I had the privilege of reviewing God’s Little Princess Devotional Bible: Bible Storybook by Sheila Walsh. From the moment that I requested this book, I excitedly watched the mail for it to arrive.
The book has a beautiful “princess” cover with crown and jewels. Our daughter fell in love immediately and wanted to show everyone. I was so excited to sit down and read together.
Bible – The book contains approximately 80 Bible stories and correlating scriptures. The text is taking from the International Children’s Bible. Simple to read and easy to understand. But, this book is not a Bible per se. Think of it more like an activity book of scripture, a short devo along with songs, plays, and activities to help reinforce the concept.
Devotional – For me, this word is a little deceiving. When I think of devotional, I imagined reading this book before bed with my daughter. This book would be better for morning Bible time or as a Mommy/Daughter activity time. A few props are suggested here and there that require a little prep work. There are several songs suggestions throughout that I would guess many will not know. This is disappointing as singing is a special time. It would have helped many if the Bible would have come with a CD so parents could familiarize themselves with the songs.
God’s Little Princess – The title is right on here. This book drives the point home page after page that your little girl is God’s precious child. She is beautiful and God loves her. Secondly, the book explains the difference between inner beauty that is eternal and external beauty that is fleeting.
The book is said to be recommended for girls age 4-7. I feel like the book would be better suited for ages 7-10. There are several “Take a Bow” sections in the book that are Bible plays written out to be acted by Mom and Daughter. These plays would be best if the daughter could read. The book also talks a lot about real beauty and mentions how a girl may feel some girls are prettier or smarter than they are. Hopefully preschool aged girls are not struggling with the “Hollywood” image of what is beautiful and smart.
Here is what I love about this book! – The Bible comes alive through the “Take a Bow” plays, activity times and devotions. Your little girl sees how God used godly women throughout the Bible to prepare the way for Jesus and further His Kingdom. I love how this book opens the door for a beautiful relationship between a Mommy and her daughter. Precious, precious times can come together when reading, acting, and singing the suggested things in this book.
What if my daughter is younger? Personally, this book is going to be put on the shelf for a while longer in our home. I want Sweet Pea to be a little older before we begin going through this together. But… that doesn’t mean this book is not going to be used right now. During Bible time now, I am going to be using some of these skits to tell our Bible story. I can either give the kids little parts or simply read the lines using flannelgraph, stick people, or Lego people. After each skit are wonderful review questions. If you are struggling to do the weekly Bible stories on ABCJLM, you need to get this book! You will be amazed at how it will open your eyes to opportunities.
What if I only have sons? The author, Sheila Walsh hasn’t left our your handsome prince!
God’s Mighty Warrior Devotional Bible is the boy equivalent to the Princess Bible.
Overall, the Princess Bible is a wonderful tool to have in your home whether you use it as a guide, for Bible time, or for Mommy/Daughter dates.
Available at Christianbook.com or Amazon
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.