Phil A. Smouse

"I Love Ruthie", by Phil A. Smouse is a retelling of an Old Testament story of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. This retelling is smartly written in bouncy, active rhyme. The story centers around the relationship and trust between Ruth and Naomi when both their husbands dies. Both in a state of hardship, Ruth commits herself to looking after Naomi and ends up under the care of a rich distant relative. This story underlines love, faith, and provision.

In cross-referencing to the original show more bible story, I found that this original is a plausible testimonial and serious in tone. "I Love Ruthie" takes a different tone and perspective. This story in lively rhyme is still testimonial, like the the original story, and emphasizes the message of love and provision throughout the rhyme. I extremely enjoyed the rhythm of the story, and the illustrations helped advance the storyline with details that seem to have a rhythm on their own. A wonderful, wonderful piece of work. show less

*These are my thoughts of an ARC Excerpt copy* What a delightful little devotional for 3-5 year-old children! Before a child is able to read on their own they could enjoy this as a caregiver reads to them and/or just enjoy the pictures through out. Each page is filled with a verse, a sentence explanation in understandable terms and an image that shows what the word of God is portraying in that verse. I cannot wait to get a copy of this to share my little gal and I suggest that you look into show more it for you and yours! Coming, September 2009. show less

I read My Time with Grandma Bible Storybook in exchange for review from Tyndale Blog Network.

I wanted to read the book to my kids and great niece.

One of the first things, which stood out, was the stories are short. Most of the stories are between a 1/4 to 1/2 page long. At the bottom of each story, there is a Love note from Grandma. On the opposite page, there is a beautiful illustrated image and a love note from God.

Next, the book starts with God creating the earth and ends with the show more Resurrection.

The book is a great read for my munchkins. I can teach them about the bible without losing too much of their attention. I also love the graphics. My son kept pointing to the graphics on each page. show less

Phil A. Smouse does an excellent job of simplifiing Oswald Chamber's messages from his devotional "My Utmost for His Highest"!