Christian celebrity memoirs

Sometimes these are rich and meaningful. Sometimes they're just fun, easy reads. Either way, I've surprised myself with how many of these I've read and I thought I'd share them here today.

20 and Counting... I loved watching the Duggar family when they were on TV. None of these books dive into the scandal but Jinger's book lightly mentions it. (Also check out A Love That Multiplies, Growing Up Duggar, and The Hope We Hold)

Box of Butterflies... I have been following Roma Downey since I'm excitedly waiting to see the Baxters TV show air. This book doesnt talk about that but I really enjoyed learning about her and now I'm excited to try out Touched by an Angel, too! 

Courage to Soar... This is Simone Biles' Olympian origin story. I listened to the audio book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

I Can Only Imagine... This is the powerful story of MercyMe frontrunner Bart Millard and his father overcoming addiction. Loved it and loved the movie! I also love the song. 

First Things First... I read this memoir by Arizona Cardinals' Kurt and Brenda Warner while living in Arizona, I believe in 2010. I was fascinated by their big family systems and I'm excited to check out American Underdog! 

The Magnolia Story... I really enjoyed watching Fixer Upper and have enjoyed all three of the Gaines' grown-up books. (Also check out Capital Gaines and No Pain, No Gaines)

Soul Surfer... Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a shark while surging a lost her arm. Her faith story is so powerful! 

Strong & Kind... I never actually loved Duck Dynasty but I've still enjoyed quite a few of the Robertson family's books, especially Strong & Kind. (Also check out Blessed, Blessed, Blessed; The Good, the Bad and the Grace of God; The Women of Duck Commander; Young and Beardless)

Wholesome time travel books we love

Imagination Station... This Christian series is a lot of fun! I grew up listening to Adventures in Oddyssey so I like it for that reason but these books are fun, exciting, and packed with interesting history. The main characters are boy and girl cousins and this series works fine for boys and girls. Ideal for kids with a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level. 

Imagine series... This Christian series is ideal for 4th or 5th graders. Each book has a different male or female main character who unwittingly travels back in time and experiences a Bible story in person. These are a lot of fun! 

Ranger in Time... This secular series, ideal for I'd say 3rd graders, is about a dog who is sent to a different point in time in each book and can't get home until he rescues someone in need of rescuing. 

The Serpent Slayer... I adored this new Christian novel, the first in an upcoming series, about a brother and sister who get to travel back to Bible stories. This one is so clever and intriguing with riddles. Ideal for 4th-ish grade readers. 

Time Hop Sweets Shop... This secular series of short early chapter books is ideal for 2nd or 3rd grade readers. A brother and sister help in their family bakery and travel back in time with famous historical figures to experience historical moments in person. 

Movers and Shakers of the Christian Faith

12 Faithful Men... This sits in our high school shelves and I especially look forward to handing it to my son as he's becoming a man! 

Carved in Ebony*... This was a refreshing look at ten black women in history, some who were missionaries. Why refreshing? Because these books often feature Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and maybe Mae Jemison or Katherine Johnson. It was refreshing to see a completely new-to-me list of women and it was refreshing to see them from a faith perspective. 

Christian Heroes: Then & Now... There are many of these books about Christian missionaries, authors, etc and I have not read the majority of them. The ones I have read have packed a powerful punch!

Everyone a Child Should Know... My son in particular really enjoys this book about Christian missionaries. We read one aloud most mornings as part of our home school two years ago and now he reads it as kind of a devotional from time to time on his own.

Heroes in Black History... I really like Dave and Neta Jackson. This middle grade non-fiction was quite powerful and was my first introduction to Ben Carson which has led me down so many awesome rabbit trails!

I Have a Dream... I adored this Scholastic biography for my chapter book crowd about Martin Luther King Jr. This was such an awesome look at his faith, life, and incredible movement.

Trail Blazers series... This middle grade series by Dave and Neta Jackson features so many different fictionalized biographies of missionaries and other Christian faith heroes. I got probably about 20 of these books at a garage sale for $1 so I am slowly making my way through them and have liked all of the ones I have read so far.

*I received a free copy of Carved in Ebony in exchange for an honest review. 

Earth Day picture book favorites

My Earth philosophy is pretty simple. 

Genesis 2:15, NIV, emphasis mine... "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." 

The Earth is God's creation and he wanted man to take care of it! 

It seems simple to me so this is what I teach my children: it's our job to take care of the Earth, the people, and the animals who live here... And besides, we live here! We don't want our house or our planet to be a toxic wasteland. 

These are some books that either inspire our love for nature or encourage us to do more to care for it. Just in time for Earth Day 2022, April 22nd!

All Things Bright and Beautiful... This is the simple and lovely words by Cecil Frances Alexander, but with precious illustrations that make us a smile. A favorite for the younger crowd!

Beauty and the Beak... This is a fascinating true story about a wounded eagle missing part of its beak and the lengths some amazing animal lovers went to help this eagle. 

Compost Stew... This is a great read for any young gardener but it also helps explain the fascinating way Earth takes care of rot. 

Dianna Hutts Aston books... These nature-themed picture books are informative and gorgeous! We love all six. A Beetle is Shy // A Butterfly is Patient // An Egg is Quiet // A Nest is Noisy // A Rock is Lively // A Seed is Sleepy // 

God Gave Us the World... My favorite of this God Gave Us series, showing all the unique wonders God placed all over the world. 

Jason Chin's beautiful Redwoods (we read this before our Redwoods trip!) and Grand Canyon books are beautifully illustrated and so engaging + informative at once! 

Listen to the Language of the Trees... A very cool explanation of the messaging system of a root network in a forest. 

The Lorax... A classic, a little creature who speaks for the trees and a tale of what happened in a town where the trees, air, and sky were taken for granted. 

No Monkeys, No Chocolate... I love this nonfiction explaining the ways things all work together... Specifically focusing on how monkeys are so necessary for us to be able to eat chocolate!  

Outside Your Window... This book of nature poems was such a delight! Divided up by seasons, it's one to turn to all year long. I also loved Song of the Wild, about animals. 

Usborne's Shine-a-Light series... I grow a little weary of the flashlight element of these books (you hold a flashlight behind a page to see what's inside/underneath something on that page) but my kids never tire of them! There are so many to choose from! Secrets of Our Earth // Secrets of the Apple Tree // Secrets of the Vegetable Garden // Secrets of the Rain Forest // Secrets of Winter 

Wangari's Trees of Peace... This is a true story about a woman seeing a problem (all the trees in her native Kenya village were cut down) and taking action! (Planting new trees and paying Kenyan women to do the same + Keep the trees alive)  

We are the Water Protectors... A powerful Native American story about keeping our water clean! 

I have more nonfiction picture books listed here, many of which are nature-themed. 

Christian fiction featuring 20-something main characters

Black... This sci-fi read is a great recommendation for men but female fans of sci-fi or dystopian fiction will enjoy it too. 

The Edge of Belonging... Homelessness, adoption, and family secrets! This one has a sweet, gentle feel to it. 

In Search of a Prince... A 25-year-old New Yorker learns that not only is she actually the princess of an African island, she's also required to find a husband, stat! 

Love and a Little White Lie... This is the story of a young woman who starts working at her aunt's church and falls for a worship leader... But there's one little problem: he doesn't know that she's an atheist. 

Moonlight School... This atmospheric historical fiction takes us to Appalachia where a program has just started for illiterate adults interested in learning to read & write.  

A Promise Engraved*... This Alamo timeslip has a great family history storyline centering around a mysterious ring. Fans of historical fiction and family ties will enjoy this gem by Liz Tolsma. 

Redemption... The first book in Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series is focused on an affair so took me a while to actually read. It's definitely not my favorite in the series but it was still engaging and worth it to get to the rest of them! 

Sunrise... An Alaskan pilot, the girl he left behind, and some pretty decent family drama + suspense! This was a fun one! 

Until Leaves Fall in Paris... This WWII fiction is about a ballerina running a bookstore in Paris, a collaborator automaker, and the lines between them. 

When Twilight Breaks... Another WWII novel (I love them!), an American journalist, a professor, and things heating up in Nazi Germany. 

* I received a free copy of A Promise Engaged in exchange for an honest review. 

Our beloved Easter books

Amon's Adventure... This family devotional also works well as a middle grade read and it made my Easter experience so awesome the year I read it! 

The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday... My kids all adore the Berenstain Bears and enjoy this one every March/April!

The Easter Story... Just a simple book with the Easter story inside.

God Gave Us Easter... I love this series and I love the Easter version too! 

The Golden Egg Book... This is a secular book that my husband held in his hands as a little kid. It isn't my very favorite story ever but I love it anyway because I love it so much that it's a family book! 

The Legend of the Easter Egg... I adore these Legend books! 

The Legend of the Easter Robin...  I adore these Legend books! 

The Legend of the Sand Dollar...  I adore these Legend books! 

Precious Moments: The Joy of Easter and The Wonder of Easter (out of print)... I grew up with that big white Precious Moments story bible so these bring back happy memories. 

Rufus and Ryan Celebrate Easter... This board book is probably in its last year around here until I have grandkids someday but it's been beloved. 

The Tale of the Three Trees... This deeper picture book gets read at Christmas and Easter around here. I love it!