Review of SOFIA THE FIRST by Cathy Hapka

SOFIA THE FIRST by Cathy Hapka is a colorfully illustrated children's book based on the popular Disney Junior television series Sofia the First. The book is an adaptation of the show's story showing how Sofia became a princess. Sofia is a normal girl until her mother marries King Roland. Suddenly, Sofia is a princess in a vast kingdom, but she doesn't know the first thing about being a princess. Though she hopes her new stepsister Amber will help her, Amber struggles accepting the new family members who have been thrust into her life. When something goes wrong and freezes everyone at a welcome ball King Roland was throwing to welcome Sofia to the family, Sofia finds help from a surprising source-Cinderella. Cinderella encourages her as a princess and gives her advice on how to deal with Amber.

My daughter loves Sofia the First and adores this book. She's four years old and loves the Disney princesses, and this show and book are great in that they are aimed toward more toward her age. The book is a quick read and great to read to my daughter before bed. It's a cute story that teaches important lessons on being caring and giving people second chances.

SOFIA THE FIRST is a great book for little girls and a great introduction to the stories in the television show.

Review copy provided by Disney Press

Photo Credit: Disney

Review of HALFWAY HERBERT by Francis Chan

Rating: 5 out of 5

HALFWAY HERBERT is always doing things halfway, never quite finishing anything. He only brushed half his teeth, only did half his homework, only ate half his food, and only slept halfway through the night. Though doing things halfway makes life difficult, Herbert never seems to learn his lesson. One day he tells a half-truth, not quite considering it a lie, and his dad is disappointed. His dad uses this moment to teach an incredible truth about God’s desire for whole-hearted devotion from us.
 
I love the message conveyed in Francis Chan’s books, so I was eager to get his children’s books to help communicate those lessons to my small children. HALFWAY HERBERT takes one of the vital messages in Chan’s book CRAZY LOVE and couches it in a story that helps kids understand God’s heart toward us. It’s brightly illustrated by Matt Daniels, and my children love the bright colors and clever story it tells. It’s a great book if you have children and you want to teach them to be fully committed to Christ and the things in their lives God calls them to.
 
Review copy provided by David C. Cook

Photo Credit: David C. Cook

Review of SONG OF THE STARS by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Rating: 5 out of 5

I have three young children and they’re getting to the ages where they get really excited about Christmas. My wife and I love the opportunity to give gifts to our children, but we also want to be very intentional about communicating what Christmas is really about. We’ve grown to love the children’s works of Sally Lloyd-Jones, and we were excited to read her Christmas book SONG OF THE STARS to our children in hopes of having it be a yearly tradition for our children.

The book is beautfilly written in the way that Lloyd-Jones knows how to pick words that communicate the incredible impact of what happened the first Christmas. The book is equally beautifully illustrated by Allison Jay. The book is a creation-oriented celebration of God coming into the world as a baby, and the illustrations show creation awaiting God’s arrival.

My kids loved the book, and we’re excited to use it to communicate the expectation we should feel about Christmas because Christ came.

Review copy provided by ZonderKidz