Review: God Bless This Child

Title: God Bless This Child: Bedtime Prayers and Praises for Little Ones Series: Standalone Author: Max & Denalyn Lucado Illustrator: Lisa Alderson Publish Date: March 4, 2025 Publisher: Tommy Nelson Genre: Children's NonFiction Age: 0-8 Started Reading: January 28, 2025 Finished Reading: January 28, 2025 NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Invite God’s goodness into bedtime with this rhyming prayer book from Max Lucado featuring prayers and praises about God’s creation, presence, help, forgiveness, and loving heart written by Max and his wife, Denalyn. This keepsake book also includes blessings for parents to speak over their little ones. After talking to God each night, your child will fall asleep feeling joyful and cared for.

With updated selections from Lucado Treasury of Bedtime Prayers, this board book edition for toddlers and preschoolers includes

original prayers that speak to the unique challenges and joys of little ones,

prayers from the Bible that small children can understand,

a heartfelt note to parents about the readiness of a child’s heart for prayer,

a “God bless this child” benediction on every page for parents to pray over their children, and

calming nature scenes of animal families.

Add this essential board book to your family’s routine to

introduce children ages 0 to 4 to the habit of talking with God each day;
Model prayers of giving thanks, worshiping God, asking for help, and sharing worries; and

calm little minds and bodies with God’s peace. 

With sweet and simple rhyming prayers of joy and praise, short Scriptures, and classic artwork, this prayer book makes a meaningful gift for baby showers, adoption presents, dedications, christenings, baptisms, birthdays, Easter, and Christmas. Show your kids that God listens to their prayers, and He cares what they have to say with God Bless This Bedtime Prayers and Praises for Little Ones.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

This is a very sweet book of prayers to teach your children and to pray over your children. We read this book all the way through at once due to it being an ARC, but I think it works even better to have the hard copy and to choose a prayer your child (or you) thinks is the best for the occasion. My daughter (5) had a couple of prayers that she asked me to slow down on so that she could repeat the lines after me. My son (2) loved looking at the pictures and pointing out the animals. The illustrations are really cute, and I very much appreciate the verse references included to help me connect this book to the Bible. Definitely one I will be picking up in hard copy when it releases. We read this book through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A lovely collection of prayers for bedtime.

Review: With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories

Title: With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories

Series: Standalone

Author: Nicole Nehrig

Publish Date: August 19, 2025

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Genre: Nonfiction

Age: 16+

Started Reading: April 28, 2026

Finished Reading: May 5, 2026

NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

A rich and intimate exploration of how women have used textile work to create meaningful lives, from ancient mythology to our current moment.

In this captivating work, psychologist and knitter Nicole Nehrig delves into the myriad ways that art forms such as knitting, sewing, and embroidery were and continue to be liberating for women. Spanning continents and centuries, Nehrig brings together remarkable stories of women, from an eighteenth-century Quaker boarding school that used embroidered samples to teach girls math and geography to the Quechua weavers working to preserve and revive Incan traditions today, and from the Miao women of southern China who, in the absence of a written language, pass down their histories in elaborate “story cloths” to a midcentury British women’s postal art exchange. Throughout history, textiles have been a way for women to explore their intellectual capacities, seek economic independence, create community, process traumas, and convey powerful messages of self-expression and political protest. With Her Own Hands is a celebration of women who have woven their own stories and created objects of beauty and significance to bring them through hardships. 

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

This book is very heavy, as most books that follow history, and specifically women's history are. This is incredibly well researched, with many relatable stories and discussions on the realities of those who have created fabric in one way or another through history. If there's one thing this book does well, it's connect those who enjoy fibre crafts with all of those who came before us. I read this book through NetGalley. 

To Sum Up: A very informative book with some heavy topics.