A few years ago, when I was reading the Story of the World Volume 1 to my daughter, I read about the Minoan civilization and how their kids used to leap over bulls. I didn’t really make the connection then between the bull fighting of today and the Minoans of yesterday. After all, the Minoan civilization took place in the Greek area thousands of years ago, and bullfighting is in Spain today. Different location, different time.

I’ve been reading Gavin Menzies’ new book, The Lost Empire of Atlantis. He was the author of 1421, which is a really interesting book about his hypothesis that the Minoan civilization may have been an advanced civilization, and may be the city known as Atlantis. It’s a pretty interesting book so far.

The Minoan civilization, it seems, may have traveled outside of their local area, trading with Egypt, India, and even beyond. Menzies hypothesized that he traded with Spain. He also discusses evidence that the Minoans put bulls on their ships and took them to places like Spain, where there were natural resources to mine.

So if the Minoans were in Spain (among other places), and they brought their bull-leaping along with them, couldn’t it be possible that the custom of bullfighting and running with the bulls came from there? It is an interesting possibility.

Today, I updated my web site on Glenn Beck’s Most Recommended Books. It’s my most profitable web page, and I wish I had a dozen more like it (at least). I included an Amazon link to the book on the web site, along with a link to where people could download the book for free.

Is it bad business sense to drive away business? Perhaps. I don’t think so though. For one thing, it’s the right thing to do. If you’re paying for something that you can get for free, and you later find out that the book is free, would you feel good about going back to that web site? Maybe, maybe not.

Secondly, having an actual copy of a book is different than reading it on a computer screen (although maybe it’s different with the Kindle). I have bought books before that are in the public domain, just because it’s easier to thumb through and read. So people might decide to buy it after all.

Glenn Beck talked today about a time when people could be relied upon, and a handshake meant that you were going to do it. When people were honest. If we are going to make America that way again, we need to start with ourselves.

I make plenty of mistakes. I’ve been in the position where I couldn’t pay the car payment on time or paid late on the rent. We all are going to make mistakes and break our word from time to time. We should, however, try our best.

I was recently sent a copy of the Seasons of Faith book series, available from CBH ministries. If you’re a Christian and you have kids, you might be familiar with the company. They’re the people that do Down Gilead Lane and Keys for Kids.

The Seasons of Faith book series consists of four books, each representing a different season of our Christian life. There is a lesson in each book that kids can appreciate.

In the spring of our Christian life, we’re just learning about being a Christian, and life is exciting. In Racing Midnight, Becky is visiting her friend’s farm, and would like her friend to know Jesus too.

In the summer, we grow in God’s love. In You Can’t Come In, Zack learns that God won’t let sin into heaven, just like Mom won’t let a dirty, mud-covered boy into her clean kitchen.

In the fall, we make mistakes, but we learn of God’s forgiveness. In Seventy Times Seven, Brad learns that he needs to be forgiving… just like the unforgiving servant.

In the winter, the storms of life come. Thomás is upset because he’s been going through a difficult period of life… but then he realizes that to make it through, he needs to be rooted in God.

There are a lot of good reasons to like these books. For one, they present God’s lessons in ways that kids can understand. The illustrations are excellent. The characters are ethnically diverse, so they appeal to everyone.

Each of these books comes with a CD, where Uncle Charlie reads the book, and chimes tell the kids when to turn the page. I’ve read the book to my kids, and we’ve also used the CD. My kids are familiar with Uncle Charlie from listening to Keys for Kids in our car when he’s on. He’s a great reader, which is probably why his Keys for Kids series is so great. He also does a great job with these books.

These books are great for independent readers, kids who want to listen along with the CDs, and for parents to read to their kids. These would be great for families, Sunday Schools, and Christian day cares. I highly recommend them.

Choo Choo! All Aboard the Good News Express! I was sent a copy of The Cheerful Grump to review by the Passkeys Foundation. Just who is the Passkeys Foundation? They are trying to help kids build better character (and don’t we need a little more of that in these days? They offer grants to elementary schools to implement a character-building curriculum, have an essay contest for middle schoolers, and assist with mentoring (which kids undergoing difficult situations at home could really use). As far as I know, they seem to be a great organization, but do they have good products?

The Cheerful Grump is one of four stories from the Good News Express book series. The entire set of four can be purchased by the company for $20, or you can purchase books individually for $7.50. They accept credit, debit, and even Paypal (but not Discover Card).

So what do you get for your money? Well, just taking a look at Amazon.com prices for other hardback books (which is what you get), almost every book costs more than $7.50. Plus, the Good News Express books all come with a CD with the stories and songs. So you’re getting a pretty good deal, especially if you buy four for $20.

But is the book any good? The book is geared towards 3 to 5 year olds, but kids this age won’t be able to read it on their own, unless they’re headed for genius. The book has many two syllable names, and the name of one of the characters, Evangeline, is four syllables long. My seven-year old can read this book, however, and she keeps it in her room and reads it sometimes at night. I read this book to my three-year-old, and it kept him interested. So I would say that this book is something that many kids would enjoy.

Not only is the book good, but the book teaches about having a good attitude, even when things don’t go your way. Even adults can use that lesson from time to time. The main character, Bramwell, is excited for Card-Writing Day, where he could write beautiful cards with rhymes for all of his friends. Unfortunately, he trips and breaks his arm, and can’t write. Although his friends try to cheer him up, he cannot be consoled, because now he can’t write notes.

He ends up talking to someone else who is worse off than him, and he realizes that he doesn’t need to have a grumpy attitude, and that he can still make people feel better, even if he can’t write cards for a while.

The illustrations are cute and the book is generally well-written. The only thing that I would say could be improved in this book is that the six main characters aren’t really introduced well, although a child reading this book over and over again probably wouldn’t need that. I think that this book could use quite a few more than four books in the series too. I really like the concept of these books, and my kids enjoy it.

This book is well worth checking out. I think that kids through elementary school could enjoy this book. You will have to read this book to younger kids, but readers will probably want to take this and keep it with the rest of their library.

We all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare… a hare bragged about how fast he was, and decided to race a slow tortoise. Of course, the hare dawdles and then falls asleep in the middle of the race, and the tortoise ends up finishing he race first. Maestro Classics has remade the story of The Tortoise and the Hare to music. Maestro Classics makes quite a few of these CD versions of classic stories to music. Me and my daughter were sent a copy to review.

The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is about 21 minutes long. The CD also comes with additional information about the story and about the music, and encourages you to learn a little bit more about the music that plays in the background. After you listen to the information about the story, you are encouraged to listen to the story again.

While my daughter enjoyed listening to the story the first time, she didn’t really care for listening to it a second time. I think that she would enjoy the story more if she had listened to it for a second time on a different day. Being seven, my daughter sometimes has a low attention span.

These stories could have several applications. They could be used in a music appreciation class, or they would make good stories for preschoolers to listen to during quiet time, at home or in a day care setting. The stories are good for pre-readers that like to listen to books on tape as well.

Each book on tape comes with a little booklet with activities, like dot-to-dots and word scrambles. My daughter loves doing those.

I like how this story has a good moral to it, that it discourages pride, and encourages going on, even when it’s difficult. There are many stories out today that don’t offer these good values.

I was recently sent a copy of Sarah’s Wish by Jim Baumgardner. I have been reading it with my daughter, a chapter a night, on nights that we can find the time. We’ve been so busy, that we’re on chapter 12 or 14 (although I have to admit, I’ve peeked a little ahead). Although we’re not finished with the book yet, we have been really enjoying it.

Sarah’s Wish is a book that is set in 1858. I have read the American Girl Felicity books to my daughter, as well as the Little House on the Prairie books; although these books happen a few decades before or after Sarah’s Wish, the lives they lead are similar, so my daughter isn’t a stranger to the setting. Sarah is an orphan girl looking for a set of parents. She also has a secret: she has helped free slaves along the underground railroad.

I love this book for several reasons. First, it is an interesting storyline. You care about the characters. They are colorful, and the dialogue is interesting. Secondly, I love how it deals with historical topics of the time. Although I do teach history in school, and we are covering the time period prior to the Civil War in our American History portion of class (I spend the other half of our history time covering Medieval History), my daughter is more likely to be more interested in steamships and the underground railroad if she hears about it in a book. This book brings the time period, and some of the issues of the day, to life. I also like this book because it is a book of Christian values: the people go to church, and although the book isn’t preachy, the characters live Christian lives.

My daughter would like the next book in the series, Sarah’s Promise, for Christmas.

While Amazon.com doesn’t list the reading level for Sarah’s Wish, it does list the reading level for Sarah’s Promise, the next book in the series, at ages 9-12. The book is too difficult for my daughter to read on her own, but it is just about right for me to read to her.

So, will Sarah get her wish for a new family? I read ahead to find out, but I’m not going to tell you. You’ll have to read it for yourself if you want to know.

Nowadays, it can be hard to find good Christian publications. There still are many good children’s books out there, but you have to be careful. Some contain references to evolution as fact, place God’s creation above the creator, or have some other hidden secular agenda. The books that I had the opportunity to review from Guardian Angel Publishing were great. Although they were not all a perfect fit for my daughter at this time, they were trustworthy, promoting good values and learning. I found all of the books to be trustworthy and worth a read. If the other books from Guardian Angel Publishing are like these, they are well worth a look.

Hamster Holidays by Cynthia Reeg - This was an adorable little book about six hamsters celebrating holidays throughout the year. Although the book’s primary focus is to teach nouns and adjectives (the nouns are colored blue, and the adjectives are colored red), the book also teaches the months of the years. My daughter is starting to master the months of the year, and this book helps reinforce what she’s learning there. I love it when books do that. The book has great illustrations and uses memorable phrases (like “wet worms”). This book is great for elementary students.

Earthquake by Susan J. Berger - Earthquake is a great little science book. Earthquakes can be complicated things to describe, but this book breaks it down in a way that my 7-year-old can understand. The book comes with simple experiments that your kids can do. It includes interesting facts about earthquakes, tells kids how to prepare for an earthquake, tells them what to do when an earthquake happens, and tells them what to expect. Disasters like fires and earthquakes can be scary for young kids, so it’s nice that this book presents this information in an age appropriate way. The book even tells the kids what to do if they get scared. In the back of the book is a checklist that kids can use to prepare. My daughter went through a fire last year, so knowing that there are things that she can do to have some control over the situation is important.

Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair by Mary Jean Kelso - This is a nice story about a disabled boy who is in a wheelchair, but is showing a horse in the state fair. We find out at the end of the story that the horse is different too, as it has pink eyes. I love this quote from the story: “There’s something wrong with everybody. Just not all of it shows.” Kids can sometimes be mean to other kids that aren’t like them, and it’s nice that this book shows someone that is different in a positive way. My daughter was not able to read this story on her own yet, but she enjoyed listening to it. There are a lot of good illustrations in the book as well.

Stubby’s Destiny by Dixie Phillips - was one of our favorite books. It was about a little orphan donkey who didn’t think that he was important because he was just a donkey, not a magnificent stallion. We later see in the story that you don’t have to be considered important by the world’s standards to be important to God. Although Stubby doesn’t think that he’ll amount to anything, he ends up carrying the Lord on Palm Sunday. I thought that this was a great message to share with my daughter. God has a plan for us, even if we’re not the strongest, or the smartest, or considered important by many.

The Sum of Our Parts: No Bones About It… by Bill Kirk - is a story about all of your bones. It describes all of your bones in poem form, with factoids about your bones mixed in. With all the bone names, the book was a little difficult for my daughter. There were some funny pictures, but I think that she’ll be more ready for all the big words in the book in about a year or so.

If you’ve never heard of Guardian Angel Publishing and you’ve got kids, I urge you to check them out. They have some wonderful, family-friendly books that you can feel good about reading to your children.

With so much bad news in the world, it’s nice when I have something good to write about. One of those things that I have to write about is the Studypod by Genio. I was sent a Studypod last week, and my daughter immediately snagged it. We had to take a quick look at the instructions before she could use it, but she’s been using it every night since.

The Studypod is a book holder. It holds the book upright so that it will be easier to read. It also has arms that will hold the book open. If you’ve ever had to refer to a book while typing information into the computer, you probably could have benefited from a Studypod. The Studypod also keeps you from hunching over to read a book.

The Studypod is officially able to hold books that are 2 1/4″ thick. However, my daughter has been using it to read her children’s Bible at night, which is a little bit thicker than that. Since the Studypod arrived, my daughter has been reading in bed almost every night. Coincidence? You decide. I had to set a time limit to her nighttime reading, because she would continue reading so late that she wouldn’t wake up as early as I would have liked her to.

The Studypod is easy to use, and can be conveniently folded up to be carried around in backpacks. When folded, it is about the same size as a hardback novel. To use the Studypod, open it, swing the arm in the back of the holder to prop it up, lock it open, and then put your book on the Studypod. Use the arms to hold the book open. It takes a couple minutes to figure out, but once you do figure it out, even a seven-year-old can do it.

The Studypod comes in three colors: black, blue, and pink. If you visit their web site, you will notice that they also have a Bookpod that comes in different colors.

The Studypod comes with a little pouch that can hold pens, pencils, and other study supply, but it’s held on with Velcro, and for some reason, when my daughter returned it to me so I could write a review on the product, it wasn’t there. I suppose it is somewhere in my daughter’s room. Older children are probably less likely to lose it, and my daughter probably won’t need it.

If you want to try the Studypod, I have some great news. If you use the code TOSBLOG5 when you order, you can get $5 off. This means that you can get it for $14.95.

My daughter is certainly going to snag it back tomorrow. She loves it!

Hank the Cowdog is a dog that lives on a ranch. He has a younger dog pal, Drover, that he believes to be his junior partner. Hank thinks of himself as a super-security type of dog, but he tends to get himself into a lot of trouble more often than not.

Hank the Cowdog gets himself into a bit of trouble in this book, when he chooses to eat some food that he’s not supposed to eat. A dangerous one-eyed horse finds its way onto the ranch during this episode, at the same time that some visitors come over for the holidays. Will this dangerous horse hurt anyone? Will Hank and Drover do anything to stop them? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

These books have some great characters that both me and my daughter loved, and I’m sure that you will too. Hank thinks he’s the head of security for some military operation, and often talks with some creative or military-like phrases. Drover is a younger dog who usually follows Hank, but is not too bright. Little Alfred is a three-year-old who gets himself into a lot of trouble. Since my little boy is 2 1/2, he reminds me a lot of my little boy. Little Alfred gets into a lot of trouble being a rambunctious little boy, just like my little guy does. Sally May is the rancher’s wife, who sometimes gets a little frustrated with Hank when he gets into trouble.

Each of the 12 chapters is 10 pages long, and contains one picture. The book is still a little difficult for my seven-year-old to read by herself, but she enjoyed listening to the book as I read it to her. She hasn’t gotten to the point where she is able to read chapter books yet, but by the end of the upcoming school year, she will probably be able to read these books on her own.

I also had the opportunity to review the Hank the Cowdog Tornado game, but that is for another day.

For more information on Hank the Cowdog, visit Hank the Cowdog’s web site.

I’ve won before from some of the great sites that work with Bloggy Giveaways, and I wasn’t planning on hosting a giveaway until I had an idea… why not give away a copy of my husband’s wonderful book as a prize?

Walking With Angels Volume 1: Aural’s Gift is a book that details the story of a girl that can see into the spirit world… specifically angels and demons. I know that this book is purely fiction and a product of my husband’s imagination, but the tale he weaves is extremely plausable… it really changed my thoughts about how the world of the unseen could potentially work. Do saved people have angels that follow them around? What part do demons have in the physical world?

Well, in this book, the ability to see angels and demons wasn’t particularly a blessing. People start to think that Aural is a bit… nutty. Anyway, I won’t spoil the rest of the story, but if you would like a copy for free, just leave a comment on my blog telling me either who your favorite Christian author is, or why you would like to read this book.

I will have to add, some of this book might be disturbing to young children. It is not the kind of book I wouldn’t want my grandma or pastor reading… in fact, we have loaned this book out to people at my church, including the pastor, but some of the content is best read by older people. Here is a longer review that I wrote about the book.

We will probably end up shipping this straight out from amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com, otherwise I’d offer to have it autographed. If you really wanted an autographed copy, I could manage that but it would be smoke damaged due to the recent fire.

I will pick the winner randomly out of all comments received prior to 11:59 PM PDT on April 25th. Please only enter once or you will be disqualified. Also make sure that there’s an easy way to contact you… if you leave an email I’ll email you, if I can’t find one I’ll post a comment on your blog, and if you leave no email and no blog I’ll have to find another winner . US addresses only please. I’ll post the winner here next week, probably Monday or so.

Good luck! And be sure to visit here for more fabulous prizes!