mosaic reviews Archives - My Life: A Work in Progress

Book Review: “A Light for My Path” from Apologia

20 October, 2013 2 Comments

It’s been a while, since I’ve reviewed a product for the Mosaic Reviews team, so I’m excited about today’s post!

About and Our Experiences:

If you read my review on Apologia’s children’s book How Do We Know God Is Really There? or my review on the Apologia homeschooling planners, then you’ve probably noticed the lovely illustrations and fun artwork that seems to be typical of Apologia books and curriculum.

Retailing for $14 on their website, Apologia’s A Light for My Path intertwines beautiful illustrations and Psalms 119 with both the Hebrew and English alphabet. Since this 80-age book teaches both God’s Word and the alphabet, I thought it would be perfect for my four-year-old nephew who’s in preschool.

The book starts with the English alphabet pages. This is the section I found more appropriate for younger learners. The back section of the book is where older learners can be introduced to the Hebrew alphabet and the entire Psalm 119.

In the beginning, each spread starts with “God’s Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are.” The right page of the spread then finishes the phrase with the appropriate alphabetical letter, that forms a biblical attribute. For example, in the photo below, “U” begins “universal.”

Want to know more? You can check out Apologia HERE to see all the homeschooling curriculum and resources they offer. To see other A Light for My Path reviews and get different perspectives, visit the Mosaic Reviews website HERE.

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Review

Book Review: “How Do We Know God Is Really There?” book for kids

20 June, 2013 7 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m part of the Mosaic Reviews team. The team is revamping their structure, and I’m happy to announce I’ve been accepted as a member of the new team! This will be one of my last reviews for the old team. I received a complimentary copy of Melissa Cain Travis’ book How Do We Know God is Really There? in order to facilitate this review.

About and Our Experiences:

Published by Apologia Press (remember those homeschooling planners I reviewed a while back?), this hardcover book uses Psalm 19:1 as the basis to explain to children how we can know God exists. The story is told through a conversation Thomas, a school-aged boy, has with his father before bed. On this particular night, the pair set up a telescope Thomas’ tree house to view the rings of Saturn.

The book uses colorful illustrations by Christopher Voss to help weave this story.

I think it’s awesome that Apologia is producing these books for kids. This is the first in a series of picture books that address questions of our faith. These are things our kids are going to be asked, and that they’ll ask us in turn, so this is a wonderful resource.

The only thing I don’t like about this book is the main character’s name: Thomas. The plural of Thomas –Thomas’s– is really, really awkward to look at/read, which is why many writers avoid ending a character’s name with an s. The author is a scientist, so maybe that’s why she didn’t know better? Or she did notice but didn’t care? Anyway, I realize my annoyance with the name is probably an English teacher thing and won’t bother anyone else. 🙂

Baby J loved the colors when I read this book to him. Of course, I know he’s too young to understand what is being read, but I think a sharp 2 or 3 year old (I’m definitely thinking of my friend’s insanely smart daughter right now) could definitely understand the concepts outlined in this book. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series.

You can purchase your own copy of How Do We Know God is Really There? from the Apologia website. Also, if you’re a homeschooling parent or interested in homeschooling, I recommend you check out the Mosaic Reviews website to see what other team members have been reviewing.

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Review

Review: The Waterproof Bible

16 May, 2013 8 Comments

As a member of the Mosaic Reviews Team, I received the Waterproof Bible in the English Standard Version to review.

The Waterproof Bible- English Standard Version

About:

The Waterproof Bible is designed to allow you to carry God’s Word with you, wherever you go.

Made with synthetic materials, the pages are waterproof and dry quickly. They’re also stronger than paper, and you can still write on them with ball point pen, pencil, or a dry highlighter.

The Waterproof Bible is available in the following versions: King James, New King James, New International, New Living Translation, and the English Standard.

Our Experiences:

I’ve taken the Waterproof Bible to the park and to the beach. Sand and dirt just rubs off easily. The pages are sturdier than a traditional Bible too. They’re less likely to rip, so I think this would be a good Bible for Baby J when he’s older (and reading, obviously).

The Waterproof Bible- My Life: A Work in Progress

To test what water does to this Bible, I held it open under the kitchen sink faucet. The water just ran down the pages. It was pretty cool! It reminded me of the Indestructibles books I bought for Baby J. I’d like to go camping this summer, and if I do, I’ll bring this Bible along, so we can have devotions together as a family. I was impressed with the Waterproof Bible, and I wish I had one when I was deployed to Afghanistan. It’s small and light enough that it wouldn’t have added much weight to my pack when traveling.

To learn more about the Waterproof Bible including prices, colors, and customization options, visit their website.

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