The Say & Pray Bible by Diane Stortz

Finding books for our family is proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I counted on. With a 2 year old who wants to turn the pages himself (and shreds anything that looks shredded, goodbye pop-up books) and a 5 week old who we hope will eventually share the library books needs to be quality in content and construction.This is why we're quickly becoming fans of Diane Stortz in our home and her newest offering we've found the Say & Pray Bible.

I was excited to have the chance to review another book by Diane Stortz as her Words to Dream On has become a welcome addition to our shelves.

Before I start on this book I have to comment on Sarah Ward's illustrations! Our whole family (we're assuming the lack of crying equals agreement from our youngest) love Sarah's work in the Say &Pray Bible. The contrast on colours makes pointing and naming the pictures a breeze compared to many kid's books which seem content to jam as many images and colours onto a page as possible. Our two year old stayed engaged as we flipped through the pages delighted that Mommy named each item once instead of our usual three tries and we're out approach to figure out what he's pointing too. The pictures struck me as familiar and comforting, honestly they just make me smile with their classic feel.

The book itself has also proven to be a winner with our family. It's easy-to-read pages make it simple to pick up and read a short story when we're under the clock but the variety of stories also make the Say & Pray Bible a suitable longer read when time allows.

The labelled pictures are by far a favourite feature in Stortz's latest offering as our son has a speech delay. Since we spend our days naming and labeling everything anyway, it's an awesome addition to have a book with half the work already accomplished for us. Simple one word labels work at his level and, given his interest, we're hoping he may even pick up some words as we flip through the pages over the next weeks and months.

The content itself is geared towards it's target toddler audience with shortened stories and verses for little minds to pay attention to and (hopefully) retain.
Each story, displayed on two pages, also contains a quick prayer to help familiarize toddlers with the importance of prayer at anytime (because let's face it in most houses story time is anytime the toddler plops a book in your lap). Finally, the print is nice and large to help when reading over a new baby's head or even for helping toddlers point at words and sound them out when learning to read becomes a reality.

Overall, I'm grateful for the material Diane Stortz has added to our family library. I know her books will stand the test of my boys while providing them with fun and educational books.

5 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”