Book Nook: New Encouraging Titles for Kids and Tween Girls from Zondervan Publishing

I recently had a chance to review several new books from Zondervan. These are great books to uplift and encourage your kids. One that I reviewed is perfect for younger kids, and the other two are targeted towards girls in the tween years and beyond.

Rick Warren is a well-known author of inspirational books. His recent work for kids, God's Great Love for You is a gentle reminder of God's boundless love. As kids read the simple text (which is great for either kids reading or parents reading to kids) they'll go on a journey, beautifully illustrated by Chris Saunders, that shows them God's love is always there, no matter where they go. It's a sweet book, perfect in its simplicity, with nothing to obscure the message of God's eternal love.

Glimmer and Shine is written by Natalie Grant, who also writes other books in the Faithgirlz series. These books are targeted towards girls age eight and up. They perfectly fit the increasing maturity level of tweens without exposing them to questionable material. Glimmer and Shine is a 365-day devotional that takes a tone many girls need to hear. During this challenging time period for girls, as they explore their changing body and sometimes difficult-to-control emotions, these short devotions inspire joy and confidence through the changes. With a spirit of fun, and an emphasis on God's Biblical promises, this is appropriate for either individual devotion time for tweens and teens, or family devotion time in a family with girls. The tone is girly enough that my older, more typical girl appreciated it, but not so girly that it turned off my tomboy younger girl.

I loved the message in Your Own Beautiful. It's by Chelsea Crockett, who shares beauty and confidence tips on a variety of social media platforms. In this book, there are practical fashion and beauty ideas that are appropriate for a young Christian woman - stylish without being immodest. There are also confidence tips, friendship advice, and information about setting and reaching goals. I'm fortunate that, at least for now, both of my girls are perfectly content marching to their own drummers and not worrying much about what other people wear or have. I also have a very open relationship with my girls, so we've been able to talk about different mixed messages they get from advertising and other sources about what makes someone beautiful. Right now they both seem confident in their own skin. I'm still hanging on to this book, because I know that may not always be the case - and this book is good for those who are already confident but just need a few pointers, or those who feel like they can't find their place.