Not Precisely Mr. Knightly (The Silver Teapot #2) by Carolyn Miller

ISBN: 9798891513303
Barbour Publishing
Paperback | $14.99 USD 

My thoughts:  After a very "slow read" start of this story, on about page 150 the story seemed to gain life and interest. I really attribute this inability to progress through the life and times of a young technology industry and creator of a dating app (a place online where folks put themselves on the market looking for someone with whom to socialize or date) to my own inert interest in dating apps and other such tools and communities on the internet. Is this the world we live in today? Sadly, it is so. But I digress. Back to the story......

As the story progresses, we meet two extended families who have known each other and socialized in their homeland of Australia throughout the childhood and school days of our primary characters - EJ, precisely named Emma Jane, and Jordan. The author is modeling the modern characters and storyline loosely along the lines of Jane Austin's stories. 

Jordan and EJ are both church attending Christians who let God lead them in their actions, choices, and daily living. Jordan seems to be the most dedicated Christian; and EJ has a real yearning for the glitz, glamour, plenty, and richness of affluent, successful living. She hopes that the dating app she and Jordan have jointly created with be her ticket into this rich world.

The dating app is about to go public; and in the tech world, this means opening it up for major investors and stockholders. This is where the richness of technology really antes up.  

And a rich investor enters the scene, Eric, who begins to wedge himself and his rich living and loose-living into that of sweet young EJ. 

Jordan worries. 

EJ is bedazzled. Eric is a charming sleaze. And a lot is on the line here - the dating app and more importantly, EJ's spiritual life.

The story is not precisely my cup of tea from start to finish since the tech world is not that interesting to me. But the story is a good one of redeeming faith. Right choices. Avoiding pitfalls, etc. Good families living good lives.

I can and do recommend.

About the book: Can the Matchmaker Find True Love?

Emma-Jane (EJ) Bennett and Jordan Knight are longtime best friends who codesigned the immensely successful dating app, Dream Match. Success starts to go to EJ's head when she gets caught up in the famous and money-hungry social circles and starts dating the son of a TV mogul. But Jordan's feelings have grown from friendship to more. He determines to protect her by exposing Eric Churchill for the two-timer he is, finally agreeing to attend a function with her at the Sydney Opera House. But his best intentions go awry when EJ is embarrassed and runs for the security of home, small-town roots, and The Silver Teapot Café, feeling like Jane Austen's chastised Emma--only without her Mr. Knightley.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. 

Guess How Much I Love You, Dad!: Father's Day Gift Edition by Sam McBratney & illustrated by Anita Jeram (Ages 2 to 5)

As Father's Day approaches, Moms around the World are looking for little gifts for their little ones to give "Dad"  on his special day. What better way to teach the art of giving to young children than to help them give to their Dad and to show love to the one who provides and protects?!?

ISBN: 9781536251845
Hardcover $16.99 USD

My thoughts:  In this new book that is now a lovely addition in the "Guess How Much I Love You" collection of children's books, Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare (Dad) have a conversation where they try to measure in a variety of ways just how big their love is for the other.

Of course, since Big Nutbrown Hare is much bigger than Little Nutbrown Hare, this is absurd as his measures are always much greater or bigger. But they persist. Until..... Little Nutbrown Hare says "...to the moon--and back."

This sweet book comes with its own gift card and wrapping paper. So Mom and the little one are all set for the big day when they show Dad "how much I love you."

About the book: The perfect gift for Father’s Day, with the beloved book, a card, and gift wrap all in one elegant package!

Solve all your Father’s Day gifting needs in one go with this stylish and convenient present! This special hardcover gift edition of the parent-and-child classic Guess How Much I Love You comes with a beautiful card and elegant blue wrapping paper, ready to gift for Father’s Day.

Guess How Much I Love You is an international bestseller and family favorite known for expressing love so big it can’t be measured. What better way to celebrate the father figure in your life than by telling him you love him—right up to the moon and back!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy from Candlewick Press Publishing to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

The Sacred Thread is now available to stream on Angel.

 

The Sacred Thread is a cinematic documentary series exploring the Lord’s Prayer through the historical, cultural, geographical, and literary world in which Jesus first spoke it. Hosted by Brad Gray and featuring insights from scholars including N.T. Wright, the series takes viewers across biblical landscapes to uncover the deeper meaning and context behind one of the most well-known prayers in Scripture.

Through cinematic storytelling and accessible scholarship, the series invites audiences to see Scripture with fresh eyes and rediscover the richness, depth, and relevance of the Biblical text.

The Sacred Thread is now available to stream on Angel.

#TheSacredThreadMIN & @streamingonangel

Understanding the People, Places, & Things in the Bible - "The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids" [Review & Lifeway Giveaway Bundle]

 

Click Here to Purchase - $24.99 SRV
ISBN: 9798384532330
Holman Bible Publishers

About the Dictionary: The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids is intentionally designed to accompany the ECPA award-winning CSB Explorer Bible for Kids. ​​

Within its engaging, full-color pages, kids will interact with over 750 common Bible terms paired with concise definitions to enhance their understanding of the people, places, and things of the Bible. Fascinating images, illustrations, maps, and reconstructions are featured throughout to increase comprehension and help kids apply key terms and truths of the Bible. ​

This unique reference resource is perfect for use at home, church, or school and created to grow with your kids as they grow in Christ.​ 

My thoughts: Summer isn't just time for splashing in the pool, soaking in the sun, or whacking a ball out of the park time for kids. It means "down time" and time just being a kid. But kids still need tools at hand that will engage their minds so they don't get a case of brain-rot over the summer.   

Sometimes kids just want to kick back, lie down on the floor, prop up on a pillow and indiscriminately read through a dictionary or similar reference work. Surprised? Don't be! Kids are more real-information-oriented than you'd imagine. Short blips of information, and in a children's edition - the pictures, give them just the amount of chill-time information they want at that particular time. Unknown to them, they are also learning, educating themselves, and storing bits of information in their divinely given brain that has a huge amount of room for storage. 

Sometimes, we as parents, grandparents, educators, and theologians want to sit the children down with text books, Bibles, and dictionaries and give assigned tasks designed to educate them. We should also provide the means for some quiet, self-directed perusal of books so children can personally and quietly glean for themselves the treasures tucked away in the quiet turn of a page.

All these occasions are perfect times to have a copy of The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids on hand. Yes, I said, "Dictionary." This volume with attention snaring illustrations, colors that please the senses, information bits about interesting people, places and things are all neatly organized and presented. The dictionary will be a welcome addition to the homeschool library and the homes of those who attend private, parochial, or public schools. 

In today's world of technology, with computer, laptop, ipad, or phones on which we have billions of bits of data stored and available to us with a simple "click," few people think of a book - a "dictionary" - as a tool for learning. But a book filled to the brim with illustrations, colorful pages, snippets of information (definitions) all organized with easy-to-find information is a vastly important tool for learning. And kids can and do enjoy these books.

This is a great introductory Bible Dictionary to acquaint kids with the skill of seeking further information and descriptions of people, places, things in the Bible to aid in their better understanding of Scripture. I highly recommend.

The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids is intentionally designed to pair with the Explorer Bible for Kids, but it will work as a stand-alone book of reference or to use with other Bibles. I reviewed the Explorer Bible for Kids previously and you can read my review here. Purchase dictionary: click here.

🌟GIVEAWAY BUNDLE🌟

May 28 - June 11

Open to USA addresses only!

Explorer Bible for Kids + 

Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids + 

Toddler Theology Series Bundle

Explorer Stickers & T-Shirt

Prize Bundle contents (1 winner all products): 2 copies of the Explorer Bible for Kids, 2 copies Explorer Bible for Kids Dictionaries, Explorer Bible Stickers, an Explorer Bible Tshirt, and the Toddler Theology Series set (6 books in set, picture below). 

On the entry form, be sure you name "Chat With Vera" as the blog that you entered from.

 CLICK HERE TO ENTER 

Toddler Theology Set - 6 books

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy of The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Giveaway for the Theology Series Bundle is hosted by Lifeway Christian Resources and Lifeway will manage entries and award prize/s to winners according to their established guidelines. Chat With Vera is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes or awarding of giveaway prize/s. Many thanks to Lifeway for this opportunity. #ExplorerBibleDictionaryMIN #explorerbibleforkids #christianstandardbible #EBFK #learningathome #homegrownkids #splashintoscripture #scriptureforsummer

Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn (Candlewick Graphic novels #Nigeria #Africa #mystery #middlegrade)

Holiday House Publishing
ISBN: 978-0823465057
Hardcover $24.99
Paperback $14.99

My thoughts: This is a story set in an African village where folks live in poverty. It is a story presented well with lively characters and well executed graphic novel drawings. The story recounts the excitement of an upcoming event in the village, the need to have some funds for the event, the act of saving ahead for the event. And then the mystery of the missing funds.

Lively drawings recount the story and give a peek into life in an African village.

I think this will be a good choice for reluctant readers as well as those who wish to read about cultures other than their own or who simply enjoy a graphic novel.  

About the book: A charismatic young sleuth takes on a case close to home in this new graphic novel series set in a vibrant African community.

Ten-year-old Korobá knows everyone in Makoko, the Nigerian fishing village where she lives.

She knows her way up and down the bright, colorful waterways, knows where to sell fried shrimp, and knows what to look for at the crowded daily market. Makoko is her playground, and she roams free with her best friends, Saidat and Joba, and her adorable dog, Popi.

The last thing Korobá would expect in Makoko is a thief. Yet Saidat’s wooden piggy bank—her Kolo—has been stolen. The children of Makoko save coins in their Kolo all year long, waiting to spend their money at the annual harvest festival. Saidat saved and saved, but now she will have nothing. It’s not fair!

Korobá knows what good detectives do…(sort of?). Should the primary suspect be Saidat’s grumpy cousin, visiting on vacation? Or could it be the village carpenter, who has been doing some work on Saidat’s house? It's up to Detective Korobá to catch the thief and find the missing Kolo before Breaking Day!

Buckle up, budding mystery fans… It’s time to join Korobá and friends on their thrilling chase for the culprit. With rich, detailed illustrations—featuring some very important clues—that bring Makoko to life, this one-of-a-kind graphic novel series is a modern day Tintin meets Encyclopedia Brown.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. #Mystery #Graphic Novels #Middle Grade #Childrens #Comics #Nigeria #Africa #Graphic #Novels Comics

A Friend for Hope by Amie White & illustrated by Olena Oprich [Review & Giveaway]

ISBN: 9780168220005
Paperback $9.99 USD
Buy on Amazon

• "A gentle, beautifully illustrated story about loneliness and the quiet kind of friendship that helps kids feel seen." —Book Nerdection
• "This is a beautiful book that will enchant readers of all ages." —Literary Titan
• "Values such as empathy and respect are consistently highlighted." —Readers' Favorite
• "An absolutely beautiful, charming story, full of heart, empathy, and hope." —Goodreads Reader

My thoughts: The illustrations are sweet and tell the story well. The illustrator uses a lot of reds, oranges, and red-browns. Character's expressions, including the dogs, are charming. I think a few line-strokes would add to the illustrations and give more definition. 

I really liked the flow of the story's text and the vocabulary used. The story is well structured and did not "read down" to the kids. 

The story plot is a sweet "lonely child needs companion and gets a rescue dog for a pet." It doesn't harp on the rescue dog theme, but gently inserts it into the story. The family is a caring, loving, and attentive family which is really good in today's world of torn apart families and society in general. It seems the child is schooled at home since she has a tutor. She gazes out the window at the neighbor children playing and her parents sense her loneliness.

The question one asks is "Why isn't she playing with the other children?" Why is she lonely when there are available children? This is something some children will wonder when having this sweet story read to them and there is no answer provided. Yes, acquiring a rescue dog as a pet and companion to the girl is meritorious but the loneliness is only partially solved since the human need for human companionship is not resolved.

In spite of these questions, this is a sweet story and very well written.

About the book: A heartwarming picture book for ages 4–6.

Nine-year-old Zoe Meadows is the new kid in Ivy Creek. For homeschooled Zoe, every day starts the same: breakfast, then to the living room where Miss Ellis awaits. Only today, Zoe can't focus—not when she notices neighborhood children playing outside, children she's yet to meet. Watching all this unfold, Zoe's parents decide it's time for a companion—the furry kind, to be precise.

Everything changes when Zoe meets Hope at the dog shelter for the first time. The two girls form an inseparable bond over the following months and find in each other the one thing they both craved for a long, long time: a forever friend.

Awards:

• Winner — 2025 Literary Titan Book Award
• Finalist — 2025/2026 Indies Today Awards

GIVEAWAY

2 Winners: 1 Paperback book each

A Friend For Hope

Begins May 20

Ends June 19 @ 11:59 p.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

A Friend for Hope by Amie White

DISCLOSURE: I was sent a complimentary copy by the author to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

We Are Home When We're Together: Trusting God Through Life's Changes by Jean Stoffer & Grace Start, Illustrated by Megan Lindsey [Review & Giveaway]

ISBN: 9781400254316
Hardcover $19.99
Tommy Nelson Publications

My thoughts:  Lots of good take aways from this sweet book. The changes that come into our lives; and in this story, it is the change of homes. Leaving one's home is hard and that is especially true for a child who has known no other home. But change is inevitable in our lives, and so changing a place of residence teaches the way, the right way, to accept and adapt to change. In this case, the story teaches that even though we are in a new place, a new house, a new home, "We are Home When We're Together." This helps teach the lesson of the provision and provenance of God in the changes in our lives. 

There are some pages of really good illustrations in this sweet book, and some I didn't care for as much. I especially liked the winter scene, the beach/ocean scene,  page of high rise apartments, the country farm scene, and the home in the desert. I think my favorite is the winter scene.

And I especially enjoyed finding the wee mouse family that accompanied the family in the journey to change their residence. This is a real treat.

We Are Home When We're Together is a story of trust in God. A story of God's plans for you. And a way to accept changes in our lives with the help of God. Good lessons, sweetly taught. A good book.

About the book: We Are Home When We're Together is a warm invitation to cherish memories, embrace change, and remember that whenever you're with family—you're home.

Acclaimed designers and mother-daughter team Jean Stoffer and Grace Start of The Established Home from the Magnolia Network show that the location of a family's most sacred space may change, but the foundation—love for one another—remains. This meaningful picture book helps children savor good memories and reassures them that new spaces can lead to beautiful new experiences as they trust God to help them navigate and settle into a new house with their family.

Moving to new houses, new schools, new neighborhoods, and other life changes can be unsettling, and We Are Home When We're Together is a reminder to look to God as your family adjusts together. This beautiful book is for ages 4 to 8,includes stunning illustrations that feature interesting and diverse homes,helps parents and caretakers who are navigating moves or other life changes with their children,features ways to involve children in setting up home together, provides intentional ideas to savor memories and create wonderful new ones, andreminds families to rely on God, who is preparing our forever home, and rest in Him as they navigate change.This celebration of home and family is a lovely addition to your bookshelf, a wonderful story to cozy up to with your children, and a meaningful gift for children and families who are navigating new seasons of life.

GIVEAWAY

Begins May 19

Ends June 16 @ 11:59 p.m. EDT

Open to USA addresses only.

WE ARE HOME WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Winner's book prize copy is provided and mailed directly to the winner by publisher, Tommy Nelson, or publicist. Chat With Vera is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes. Winner will be notified via their email registered and used in the entry platform, Gleam.io. They will have 48 hours to provide the requested information for prize distribution.