Gabby God’s Little Angel by Sheila Walsh, illustrated by Marina Fedotova

Gabby God’s Little Angel by Sheila Walsh, illustrated by Marina Fedotova is a Children's book about a Guardian Angel named Gabby that is getting her first assignment to watch over an active girl name Sophie.  She follow’s Sophie throughout her day and protects her through her activities.  Gabby is a free spirit like Sophie, and has a lot to learn, but is up for the challenge.  The message of the book is that God cares so much for us that he sets angels to watch over us.  It is appropriate for young children.

The message of the book was clear from the telling of the story and fit naturally in it.  God loves us and wants to protect us, so he sends angels to watch over us and protect us.  The illustrations fit in well with the story and I think children looking at the pictures will enjoy them.  As I mentioned earlier, I think the author blended in the spiritual message well in the story, as it didn’t seem like it was forced into it.  I would recommend this book to anyone with small children, especially little girls.   If you enjoyed God’s Little Princess Devotional Bible, I think you will enjoy this.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

J.R.R. Tolkien: Christian Encounters by Mark Horne

J.R.R. Tolkien is the focus for this installment of the Christian Encounters series.  It follows the author in the struggles of his early years through to his career as a successful writer of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  It gives information about his time at Oxford and in World War I.  It shows how the struggles and experiences in his life were displayed in his writings.

I enjoyed the book as I was not familiar with his life.  I was particularly interested in his friendship with C.S. Lewis as I am a fan of them both, and how they influenced each other. The details of the publishing of The Lord of the Rings were also interesting.   I got the impression from reading the book that he was not a particularly happy person, but that may be from his life experiences, or I may just be reading into it.  I would recommend this to someone who is interested in Tolkien, but doesn’t need to go into great detail on his life, as this is a somewhat short biography.  I enjoy reading his books and it was nice to learn a little bit about his life as well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”