Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Heaven is for Real is about the experiences of a 3yr old boy that went through a serious medical issue and the stories he told afterwards about heaven.  Colton Burpo seems like any normal young boy who likes animals, bugs, and good guys and bad guys and super heroes.  He gets very sick partially due to a misdiagnosis, and meets the ultimate super hero...Jesus.  The story goes on to tell of Colton's detailed description of heaven and the people he met there, including people from Biblical times and people from Colton's family history that he's never met, and how those experiences changed his family.

I know many people who have read this book and said how good it was, so I was anxious to read it.  I really enjoyed it as well.  I think the best thing about it was that it reminds us that it takes faith like a child.  I think too often we get wrapped up in theology and trying to decipher the "hidden" meanings of what the Bible says, when maybe it's as simple as how a child would describe it.  It also reminds us how little we really know about heaven and brings up questions asked in the book about the concept of time in heaven, what people will be like, and the end battle.  I'll say I was skeptical when I started the book, but I'm not sure how a 4yr old would be able to talk about the Trinity, Satan being cast into hell, and why Jesus had to die, unless his dad was just making it up, which I find hard to believe.  So, I choose to believe it, and I think it was good story that I would recommend to others

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.”

Heroes & Villains of the Bible: Real Stories, actual Bible Text compiled by Tama Fortner

Heroes & Villains of the Bible: Real Stories, actual Bible Text compiled by Tama Fortner is a collection of most of the well known stories from the Bible.  Each story is either about a Hero or a Villain.  It uses actual text from the Bible to tell the stories of each individual.  The message of this book is to show how God works not only through the Heroes in the Bible, but also the Villains as well.  I think this book is appropriate for all ages, but may be better for older children who are able to read, as it is not full of pictures that smaller children can look at.

I did enjoy how the book was laid out, and wasn't expecting it to be over 300 pages long.  I was hoping for a book for small children with lots of pictures, but the pictures are only at the start of chapters showing the Hero or Villain.  The pictures seemed to be computer generated and s ome were more realistic than others.  Some just looked weird.  The message of the book was clear as stated above and was taken straight from the Bible.  I would recommend it to others, but again, I think it would be better for older children who could read it on their own.  There is a lot of material in this book, and might be good for bedtime reading with kids for the basic Bible stories.

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.”