The Work of Your Hand by Jennifer Hall Rivera

The Work of Your Hand
by Jennifer Hall Rivera

ISBN-13: 9781683441571
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Master Books
Released: November 30, 2018

Source: Bought.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Discover loops, arcs, whorls, and whys of God’s remarkable designs! Let your hands teach you more of what it is to be fearfully and wonderfully made.

There are special patterns on the skin of your hands and feet! These fingerprints and footprints are different for each one of us. Which Pattern Do You Have? God created three basic patterns: arch, loop, and whorl. A variety of these are found on each boy and girl. Now take a look at each pattern separately. Can you identify fingerprint patterns correctly?

Includes 23 pages of activity sheets for lots of fingerprint fun! Use non-toxic fingerprint ink pads.


My Review:
The Work of Your Hand is a book for kids about how fingerprints are unique and how to identify the different patterns. The first 21 pages of the book are a rhyming section telling about the 20 unique patterns found in fingerprints, how to spot them, and how our unique fingerprints point to God creating us. The last half of the book is activity pages. You use fingerprints with appropriate ink or paint (not included) to make art (plants, animals, vehicles, etc.). There's an area to put finger and footprints for one child. I'd guess that this book would most appeal to kids ages 5-8 just based on my own nieces, but the finger pattern information is useful even for adults. A younger child who doesn't mind 'big words' (as proper terminology is used) will also get something out of it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Behind the Scenes of the New Testament

Behind the Scenes of the New Testament
by Bruce W. Longenecker, Elizabeth E. Shively, and T. J. Lang, eds.

ISBN-13: 9781540964472
Hardcover: 544 pages
Publisher: Baker Academic
Released: November 5, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Drawing on the expertise of specialists in the areas of archaeological, historical, and biblical studies, this book provides concise treatments of a wide breadth of topics related to the world of the early Christ followers. The book offers compact overviews of key historical issues, facilitating enriched understandings of the significance and force of the texts of the New Testament in their original contexts.

Meant to be used alongside traditional literature-based canonical surveys, this one-stop introduction to New Testament backgrounds fills a gap in typical introduction to the Bible courses and is ideal for undergraduate or seminary classes. It is beautifully designed and includes photographs, line drawings, maps, charts, and tables, which will facilitate its use in the classroom.


My Review:
Behind the Scenes of the New Testament is a collection of 62 academic essays on the ancient world leading up to, including, and after the New Testament period. One of the assumptions of this collection is that the NT was largely (or perhaps totally) written after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., so these essays covered a much broader period than I expected. Some essay authors stated that we don't know who really wrote the NT books and that prophecies were written by people who knew what happened but were pretending Jesus predicted them ahead of time. The Bible was treated as just another ancient document, not divinely inspired.

The essay authors usually tried to fit the NT writings into the surrounding ancient culture. As in, after talking about how a Roman or Greek would have written a letter, the author pointed out that NT letters had certain elements of a proper letter but were lacking others (like Paul was trying and failed to meet this formula). Another essay talked about Roman ideals of masculinity and how the NT writers tried to portray Jesus as a hypermasculine Roman ideal even though Jesus didn't seem to fit that ideal. I felt like the scholars were trying too hard to fit the NT into Roman culture rather than acknowledging how Jewish culture was unique, and maybe the Jews didn't want to fit in completely with Roman ideals and culture.

Since the NT wasn't divinely-inspired truth about God, one essay tried to figure out why people from other cultures might add Jesus to the gods they worshipped or even give up their other gods. What social benefit might they have received? Most of the essays hardly referenced the actual NT but were on topics relating to that general time period. For example, one essay simply gave an overview of Greek and Roman schools of thought. The essays weren't intended to help a student of the Bible better understand the NT in its Jewish context but usually gave an overview of various topics, mostly focused on Roman culture. The essays were very academic in writing style, with references to their sources cited in the text and a list of sources at the end of each essay. While I learned more about Roman culture than I'd previously known, I didn't feel like I'd gained any true insights into the NT.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Easter Lamb Jesus by John Greco

The Easter Lamb Jesus
by John Greco

ISBN-13: 9780310152156
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Released: December 17, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In The Easter Lamb, the traditional Easter story takes on new significance as Jesus’s death and resurrection are explored through the events of Passover. Through child-friendly text and engaging illustrations that meaningfully connect these two important events, young readers will see how God has always cared for his children and that he had a plan for our salvation from the start.

On the night he was arrested, Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples during what we now call the Last Supper. Jesus knew he would soon have to die like the lambs who were sacrificed in place of the firstborn Israelites so that all of God’s children might live.

John Greco masterfully tells these two stories—Passover and Easter—in The Easter Lamb, weaving together their biblical symbolism and significance. You may have heard the Easter story before, but this unique take will deepen you and your child’s understanding of the holiday and explain how important the image of Christ as a lamb truly is.


My Review:
The Easter Lamb Jesus is a Christian kid's boardbook explaining the links between the Exodus Passover and Easter, showing why Jesus died (and rose) to save us. The author assumed the readers have some knowledge about the Passover and Easter events, so it's probably less impactful to kids with no biblical background. I liked how he linked the events, and he used words suitable for explaining things to young kids. The pictures were interesting to look at and illustrated the text, so kids will stop to look at them rather than rush through the book. Overall, I'd recommend this book to parents wanting to teach the salvation message to young kids.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.