January 8, 2009 at 8:33 pm (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, mythology and legends, Old Testament, picture books, religious)
Title: Noah’s Ark
Author: (Retold by) Lawrence T. Lorimer
Illustrator: Charles E. Martin
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0-394-83697-9 (B.C.)
0-394-83861-0 (trade)
0-394-93861-5 (lib. bdg.)
Summary: A re-telling of the story of Noah and the Ark
Butterfly’s notes: Lovingly written, this book has been put together with adorable cartoon-style drawings which make it very enjoyable.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, mythology and legends, Old Testament, picture books, religious
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January 5, 2009 at 9:50 pm (ages 7-9, anthologies, Bible, Christianity, funny stories, mythology and legends, New Testament, picture books, religious)
Title: One-Minute Easter Stories
Author: (Adapted by) Shari Lewis and Lan O’Kun
Illustrator: Pat and Robin DeWitt
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0-358-24960-8
Summary: Very short stories to do with the last days of Jesus, Springtime, and various Easter traditions.
Butterfly’s notes: Most of the stories in this book are decidedly religious, and a few are histories. They are lovely stories told in a short and sweet style.
Categories: ages 7-9, mythology and legends, funny stories, anthologies, picture books, religious, Christianity, Bible, New Testament
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January 5, 2009 at 12:00 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, animal stories, Christianity, nature, picture books, religious)
Title: Night Tree
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Rand
Publisher: Voyager Books
ISBN: 0-15-200121-2
Summary: A family goes out into the woods on Christmas Eve to decorate a live Christmas tree.
Butterfly’s notes: Although it is about a Christmas tree, this book isn’t particularly relgious. It is mostly about a walk in the woods at night and about decorating the tree.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, animal stories, Christianity, nature, picture books, religious
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January 3, 2009 at 4:59 pm (ages 10-12, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, mythology and legends, Old Testament, picture books, religious)
Title: Esther’s Story
Author: Diane Wolkstein
Illustrator: Juan Wijngaard
Publisher: Morrow Junior Books
ISBN: 0-688-12127-6 (trade)
0-688-12128-4 (library)
Summary: A re-telling of the story of Esther, the Jewish princess who saved her people from execution.
Butterfly’s notes: Beautiful, emotion-filled drawings fill this book, a detailed and complete version of Esther’s story. Esther herself narrates the story, which gives the reader a strong connection to her plight.
Categories: ages 10-12, mythology and legends, picture books, religious, Judaism, Christianity, Old Testament, Bible
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January 2, 2009 at 10:42 pm (ages 10-12, anthologies, Bible, Christianity, mythology and legends, New Testament, Old Testament, picture books, religious)
Title: Tomie dePaola’s Book of Bible Stories
Illustrator: Tomie dePaola
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 0-399-21690-1
Summary: From the New International Version of the Bible, some of the most well-loved stories of the Old and new Testaments.
Butterfly’s notes: There are a lot of children’s Bibles out there. I like this one because it combines tasteful drawings with actual Biblical text.
Categories: ages 10-12, anthologies, Bible, Christianity, mythology and legends, New Testament, Old Testament, picture books, religious
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January 2, 2009 at 9:16 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, Butterfly's favorites, Christianity, mythology and legends, picture books, profound messages, religious)
Title: Stephen’s Feast
Author: Jean Richardson
Illustrator: Alice Englander
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
ISBN: 0-316-74435-2
Summary: A re-telling of the story of Good King Wenceslas which focuses on his page, Stephen.
Butterfly’s notes: A heart-warming tale about the joys of giving. Stephen and King Wenceslas are loveable characters. Stephen realizes in this book that even though the family he and King Wenceslas visit are poor, they are no different from the families at the palace. The generosity of King Wenceslas says a lot about the ability those in power have to help those in need. The full text of the Christmas song Good King Wenceslas appears in the front and back of the book.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, mythology and legends, profound messages, picture books, religious, Christianity, Butterfly’s favorites
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January 2, 2009 at 8:54 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, Bible, Christianity, mythology and legends, New Testament, picture books, religious)
Title: The First Christmas
Author: Anita Ganeri
Illustrator: Maggie Downer
Publisher: Derrydale Books
ISBN: 0-517-06971-7
Summary: A loveable, easy-to-understand re-telling of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Butterfly’s notes: This book tells a well-known series of events in a wonderful, story-book style that kids will love.
I used to enjoy reading it over and over as a December bedtime story. The words to the popular Christmas song Away in a Manger can be found in the back of the book.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, mythology and legends, picture books, religious, Christianity, Bible, New Testament
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January 2, 2009 at 7:17 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, Bible, Butterfly's favorites, Christianity, Judaism, Old Testament, picture books, poetry, profound messages, religious)
Title: To Every Thing There Is A Season: Verses from Ecclesiastes
Illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon
Publisher: Blue Sky Press
ISBN: 0-590-47887-7
Summary: From the King James Version of the Bible- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1:4
Butterfly’s notes: To Every Thing There Is A Season couples the universal and poetic words from Ecclesiastes with truly inspired illustrations in various artistic styles from around the world. This book is a great way to remember that all people around the world share a few fundamental rituals and emotions.
It’s easy to enjoy this book, even if you aren’t Christian or Jewish. It can be a wonderful resource for dealing with hard times or for portraying a sober message during happy times. I particularly like what it says about ancient world cultures.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, picture books, profound messages, poetry, Christianity, religious, Bible, Old Testament, religious, Judaism, Butterfly’s favorites
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