Gravel Road Musings

Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World I'm not sure where to start with this book. It was really, really good. I don't really consider myself too wrapped up in social media. I have a Facebook account and a blog, but I'll be honest, Instagram and a few things like that are still a blur to me. I don't understand them and I don't need to. I was still convicted on certain aspects from this book. I care about people liking what little I post. I like comments on the blog posts I like. Even when I have my phone's volume turned up, I can still check it to see if I got a text that I might possibly have missed hearing come in. I can be guilty of having my phone out during face-to-face conversations. Craig doesn't discount social media; he encourages its use for profitable and uplifting purposes, but he does warn against letting it consume our lives. There are so many quotes I could give from his book, but I'm going to stick with just a couple. There ar...

Experiencing God's Presence in Every Moment of Life. I've experienced a bit of a caution in reading books by authors that I'm not well acquainted with. I like to think that I can read a book, take the good and leave the questionable and move on, but I realize not everyone looks at books the same way I do.  Books that I read and am encouraged in, others may read and see it as a license for them to go do something that I never even saw hinted at in the book. So in giving reviews, it has caused me to stop and be a bit more cautious in my reading. And this book was one of those I thought I should exercise caution in. I actually had a harder time just really enjoying it because I was trying to dissect stuff to make sure it seemed to follow Biblical teaching. In my opinion, Darlene did follow Biblical teaching. Yes, she gave a few interpretations of Scripture that I had never heard interpreted like that before. I am not entirely sure what to think of them yet, whether she w...

My mind has been rolling over the last 24 hours. We are almost done with 2015 and what have I accomplished? I, all of a sudden, feel driven to do something, to be the wonder woman who is scheduled and organized and calm and cheerful about it all. How do I do that? I ran across the idea yesterday again of having a word for the year: a word to focus on and try to live after. I keep thinking about what that word should be for me and if I'm committed enough to do it. On top of that, there are so many things I feel I should be focusing on and trying to do better in that one word feels insufficient. There's the word joy, but doesn't everyone want that. What about gratitude? Well, yeah, it's good to be thankful. Love? Ouch, I need that, but a whole year? Rest? That seems to be a driving force to a new group of thinkers out there and I'm not sure I agree, so don't know if I want to go there. Don't get me wrong. Rest is good, but not if comes at the expense of...

A magical story and coloring book. If you've been around the block at all, you have noticed the increased surge in adult coloring books.  I use the term "Adult" here very loosely with no suggestive theme attached. (In case you wondered :)). As a child, I always had big plans of coloring; obviously dreaming and planning have been life long staples of mine. Anyway, just recently I was able to snag to ebook coloring books and I printed off a few pictures to color. Then I got the chance to review a coloring book.  What good fortune. It is the story of a fairy girl who lived inside a cuckoo clock and wanted to get out and see the world. The pictures are more magical then real, but I see some real potential for coloring them and making them look pretty.  The story doesn't completely make sense to me. It's really more like a paragraph with a couple lines on only a couple pages, but obviously I'm not touched with fairy knowledge because the story ends totally di...

It seems like too many people are having heavenly birthday celebrations this year. Nov. 13 was  the first birthday of a little boy who couldn't stay. Nov. 30 was Cheryl's first birthday in heaven. Beings I could never remember when her birthday was, I for sure couldn't remember how old she would be. I think 26 though. I saw that somewhere. And today would be Dad's 80th birthday.  How does this happen? Yes, I know they're all better off up there. That is true; I believe that. But I'm down here and I'm seeing the pain these dates are causing loved ones and feeling the pain myself and I just wonder why? All of these deaths feel so untimely. Yes, Dad was almost 80, but he was strong and hard-working and seemed to have many years ahead of him yet. I want to say: "Why not take the ones who aren't healthy, the ones who would love so much to go to heaven? Why take the young and the strong and the ones who have never had a chance at life yet?" I know...

This cookbook was an initial disappointment to me. I'm not sure what I expected in a Mexican cookbook, but more pictures for sure.  I love pictures in a cookbook and I'm quick to disregard a cookbook that isn't full of pictures unless it's one of the tried and true spiral bound old-time looking cookbooks like The Basics and More or Simply Wonderful, etc. On closer perusal, I saw that this cookbook takes a lot of ingredients that I know nothing about and have no idea if I would even be able to purchase them in our local grocery store. I'm not sure what I expected if the book was supposed to be authentic. Peppers like New Mexico chiles, guajillo chillos or other things like chicharron, Chihuaua cheese, etc. There are some good-sounding recipes in the book: Tacos de Res Dorado (Crisp Shredded Beef Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa), which unfortunately doesn't even seem to use the slow cooker; 'Tinga Tostada (Chicken with Chipotles and Onion on Crisp Tostadas...

I finished it. I have been talking about this book a lot lately and I even read from it in Sunday School yesterday. It is a really really good book. It totally stretched my thinking and has given me some food for thought. I'm still not sure if I agree completely with everything Caleb says, but he knows way more about this subject than I do. The caption on the front of the book says this: "How a pastor with gay parents learned to love others without sacrificing conviction." Doesn't that make you raise your eyebrows and say, "I wonder what his views are?" In a day, when it seems like so many churches are accepting practicing homosexuals and modifying the Bible to fit their beliefs, it's refreshing to hear Caleb's take on this. He grew up in the LGBT community, he went to their parties, marched in their parades and became a Christian at the age of 16. He then had to do a lot of soul-searching to figure out what the Bible says about homosexuality. H...

Yes, I said part one because thoughts have been going through my head on this subject and I'm not going to write much tonight and I want to give myself the option of continuing it later. I'm teaching SS tomorrow and the title is "Walking in Truth". I'll admit, I saw that title and thought, "Oh this will be easy" and then I read the text and I was blank.  2 John and 3 John for those who want to read and offer insight. I read it a few more times and thoughts started to come, questions mostly. I like to come to class armed with questions and I will ask them in different ways until someone starts talking and if nobody talks tomorrow, I will call out names. That is a threat to anyone out there that might read this tonight or early tomorrow morning and attend my SS class, so take heed. How do you "love in the truth?" How do "truth and love" work together? I'm reading a book that explains this a little I think, but I won't ta...

Aww, this is a beautiful book.  I was expecting a thin hard cover book with fairly small writing and a couple pictures to go with each parable.  Instead I got a 3/4 inch or so thick hardcover book with a padded front cover.  Each page has just a couple lines of the story and a beautiful picture that matches very well with the story description.  What I really like is at the bottom of at least half of the pages is a Bible verse that goes along with the story. It's a beautiful children's book that would span a wider range of ages than some because the stories are parables and so the older child could read and learn the deeper meaning along with being able to understand the Bible verses. There are four parables: one on Easter and new life, one on sunflowers and spreading the Good News, one on pumpkins and not Halloween, but on being a light to those around us, and one on Christmas and the Christmas Tree farmer who sacrificed the most beautiful tree to a poor family ...

From the God we made to the God with us. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book; parts of it were excellent and parts left me with questions of uncertainty, but the premise behind this book is right on. We need a relationship with God and that relationship needs to be a two-way street.  Relationships with friends, with spouses involve a giving and taking on both sides. If one side always takes and the other side is the giving side, it's not a solid relationship and it likely isn't going to last.  Too often that is what we do with God, we take and take and take and we forget that God wants us to give as well.  We need to give ourselves to God: all of us, heart, mind, soul, will, emotions, body, etc. etc. etc.  God wants a relationship with us. Constant prayer is one thing I have been challenged with and want to do better--to just keep God in communication all day long in everything and with everybody.  Think of how my speech could change if He was t...

This is an amazing story of forgiveness.  Remember the Nickel Mines Amish School shooting? This is the side of the story told by the killer's mother, Terri. She talks about the shock and horror they felt when they heard their son had done this awful thing and then she talks about the way the Amish extended forgiveness immediately to them and how in the years that followed her and her husband Chuck became very good friends with the Amish. It's a story of grace and forgiveness and healing after a tsunami swept through and destroyed the old normal.  It's a story that is pertinent today because forgiveness is always pertinent. I can't imagine being Terri and Chuck or Charlie's wife, Marie, left to deal with the aftermath of such a disaster.  Trying to understand what would drive a man to do such a heinous crime; a man who was a family man, who provided and took care of his wife and children. Terri talks about learning to give thanks in everything as she battled br...

Six months already.  How can it be? And on the other hand, how can it not be six years already?  It feels short, it feels long, it still feels unreal. Yes, it is six months today since the doctor told us that Dad is brain dead. Six months since we made hard decisions and released Dad to Jesus.  Six months since we stood around his bedside trying to be strong as we watched him breathe his last.  Six months since we went to Randy's one last time, this time to talk about planning a funeral; hope was gone.  Six months since we made that last drive from Eau Claire to home. We were just in Eau Claire a few weeks ago on our way to New Jersey; we stayed there for the night right across from the motel we had spent over a week at six months ago.  There was no way I was going to stay in the same motel.  Not yet; maybe not ever.  But I would go to Randy's again, for their comfort pudding if nothing else. Do those memories never fade?  I am blessed ...

This is a lovely little children's book for ages 3-8 or so would be my guess.  It's a nice hardcover book with very attractive pictures. The illustrator did a very good job. The story line is about being graceful winners and losers and how it's not so important that you win as the attitude you have about the game itself.  In the story, the animals were competing in a Field Day to see who would be the leader of the forest.  In the end, the leader was not an animal that had won anything, but the animal who had worked hard to make everything okay for those who lost. I really liked this book. Lulu and Max are nice little people who go on adventures together. At the back of the book, Lysa has ten Bible verses that go along with attitude and things like that. Verses like the Golden Rule and working diligently, etc. I would definitely recommend this book to others and will look forward to seeing more books by Lysa. This book was given me by Book Look Bloggers for the p...

A memoir of loss and love. This is the story of a mother's journey through grief after her 12 year old son went out to play on a rainy Thursday evening and never came back.  He got caught in a creek that was normally almost non-existent, but because of the extensive rainfall had become a raging torrent. To be honest, I really have no idea what to say about this book.  I finished it with very mixed emotions.  The writing style is not really my style at all.  Everything is written present tense with some past tense mixed in for the things that happened before the accident. Otherwise, it is present tense whether it happened the day of the accident or 2 years later and so it was hard for me to tell exactly when some of the things happened. One thing I have learned as I've gone through my own journey(s) of grief and walked with others through theirs is that everyone grieves differently. There is no right way to grieve.  I have learned that it is best to get do...

I really, really like Max Lucado's books.  They are filled with stories, lighter reading, but deep truths. I like how he will often emphasize points with multiple one liner sentences like: "When you lost your job...When your marriage went south. When your business went broke." etc.  His writings get me every time and this book was no exception. The premise of the book is: are we living in glory days?  He uses Canaan is our metaphor for a victorious Christian life.  The Israelites got to Canaan and had entered their Promised Land, not heaven, but the land of victory.  I was only going to quote from about one chapter, but let me add a few things from the first chapter to let you get a feel for where the book is taking you.  It's basically a book study on the Book of Joshua. "Our Promised Land isn't a physical territory; it is a spiritual reality. It's not real estate but a real state of the heart and mind. " A Promised Land life in which 'w...

I should or I could be napping right now.  My eyes feel weighted down by a load of bricks; my coffee is growing lukewarm and my fattening pick me up pumpkin pie bar is gone. (You should really make these, by the way. They are delicious. I'll come back to that.) And so I sit here on my computer, prying the eyelids open and wondering why I don't follow D's suggestion and just lay back and take a nap. I'll explain a little: Amber's naptime is my time to get stuff done.  I work on transcribing. I hula hoop. I wash dishes (only if absolutely necessary). I work on my hobbies. I try to be productive. Obviously, also I can waste time on the internet. I was going to transcribe, but the people were talking too quiet, it was too hard for me too hear and therefore required too much work and effort. Naps also make me feel lazy and can make me feel grumpy.  Though, I tried to take a nap on Saturday.  It resulted in a conversation with God in which I felt told to get over myse...

Ah, I might have a weakness for one year devotional books like this or any kind of daily devotionals. I like to have them, but I can struggle to stay caught up and it really is hard to find a good one, one that speaks to me.  I also recognize that there is no way one human author can write a devotional that will speak to me every day of the year.  But still, I continue to collect and I think one of these days I should have a purging party of my various books.  I'm not sure how many I have, but quite a few. Okay, I went to go look and count.  I came up with 15 of them: not all of these are for a whole year, but they are devotionals of some sort. I think Dave might have had one or two of them too when we got married.  I have devotional for married couples, for wives, for moms, for women, and just unspecified for everyone.  And now, I have a Home and Garden one.  And I like it. It's a nice, bigger soft cover book. I wasn't sure when I first opened it...

So, the thing with blogs and Facebook and all other forms of social media is you can hide.  You only post the pretty pictures, the nicely arranged living room, the meal that turned out as you meant it to, etc. etc.  You only tell the happy stories, the stories of triumph and you keep the dirty little secrets all carefully hoarded to yourself. This hiding thing has the potential to cause a lot of jealousy and loss of self-worth and feelings of inadequacy to develop in the readers.  To be a good mom, do I have to let my child play in the oatmeal/flour/water mixture and get it all over their hands and face? Is that the only way they can explore textures and tastes?  Am I a bad mom if I give my baby a bottle while reading book? Am I hindering bonding time by not looking into their eyes as they drink their bottle?  Amber closes her eyes most of the time while she drinks her bottle so I figure she's not too interested in the bonding thing anyway. So, what are the ...

I was tickled to see this book available for reviewing.  The last book in this series, "Halfway to Forever" was the first Karen Kingsbury book I had ever bought.  I had read the first two books later, but now I have been able to get both books for myself through my blog review program.  That makes me happy. This book did not disappoint.  The story of Jade and Tanner: they were playmates as children, spent a memorable summer together in which they failed to listen to the Holy Spirit's warnings and Jade winds up pregnant.  Tanner's mother determines to keep them apart and spins a big yarn about Tanner's infidelity, etc.  Jade immediately marries to provide her child with a two-parent stable home. She misses one important detail: making sure her husband is a Christian.  She is a strong devoted Christian who goes to bat for morality.  This irritates her husband who eventually divorces her and sues for full custody of the child.  The judge giv...

This completed the Wild at Heart Series, I think so anyway.  That is the main reason I went with this book was to have the complete series.  It's the story of the oldest Wilde sister, Bailey.  It's a fairly predictable story.  Bailey is pretending to be a man so she can homestead her claim in the West.  She homesteads over the mouth of a canyon that has excellent grazing fields because this gives her cattle a good spot to graze.  This causes fights with Gage Coulter who owns the canyon, but can't access it without going over Bailey's property.  He finds another way in, yada yada.  Anyway, they marry because he needs a wife and eventually find love together. It's an interesting enough story, but there is zero depth. God is mentioned a few times, but almost like an after thought. "Wait, this is supposed to be a Christian book. I better mention God and prayer quick here at the end before I finish the book."  It almost would have been better ...

Do I really claim the love of God for myself and do I allow it to pour out of my life into the people around me?  Alex says we are not silos to be filled with God's love and keep it for ourselves, but we are conduits to pass that love on to others who need to know God's love. A few quotes that stuck out to me: Jesus comes to us face-to-face with honest eyes, open hands, and a willing heart to touch the deepest human wounds with the healing balm of God's presence. A covenant agreement says, "I am committed to your good  no matter how many times you break my heart, and I will lovingly abide with you through my unmet expectations." That's God's heart toward his people. When Jesus looks at you, both in your greatest strength and most profound weaknesses, his gut wrenches with love. He finishes the book by saying we need to be careful how we talk about the church.  It is Jesus' bride and as such should be treated with respect.  If we think there...

So this is more of a boring post probably, but it will have pictures anyway.  I talked about the book "The Nesting Place" here on my blog a few weeks ago.  It has inspired me to think differently about decorating. It has inspired me to actually decorate even if we are living in a rental and it has challenged me to do it any way even if my style isn't the latest in fashion or my decor isn't perfect. If I like it, what else matters? I am coming to believe it is better to try and have a failure than be too scared to try.  For instance, in my kitchen is a piece of plywood off of my dad's scrap/burn pile.  I spray painted it off-white and painted, in brown, the words: "Coffee & Friends make the perfect blend".  D told me it was so homemade looking, it was almost cool.  I like it and so it hangs on my kitchen wall at least until I try round 2 and find I like that one better. The same goes for the living room.  The loveseat and couch are kind of squishe...

Oh boy, I like to have positive reviews for the book I read, but I'm just not sure I can on this book.  I'm not a big fan of Biblical fiction for starters, so this book immediately had my bias against it when I started it, but I have read some really good Biblical fiction and thought I would try it. I would say Angela has a very good writing style and definitely stuck with the facts that we know for sure in the Bible.  It was just some of the fictional liberties she took didn't strike me.  The story is written from Bathsheba and Nathan the Prophet's perspective flipping back and forth between chapters.  To me, while Nathan the prophet was very instrumental in Bathsheba's life as far as correcting David for his adultery, I didn't think writing half the book from his perspective made a lot of sense.  I also didn't care for the idea that Nathan was in love with Bathsheba and had made plans to marry her until God told him otherwise.  I definitely think this...

My next post was going to be about my living room rearranging project or my office clean up, but it's not.  I just read  this  by Jennie Zimmerman and it set my mind to whirling.  Jennie, I'm not trying to copy you and I'm not sure what I'm about to say even goes with your letter, but my mind rambled on in this direction. It hurts so bad to lose someone we leave.  I'm getting a real collection of friends and family waiting for me up in heaven and I'm looking forward to the day I can go and see them.  The whole death thing is still so very scary and all that, but I think once I'm passed that and can see Jesus and all my loved ones, it sounds pretty awesome.  But in the meantime, what happens? I was going through my collection of cards that I've gotten since we moved up here, so about 15 months worth.  When you have a baby and lose a father and people remember you daughter's first birthday, you get a real accumulation of cards in a year's time....

I read my first Diann Mills book last summer during the Summer Tyndale Reading Program.  It was a great book, so I was excited to be able to review another book by her and I was not disappointed.  Both books were from her FBI series. Deadlock is the fictitious story of two FBI partners working to find a serial killer called Scorpion. The partners couldn't have been more different: different gender, different ways of looking at life. One was a rules person; you followed protocol, you used logic while the other one was a psychology major and would run on hunches or gut instinct. Both had attempts made on their life in the course of the book. And of course, they fell in love with each other. I realize the book is fiction, but I do enjoy reading this style of book: the intrigue, the many resources available to be able to hunt down murderers and other criminals.  I also appreciate the Christian perspective which keeps the book from becoming graphic because I am not okay ...

So, I don't know how many people have watched Shrek, but that song phrase: "I'm a Believer" has been running through my head since last evening.  Why?  Because of the unlikely marriage of two things. For awhile, I have been disturbed by the these ugly marks on our shower surround and on the tub as well.  You know, that soap scum or water marks or whatever it is.  Maybe you don't know because you religiously clean your shower regularly and that takes care of it, but anyway if that's the case, I'm not sure we can be friends.  So this dirtiness, stain, etc. was really bothering me.  I had tried to get it off, but nothing seemed to work.  Websites would talk about the wonders of Dawn and vinegar and I would try it and it would help some, but nothing seemed to really take it all off. Then I read something about warming the vinegar and adding an equal amount of Dawn. So, last night, I was desperate.  I heated a cup of vinegar, dumped in some Blue Up...

The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For the godly who die will rest in peace. Isaiah 57: 1-2 (NLT) I've been making my way very slowly through Isaiah since Dad died.  Isaiah was Dad's favorite book of the Bible and it seemed a fitting tribute to read it in memory of him.  These two verses stuck out to me this morning when I read them and I thought how lucky Dad is; how lucky Cheryl is and how lucky Nicole and Bentley are.  Yes, perhaps many would say, Dad lived out his time, but he still died long before we expected him to. No one will deny that Cheryl, Bentley and Nicole went to heaven too soon and yet look at what they were spared: "the evil to come." This begs the question: what is wrong with us?  Are we not righteous enough? Why are we still here? Resting in peace sounds like a beautiful thing and yet for those of u...

Here's the deal: I'm a Karen Kingsbury fan.  I don't read a lot of her books because I have this weird phobia that if I read them all, then I'm all caught up and then what?  Tragic, isn't it? Combine that with the fact that I can barely keep up with the books I read for my reviews and I don't get a lot of Karen Kingsbury read.  That being said,  this is the first in a series and I already have the last in a series and I'm tempted to go borrow the middle one in the series from the library, so I can get the whole story all at once. This is not a new book by Karen. In fact, it was first published in 1999, so I'm not sure why it was an option for reviewing, but I'm not complaining.  I will say that I didn't care for the style of book: it was one of the short and fat kinds rather than the taller thinner version.  But, I suppose this time the book fit the reader, at least this one! The story is fascinating: a drunk driver runs a stoplight and sla...

Written by Amy Parker Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton This is a lovely children's book for ages 4-8. It is based on the verse from Jeremiah that says: For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It is written in rhyme and talks about how God has a plan for your life and He made you just right for the job he has for you. The second to the last page says this: The whole world will be better, thanks to little ol' you... all because you did what I created YOU to do. That struck me: if we just do our part, we can make the world a better place even if it is just in our own little corner, in our house just taking care of our six month old baby. If nothing else, we make the world a better place, by contentedly and happily doing what God has called us to instead of whining and fussing. The illustrations are really good--bright, bright colors and pictures depicting various occupations with a th...

I promise you guys, this is not a book review, but it should be.  This has got to be one of the most inspiring decorating books I have ever read.  Granted, it may well be the only decorating book I have devoured from cover to cover and tried to drink it all in. I wonder if the library would miss it if I never returned it.  If I never went back to the library for anything ever again, would I have to pay the over due fine? Let me start by giving you a few lines from  "The Imperfectionist Manifesto" WE BELIEVE that home should be the safest place on earth. WE BELIEVE that home has a greater purpose than looking pretty WE BELIEVE in mismatched sheets and unmade beds. WE BELIEVE that toys and homework and smelly shoes and spilled milk are signs of life WE BELIEVE in using the good stuff now, not waiting for some future better purpose WE BELIEVE that contentment results not from stuff but from gratitude WE BELIEVE that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beauti...

Good morning, This is going to be very brief, but I have been toying with the idea that it is time to make this blog more than just book reviews.  Oh no, I'm not giving up book reviews; I like free books too well and am loving stocking my library with brand new books and not just thrift store specials that are 5+ years old already.  But adding to this blog, meaning that I would post one to two non-book posts a week.  But I need ideas of what to write about, not that I'll listen or anything, but it might spark an interest or something. Here are a few things I've thought of: Amber (for her friends and family who follow my blog) Home decor projects or sewing projects (I'm reading an amazing book right now and am full of ideas for how to change up my house and make it a real home that reflects me) Menu options (a thought has been there to get into menu planning for people--any takers?) Deep theological discussions and thoughts Random things that strike me funny or...

This is a story of a family that took over a potter in the 1800's after the older brother had basically been kicked out of the brick making factory where he had been promised to be made part owner. So they bought this pottery at his sister's insistence.  Then their bid proposal were stolen by the nanny and passed on to another potter who would then underbid them and take the contracts.  And so on and so forth. For some reason, this book just didn't hit the right nerve with me.  Something felt off about it; I did enjoy the suspense at the end of seeing if they would win this big contest and how they would figure out about the cheating going on, but something felt missing.  I think it didn't seem 1800ish enough; like the mother-in-law ran the house and had the money and there was no mention of what had happened to the father-in-law. I did think Judith did a very good job of bringing God into the story and talking about prayer changing things and peace happening a...

I'm not really sure what to say about this book, but "Wow"!! I started to read it over the weekend and then D's oldest niece started it as well and read it and she couldn't put it down.  I didn't want to put it down either, but duty did call and so I just now finished the book. The story is written in two different time frames: one by the daughter Hannah seeking to understand her mother Liselotte and the other by Liselotte herself telling what she went through in Germany during WWII. She was the daughter of a prominent officer who would offer the Jews false papers, etc. in exchange for their wealth and then he would turn them in and they would be captured and taken to concentration camps or wherever, but not offered freedom. Liselotte was involved in trying to help the Jews in hiding and apparently her father was following her and turning these same people in.  I don't want to say more because it gives away too much of the story. It's a story of ...

Designed by Jody Langley This is a fun children's activity book talking about Creation and Adam and Eve's fall into sin.  It is geared for younger children--I would guess 3-6 or so maybe.  It would depend on each child to a certain extent.  My 6 month old thought eating it would be an appropriate response to the book, so in that regard she loved it.  I salvaged it from her hands and hope to have her enjoy it even more when she is a couple of years old. I thought the book accurately portrayed the story of Creation while keeping it interesting. There are lots of places to use the stickers which is a hit in my book, plus coloring, counting, dot to dot, a maze, find a word, etc. The book on first glance is very nice.  Glossy front and back along with glossy smooth pages with full colorful illustrations.  There is enough variety to keep a child's attention or so I would think. I would definitely recommend this book to others. The retail price is only $3.99...