As a young boy of sixteen, he was able to get a job on television doing puppets (marionettes).  This was a precursor to his evolution of creating/making his own puppets which he and his partner, Jane Nebel,  from a puppetry class created something called Muppets (a name blending puppets and marionettes).  Jane Nebel eventually became his wife and Muppets have taken a hold in the hearts of children and their families ever since.  Today, there is a whole industry of toys, movies, puppets, novelty items, clothing lines bearing the likeness of Muppets and so on.  In fact, there is a website called Muppet Central.

What I find fascinating is the perception held by both Jim Henson and most people of the pre-televised program of Sesame Street era is that puppets were merely for children.  Puppetry has the ability to entertain, teach, inspire both children and adults.  It took a trip to Europe to develop a respect for puppetry beyond its ability to entertain children.  In Europe he met people who loved puppetry and used it in a wide field to create awareness, to open dialogue and debates and used it in public ceremonies.  He threw himself into his art and created a whole new industry just by using his skills and talents and combined those with other like minded people.

Jim Henson’s puppets had personality and they influenced generations of learning and fun through characters like Big Bird, Oscar the grouch, Bert and Ernie, the Count, Miss Piggy and of course, Kermit the Frog.  Interesting fact, Jim had a real life friend with the name of Kermit.    Public television was now being used in a way similar to teaching techniques in pre-school programs around the nation.   These puppets have become dear friends to generations that have grown up with Muppets as companions to their childhood…and Jim Henson & his co-workers are to be appreciated; this book helps us to do that.

The pictures in this book are fun and colorful.  It is an interesting read for both parent and child.  Written by Kathleen Krull and the paintings in the book were done by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher; the book was published by Random House and copyrighted in 2011. 

Tom was placed into foster care because his Aunt Donna & Uncle Roy found the courage to report the erratic parental care that infant Tom was experiencing.  His parents would drop him off here and there and neglect to pick him up at the times that they agreed to.  At one year of age, he became a foster child because his aunt and uncle found the strength of character to endure family censure by reporting the situation to the proper authorities.  Tom expresses his gratefulness to them for doing so…even though he suffered greatly in multiple foster homes until he came to the place where his body and soul were nurtured.  His life story actually proceeds with joy and gratefulness.

The Watson foster home was Tom’s saving grace.  God appointed guardian angels and guidance counselors, they persevered with young Tom helping him to see that the choices one makes in life has a direct correlation to the outcome of that person’s life. 

I have a strong admiration for the calling that the Watsons had in fostering young children.  My husband and I were foster parents for over 18 years.  I know the challenges, and the rewards, that fostering can bring; not only for the children placed into care, but into those very foster families who make room in their hearts for the neediest and most vulnerable human beings on the planet…children who are unable to protect themselves from abuse and neglect so horrendous that it has the ability to alter their lives forever.  Foster care can also be an amazing opportunity to affect someone’s future forever in a positive and encouraging way. 

Tom’s growth as a person of integrity, love and faith was no accident.  He lives a positive intentional life filled with faith in Jesus Christ.  The individuals who poured time, energy and wisdom into him were saying that he was worth it…that they knew he would become a person of value.   People who invested in Tom’s nurturing are sprinkled throughout Tom’s book; their efforts were intentional.  This is a legacy that is worth reading, absorbing and passing on to others.

Tom doesn’t gloss over the losses in his life, the challenges or the mistakes that he has made.  On the other hand, he doesn’t wallow in the dark places…he acknowledges them and speaks of overcoming those challenges.  I like the mantra that Tom chooses to live by:  “Life is short.  Enjoy it, do something good for the world and love your family”.  Those are some words of wisdom passed down to him by his “father” Mr. Watson. 

Do yourself a favor and read this book…be moved by laughter, tears and the inspiration to enjoy life and to do something good while loving your family.  This is a great book of inspiration…every day in some way, shape or form you have the power to positively impact the lives of others…you will be blessed in a way you’d never expect by choosing to live this way; intentionally.  

Would you like to learn more about Tom Watson and his book?   This is his website address:  Man Shoes  Drop by and tell him that Rainy at  Book In Review sent you…or, if you would be so kind as to “like” his fan page you can follow him on Facebook click here:  Tom’s Facebook Fan Page 

I do need to tell you that I received a review copy of this book in exchange for a review…however, that did NOT guarantee a positive review.  The contents of this book are what ignited my positive review.  I truly loved this book.  It is beautifully created too; the hardcover has a lovely photograph of a father and his child.  The paper pages used are top of the line…and even the end covers show a classy choice in a beautiful blue color.  This book truly was designed with love…it even has a ribbon page marker attached to help you keep your place; if you happen to put the book down before you finish reading it. 

The Missouri river had to be carefully navigated because of the shallowness in some places and because of the debris in the water in other areas…this was not the only danger.  Steamboats themselves had the potential for fires and explosions…not to mention, gamboling and violence by those very passengers who had little to do while they traveled.   You had to be prepared to make many stops to find wood sellers who could keep the steamships supplied in enough wood to keep the boilers operating or the steamers would become disabled on the river.  Today, we take travel for granted…but to those who had limited choices in getting to their points of destination…traveling the Missouri river was a necessity.

Murders that took place both before the steamship took off, and once the trip was underway, needed to be solved for the well-being of those said passengers.  How did Captain Culpepper and his crew protect the passengers and get to the bottom of the crimes that were taking place?  This is a story that David E. Unruh tells with style and grace, weaving into the plot little tidbits about steamboat travel; and a time, in our nation, when law and order were still being defined.  This book was copyrighted in 2011 and published by Avalon Books.

What happened to their son because of the delay in getting the truth of the injury is not only horrific…but can be considered criminal in some cases.  In fact, protective services does get involved.  In the meantime, throughout the story…both the mother and father are questioned several times over by protective service workers as well as medical staff; as their son lay in the intensive care unit with a quickly swelling brain.  There is severe damage done to the young child while the doctors are trying to figure out what is wrong with the four month old child.  When Brenda finds out the horrible truth that the father dropped the child on accident…but discovers that the father didn’t tell the whole truth…she is devastated.

She is praying constantly for her child.  If only they had known…they may have been able to intervene sooner to prevent some of the damage caused by the swelling brain.  They son and their whole family is affected forever.  Eventually, their marriage does not stand strong in the face of this tragedy and many other challenges that they faced.  They divorce only after having a second child.  Brenda becomes a single mother of one special needs child and one healthy child.  She becomes a proactive advocate for her special needs child in the area of his education and medical care.

She goes back to school after having to leave the Marine Corps that she had committed herself to.  She becomes a registered nurse, caring for her patients, her children and struggling financially.  She has the support of her family…but must move a ways away from them to find a job to support her children.  Eventually she meets a young man who is, at that time, considered a ladies man and a good time joe football player.  Kurt Warner has big dreams of playing for the NFL.  They start a relationship.  They are at somewhat differently places spiritually…and that impacts the growth of their relationship as Brenda feels that a big part of the failure of her first marriage is because she was alone in her faith.

Together, they find their way through the deaths of Brenda’s beloved parents to a severe tornado, through financial difficulties, through long hours of schooling and long distance relationship issues.  Eventually, we learn of the challenges of a sudden change in circumstances due to Kurt being accepted into the NFL and the financial freedom that this brings.  The learning of having to put up boundaries for those who would make demands on them because of their wealth or their status.

Underneath it all is Brenda’s desire to give back to single mothers who are struggling.  The media picks at Brenda’s looks and actions as an NFL wife; this can be hard on a person’s self esteem.  Throughout it all…Brenda and Kurt’s faith is growing…changes are being made internally and externally.  Eventually, they become the parents of 7 children…and the book makes for an interesting read.   The message comes through loud and clear, human beings can let you down…but God is there in your life through the good times and the bad…waiting to help you meet those challenges and bring you closer to him.  Brenda and Kurt discover that living by God’s rules makes life gets better and more productive.  They were intimate before marriage and once they face the fact that God doesn’t endorse premarital sex…they stop having a sexual relationship to honor that until after they wed.  The book is inspirational for young single mothers, fathers trying to do right by their families and for everyone who has ever felt that they were going through life’s challenges alone.

The book was copyrighted in 2011 and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.  Just to be fair…I need to let you know that i received a copy of this book from:   Booksneeze .   Receiving the review copy of the book in no way guaranteed a positive review.   Thanks for visiting!

We the readers have followed this journey…with each book believing that we are going to finally learn what really happened to Bonnie.  Iris got me with this novel, Quinn.  I believed as I made progress in the book that I would learn the truth of the story.  In the end…I will have to read the final novel in the triology, Bonnie.  I certainly hope we get answers by the end of that book.  After all…I have invested years into the history of Eve & Quinn and young Bonnie and all of the other cast of characters.

Iris Johansen does a wonderful job of portraying the never ending grieving that takes place when a child goes missing in a family.  What hooks you about this storyline is that all along…Eve is determined to find her daughter.  She helps others along the way in her quest to the final truth and resting place of her beloved Bonnie.  It is not that Eve doesn’t connect with others…but her focus never wavers.   Her answers have been delayed for years but she has faith that she will know someday where Bonnie is and exactly what happened to her child.

Quinn was copyrighted in 2011 and published by Johansen Publishing LLLP.  For information contact:    St. Martins

Gabby Fairbanks starts rebuilding her life at work and by establishing a new home for her sons.  Her husband gets addicted to gamboling and starts loosing…owing money to some very unsavory characters who threaten him and eventually cause him bodily harm.  Phillip the husband has backed himself into a corner financially by borrowing money from his business without his partners knowledge.  He owes the loan sharks, his mother…and his business alot of money that he can not pay back.   As he is severely injured from an encounter from the loan sharks enforcers…he can’t work, he can’t take care of himself and he has no one to depend on …but his wife.  The same wife that he showed no mercy to months ago when he kicked her out of their home.  Gabby the wife is a Christian…one who is conflicted about her role as a soon to be ex-wife…but one who is struggling with compassion for her husband and a desire to continue to rebuild her life.

She works with homeless women in a shelter and has discovered a passion for helping women get back on their feet.  She has a decent home with her sons…but she feels compelled to help her husband.  Her friends and co-workers get involved as well as some of the women she has helped along the way.  The book really is about God’s power to give restoration to those who seek it in their lives.  Although the plot is a bit predictable in one area…it really does a very fine job of depicting the struggles that a Christian feels in finding their way through the word of God, encouragement from their church family and friends and the power of prayer.  Learning to trust God in times of challenge is the real story behind all of the back story in this novel…Gabby, her husband Phillip and even many of Gabby’s friends learn that God cares about what they are going through…and he even has them covered.

I enjoyed this book very much.  It was written by Neta Jackson and is a Yada Yada House Of Hope novel.  It was published by the Thomas Nelson publishers and copy written in 2011.

This desire to honor Jesus with a gift starts a whole chain reaction of gifts that Ronnie bestows on others simply by taking action.  I love the fact that Francis Chan has written a book illustrating the fact that God can use each of us to achieve powerful, and helpful things; no matter our age.  This is not a lesson that the world teaches our children.  The world says take all that you can get and whine for more, Christian teachings says give, bless others and communicate the love of God.

Francis Chan is a pastor and a speaker who is known nationally and internationally.  He lives what he preaches by serving those that God calls us to serve…those who are hurting, those who are poor and those who do have not learned of Jesus and his sacrifice.  By writing this book, Francis Chan has brought that message to the children of the world.  He has done that in a way that speaks to their hearts and their minds and encourages them to think of ways to serve others that they find in need.  This opens their eyes to those people with hurts and needs in their everyday life…people they know and the random people that God puts in their path.

This particular children’s book was illustrated by Jim Madsen.  His illustrated drawings are colorful and help to evoke a perfect emotional response to the words telling the story.   The colors are beautiful and the character’s body language and facial expressions add layers of meaning to the story of giving and receiving.  Combining the artistic visuals that Jim Madsen provides, along with the teaching that Francis Chan instills with the story of Ronnie Wilson’s Gift was a perfect pairing of talents.

Both children and their parents will enjoy this book.  The values that it encourages, the teaching of the foundational idea of us being the hands and feet of Jesus here on Earth and the realistic character of Ronnie is a good way to open dialogue between children and their caregivers about how best to serve the Lord in their daily life.

It is easy to recommend this book to my readers.  I think that this book would make a wonderful gift for those children in your life that you have the privilege of teaching and inspiring to acts of giving and helping others to understand the love of God.

I have to say that I won this particular book as one of 5 winners on a giveaway here:  Parent Life Online thanks to the publisher David C. Cook .   I was not obligated to give a review or to say that the book was great…EVEN though it IS great.  Thank you to Parent Life Online and to David C.  Cook for the opportunity to win this book and read a book that shines a light on such a wonderful book of faith building, for children and their families.

This movement called New Atheism is much more aggressive in their attempts to discredit the belief in God or those who live a life of faith; according to Alister McGrath.   He has debated some of the most well known atheists in society and has somewhat of an insiders view as to their approach to make their views known to the masses.

I found his chapters on violence, reason and science to be very interesting.  It would seem that, as in most organizations or movements, there are fractions of mindsets in how to move forward promoting their ideas and goals of creating awareness of their position as atheists.  Different approaches bring about different results when it comes to swaying public opinion.   It would seem that some approve the more militant approach through social media, online forums and through legal channels.   How successful those attempts are seem to be in dispute.  Alister McGrath notes that the changes and public perceptions of those known as atheists in the past are very different from those of the New Atheism.  He refers to a trend of a more confrontational style of debate in the New Atheism movement.

The idea of science as proof of an absence of God is not new…however, Alister McGrath and many others who are well versed in the subject feel that with many new scientific discovers in recent years…that there is room for science on both sides of the issue of whether God exists or not.   A belief in the value of science does not preclude a denial of the existence of God.

I found the book interesting…and yet, I struggled at times with understanding some of the information.  I think it is very interesting to read about differing points of views.  I think it takes a skilled person to debate the whole subject and while this book is basically what I would consider an overview…it does offer a window into the subject.   The book does not offer the end all of topics to win each and every discussion for either side of the conversation about whether God exists or not…but it does help to put the shoe on the foot of someone who has a different position than I may have.  It is a book that is fairly short…but requires quite a bit of focus and concentration to absorb in my opinion.  Definitely worth reading, but not an easy sit down, read, and pick back up where you left off kind of book.

Just to be fair…I need to let you know that i received a copy of this book from:   Booksneeze.   Receiving the review copy of the book in no way guaranteed a positive review.   Thanks for visiting!

This book review of, Where Did My Good Mood Go is about an educational children’s picture book on emotion written by Ava Parnass and illustrated by Kate Kaminski.  The illustrations are colorful and uplifting.  This helpful as the subject matter is all about a child trying to find a positive mood. 

Ava writes for young children who are struggling with their emotions and their behaviors.  She has created a character in this story called Mushy.   Mushy is a magical book online who helps kids understand their feelings.   The illustration of Mushy is open and friendly.  The idea behind Mushy is to have a trusted friend who helps a child understand their emotions and behaviors and to adjust them accordingly by opening the door to processing why they are feeling the way they do.  Many times children feel alone…as if they are the only ones to ever feel the way that they do.  After reading this book, I think that they will come to see that emotions can come and go without getting stuck in a destructive mode.

I think this works well in this book, Where Did My Good Mood Go.  I believe the book will empower young children (and the adults who care for them) to see that they are the only ones in charge of how they handle challenges, as they come along.  Mushy explains that everyone has bad days now and then.  Mushy also encourages communication between adult and child to help foster supportive words and actions.  I think young families will find this book helpful and enjoyable at the same time.

Ava has been a family psychotherapist for over 15 years.  She believes strongly in helping to develop healthy relationships through communication between parents and children.  Her books and her music are all about building up the healthy foundation of a child.   If you are interested in learning more about Ava and her books & products you should visit her website:  www.ListenToMePlease.com  Make sure to tell her that you learned about her through Book In Review.  I do need to tell you that I received a review copy; but that in no way guaranteed a positive review of her books or products.   I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Ava and her company…and that the children in your life are the recipients of her efforts to bring healthy and happy into their everyday experiences. 

It is a total pleasure to do a book review of this children’s book, Listen To Me Please, because it is a book that you can read with your child and reap the benefits of a deeper personal relationship with your child.  Ava Parnass co-wrote the book with Dr. Ron Taffel.  Kate Kaminski was in charge of the illustrations and the book production process.  The end result is a book filled with colorful graphics, heartwarming visuals and parenting tips that will help the reader to navigate many of the pitfalls that parents and children fall into when challenges arise.

Open ended conversation starters allow valuable communication to help both parent and child to understand each other’s words and actions better, which can only help to improve the relationship on both ends.  Starting out by focusing on the positive aspects of any given situation helps keeps the conversation proactive when it comes to problem solving.

I like the fact that the book gives the child permission to have a voice.  Too often children are told to be quiet, sit down, and keep out of the way by the adults in their life.  It is easy for a child to become overwhelmed when they do not feel valued or heard when they are upset, angry, or anxious about the things affecting them daily.  A child that feels heard and validated emotionally is a child that is more open to instruction and guidance. That alone should help to eliminate many of the negative behaviors that parents often feel powerless to stop or control.

Listen To Me Please would be great as a baby shower gift, a birthday gift, or just as a way to encourage parents and children to grow and learn together.  You can learn more about Listen To Me Please and the authors and discover where to purchase the book by going to their website here: www.ListenToMePlease.com .