The Read and Share Toddler Bible

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

The Read and Share Toddler Bible and accompanying DVD is a nice toddler-focused resource. It includes 40 stories from both the Old and New Testament, along with a 60-minutes DVD with a number of computer-animated Bible stories. Each story in the book is nicely retold in toddler-friendly language and illustrated with simple, fun illustrations that hold my kids attention, and the stories are short enough that we can get through them. Each story also ends with a short lesson that parents may use to either illustrate the principle or reinforce a lesson, meaning it is both a good resource for parents and could potentially serve as a good classroom addition for toddler Sunday school. One could of course quibble about which stories were chosen or what lessons were applied, but the overall quality of the book is quite good. The DVD likewise is fun for the kids to watch. It's no Veggie Tales, but it is a good accompaniment to the book.

Robin Parrish, Offworld

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy through their blogger reviewer program.

An elite team of four astronauts returns to earth from a three-year mission to Mars to discover the planet deserted. No people, no animals. They are all alone. An eerie start to this intriguing sci-fi drama. Chris Burke and his team, puzzled by their situation, set out to find some answers. They discover that everyone on the planet appears to have vanished at the same precise moment about two months before their return. And there is a huge beacon of light emanating from near Houston, Texas. Something strange is going on. Their journey to Houston to discover the nature of their plight proves to be treacherous, first as they discover one lone survivor, Mae, wandering along the road. But the journey becomes dangerous as they begin to experience disasters that are both natural and that seem orchestrated to slow them down. Finally, as they head through Louisiana, they are cornered by what appears to be a group of elite military troopers, who are set on preventing Chris and his group from reaching Houston or interfering with whatever is happening. But Chris, Trish, Terry, and Owen are able to narrowly escape, driven by the knowledge that they may be humanity's only chance of survival. They finally discover the source of the light, a monstrous and experimental computer powered by a mysterious box. This cutting edge machine appears to have developed the capability of not only knowing the future but of manipulating it, allowing Colonel Roston and his team to program in a future where all of humanity is absent from the planet, allowing them ostensibly to force the world into a situation where peace is possible, as they try to dismantle the instruments of war around the globe. But this seeminly altruistic motive has with it some huge dangers, the biggest being that the machine may fall apart before a new future that includes all of humanity back on Earth is programmed in. And Chris and his team hurry to prevent that disastrous future from coming about, with the knowledge that even despite Roston's designs, some force has kept them in the game.

Parrish's Offworld brings the reader into an interesting mystery, with good action and believable characters. In some ways it is a playful and fun challenge to think beyond the bounds of the everyday to a world where greater powers are at work. A fun read.