A gardener's journal

Approximately 5"x7" in size, this small spiral-bound journal is perfect for serious gardeners or even casual gardeners like me who can't ever remember where they planted what nor all the various chores that needs to be done each season.  I don't know about you, but there are always garden chores I forget about until the problem is rearing its ugly head and sometimes that is simply too late.

The book is divided into season with a list of chores that need to be completed, several journal pages to make your own notes for each of the five years this journal contains, as well as several pages of graph paper to map out your garden as you tuck in new plants or revise as others die out.  Without a doubt, the most helpful for me will be the list of chores.  Plant markers can (but don't in my world) mark where you plant perennials and a simple notebook can serve as a gardening journal but how nice to have the chore list, notes, and garden plans all in one place.  The book claims to be "waterproof" but I would consider it more water resistant.  The cover is coated so that a splash or mist will allow the water to be wiped away but the pages themselves could easily be damaged with more intense water drops or sprays.

Several interesting appendices are contained including one on composting, container gardening, pruning and more.  Each topic also contains suggested websites (somewhat a dangerous undertaking in my opinion since websites move and are sometimes not kept current but many of them are .edu sites adding to their credibility and increasing their chances of still being maintained in 5-10 years), as well as suggested books for further reading.

I can't wait to put this book to use this spring and think it a perfect birthday gift for my gardening friends.  It is small enough to fit in a tote, sturdy and I like that it has an elastic band closure to keep it from flopping open yet is spiral bound allowing it to lay flat.  I even love the vintage illustration on the front. 

I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to write a positive one.

Telling the story of Easter through nature

Since the beginning of time, nature has announced the presence of God.  One need only look at a sunrise, the new birth of spring, or the intricate ways in which nature works together to have at least somewhat of an understanding that something greater than themselves is at work.

When my children were much younger, I remember seeking out the books that helped me explain God's existence and work in our lives.  A couple of the stories in this treasury were among those books.  While none of the stories are particularly Biblically or even scientifically based, they are sweet stories that can be used as a jumping off point to talk about the true meaning of Easter.  As presented in the title, the stories may be based more on folklore and legends yet bring us into the Easter story.  For example, were Easter eggs initially used as a symbol of Easter to represent the stone at the tomb and Jesus' breaking out of the tomb as chicks to as represented in The Legend of the Easter Egg?  Where did the legend originate that the robin's breast is red to represent Jesus' blood which is the basis of The Legend of the Easter Robin?  And last but not least, who hasn't heard the multiple ways in which the sand dollar represents Christ from the "star" on the top to the small dove-like pieces hidden inside as the children are told in The Legend of the Sand Dollar?

While each of these stories are written by different authors, it is the beautiful illustrations in each created by Richard Cowdrey that ties them all together.  Personally, I find the artwork the best part of the book.

Hard bound in one volume, The Legends of Easter Treasury is a beautiful collection.  I would recommend for home rather than church use for children ages 4 or 5 through perhaps 8 or 10.  Again, I think the best use of the book is as a springboard for further parental discussion about Easter.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to write a positive one. 

Learn to count board book

Elephants, bears, lions, monkeys and more go through their nighttime routine and count the stars that appear in their window as they brush their teeth, get in their pajamas, say their prayers, and receive their goodnight kiss in the new book by Deb Gruelle. 

On the positive side, it is a softly padded, durable board book so what is not to love?  So very durable in the hands of little ones.  A second big advantage to this book is that it provides opportunity to teach your child to count to ten using the bedtime routine they can all relate to or to begin establishing the bedtime routine.  The cute whimsical animals will capture a child's attention and the fact that Gruelle used such a variety lends itself to teaching the names of animals as well.

The variety brings me to my only "complaint" and I use that term very loosely because it isn't really a complaint.  Having a different room and animal on each page just caught me off guard as I was expecting to find only the elephants on the front to follow through the story.

I would recommend this book for ages 1 to 4 because of the brevity of the book which is perfect for short attention spans as well as the fact that many children are counting well beyond ten at the age of 4.  In my opinion board books such as this one are a welcome addition to a newborn library and make a perfect baby gift, one that will last far belong the cute little outfits.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and am in no way obligated to write a positive one.