small voice.
The Beginner’s Bible Let’s Learn to Pray:
Is part of The Beginner’s Bible® brand, the bestselling Bible storybook brand of our time, impacting 25 million families for over 30 years
Is an interactive prayer book, perfect for children ages 4-8
Introduces readers to the foundations of prayer in simple, accessible language
Encourages children to regularly talk and listen to God
Features vibrant, three-dimensional art
My Thoughts:
We are such big fans of the Beginner’s Bible collection and I really like this new addition! This book packs a lot of fantastic information into a fun and easy-to-read resource that is perfect for helping children understand what prayer is, when and where to pray and different ways to pray!
This book is all inclusive for talking to God, notating that children can speak to God any time, any place and any way. Using the beloved Beginner’s Bible illustrations, it highlights praising God in prayer, casting our cares on God in prayer, repentance, requests, seeking forgiveness and giving God gratitude.
In each section, the book explains how to pray or demonstrates a way that children can pray in a simple manner, encouraging them in a relatable way. That is followed by a relative Bible story and Scripture reference. Next, it has a prayer time section that asks a handful of short questions to summarize what children have learned and gives a short written prayer example at the bottom.
I enjoyed how interactive this book was and that it included the Lord’s prayer at the end as a model prayer. There is also a really great review section at the end that is helpful for parents and caregivers. This book is detailed, but fun, informative and faith-building! It would make a great gift, homeschool resource for Bible curriculum, and/or church and Sunday school library book.
