God, the Great I AM by Sydney Ann Johnson

God, the Great I AM
by Sydney Ann Johnson,
Thais Mesquita Silveira Cunha (Illustrator)

ISBN-13: 9781640704169
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Our Daily Bread Publishing
Released: February 3, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
I AM...
I am the God of gods and Lord of lords, and my love will last forever
I created you for a reason, with a special purpose


God, The Great I AM is a love letter from God’s heart to yours. Through lyrical language and vibrant imagery, Sydney Ann Johnson invites you and your child to explore who God is, what He does, and how much He cares for you. This beautifully illustrated picture book helps children ages 4 to 8 see God’s beauty in creation and feel His presence in their everyday lives. Whether your child is feeling joy, fear, sadness, or wonder, they can turn to the Great I AM with confidence. With diverse characters and gentle truths woven throughout, this story encourages every child to embrace their God-given identity and find comfort in His never-ending love. Scripture is included in the back to help parents and caregivers further explore the Bible with children.


My Review:
God, the Great I AM is a Christian nonfiction, exploring who God is for children ages 4 to 8. The book follows two girls (black, asian) and two boys (white). While the title says who is speaking, the text in the book just says "I am..." The text listed things God created and controls and explained only He can create out of nothing. That He has always existed and never changes. He's the giver of all good things and all He does is good. He makes plants grow and season's change. He wants us to talk to Him about anything. He's everywhere at once and keeps watch over you. He designed how various things look and work, including "I shaded people in magnificent varieties of brown, with melanin in every hue." He created us and how we look, and "Before the beginning of time, I knew you."

"I created you for a reason with a special purpose: to reflect my image--bright, creative, and compassionate. To care for my world--the big and small. To bring honor to my holy name." "I will be your helper and your friend, your God and your Savior. Place your hope in me and I will show you I AM who I AM."

The illustrations are stylized rather than more realistic in style. They illustrated what's being talked about in the text. Overall, I'd recommend this book.




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.

Draw Close to Jesus by Heidi Chiavaroli

Draw Close to Jesus
by Heidi Chiavaroli

ISBN-13: 9780800746544
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: January 20, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
It is hard to imagine a more needed and desirable invitation than "come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The Gospel accounts are full of stories of Jesus noticing, meeting, and walking alongside people who were weary, worried, and wondering what to do about the challenges they faced. People a lot like you. Jesus intentionally drew close, spent unhurried time with them, and changed their lives forever.

Through imaginative retellings, Heidi Chiavaroli brings to life the stories of 40 people who encountered him in the pages of Scripture. As you journey alongside them, you will gain new appreciation for the beauty of repentance, the power of redemption, and the incredible intimacy we get to experience with the One who stepped into our sin and shortcomings to offer forgiveness, abundance, and rest for our weary souls.


My Review:
Draw Close to Jesus is a 40 day devotional for Lent built around "imaginative retellings" of people who encountered Jesus in the New Testament. Each day started with the fictional account, written in first person present tense ("I cry"). After this, the author suggested some questions or comments to ponder, followed by a short prayer. She also included the Bible verses that inspired her story.

My main problem was that the author sometimes didn't stick to what's told in the Scriptures. For example, She had Judas leading Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus when the Gospels do not mention Romans, only Jews: "chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders." She had Jesus leave all but three of his disciples outside of Gethsemane while the Gospels portray them as in the garden with Jesus and Jesus withdrawing 'about a stone’s throw beyond them.' And so on.

The author also sometimes got too imaginative. For example, she described Gethsemane as a garden of fruit trees, with Jesus sitting under a fig tree with pomegranate trees nearby. "Gethsemane" means "an oil press" and is on the Mount of Olives, but she departed from the traditional view that the garden largely held olive trees. Also, she described leprosy as an intensely painful disease where the flesh literally rotted off the body and involved a fever (so an infection) that caused death. This is not what leprosy (now called Hansen's disease) is like.

The author also didn't seem to know some basic facts, like she gave a person "linen robes" and another person a "flax tunic." But linen is cloth made from flax. In another place, she stated that newborn lambs were sacrificed on "its eighth day of life," but (when the age is mentioned), lamb sacrifices were to be one year old. And some things just didn't seem normal for the culture, like she had James think that the smell of Passover lambs roasting over the fire was a "foul odor" when they would have considered it a festive treat.

While some of the stories were well-written and drew out good points, I can't really recommend the devotional due to the amount of creative license the author took.


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 Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts by Beth Guckenberger

The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts by Beth Guckenberger

ISBN-13: 9780830786015
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: David C Cook
Released: February 3, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The party looks so fun! Full of party food, games, and people! But one little cowboy is uninvited and oh-so-unhappy. Bad thoughts threaten to carry his heart away, but God helps him learn to lasso those thoughts with thankful prayers. See how the power of gratitude can help us all fight off envy and discontentment with hope and joy.

Parents and teachers looking for ways to help kids navigate big feelings will love the StrongHeart Stories, a series of illustrated spiritual tales by Beth Guckenberger and Irina Mileo. In The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts, based on 2 Corinthians 10:5, children learn how to be thankful for the good all around them instead of being carried away by negativity. Let’s train an emerging generation to grow strong hearts and sound minds and be free from the power of the enemy!


My Review:
The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts is a children's hardback picture book about combatting bad thoughts with God's truth and with gratitude. A young boy (and his heart) sees kids having fun at a party that he wasn't invited to, and negative thoughts start to ruin his mood. "'People are mean and the world is bad. There's absolutely no good thing to be had. Everyone has better, bigger, and more. What have YOU got to be thankful for?' But the heart knew these rumply thoughts were not true." The heart then repeats Scripture (in a kid-understandable version and with the Bible reference provided) to counter these and other arguments, like "You are not wanted" or "You mess up everything." It's a wonderful, child-level guide to taking every thought captive (lassoing it) and focusing on what is true and good. I'd highly recommend this fun, important kid's book.


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.