We all want our little ones to grow strong characters, but how do we teach them? Best-selling children’s author Dr. Mary Manz Simon offers the solution. This collection of twelve stories stars a menagerie of adorable animals and offers simple, concrete examples for little ones to remember. Your child will learn about these important virtues:
Kindness
Truthfulness
Love
Patience
Forgiveness
Making Friends
Thankfulness
Obedience
Joy
Sharing
Good Manners
Doing Your Best
With plenty of scriptures and a Parent Connection to help moms and dads talk about the message with their favorite toddlers, First Virtues is the perfect way to build godly character in the little ones you love!
Dr. Mary Manz Simon combines her training as an early childhood educator, insights as a corporate consultant and children’s market analyst, and experiences as a mother and grandmother, to provide a wide range of services and presentations to audiences and companies.
Her platform of practical advice, within a developmental framework, appeals to educators and parents who want real-time solutions. Simon’s extensive work with companies and retailers in publishing, education and children’s entertainment, give her a comprehensive timeline and perspective on emerging issues.
“I’m a hybrid,” she explains. “I go beyond trend tracking to identify the implication and application of the shifting mindscape that impacts children, their families and the world in which we live.”
With sales of more than 3 million books in English, hundreds of magazine articles and media interviews, Simon is, in the words of her son, Matthew, “a world changer”.
My Impressions:
First Virtues: 12 Stories for Toddlers is a must-read for parents with small children! The simple rhymes and cute and colorful illustrations will appeal to children as they explore the ways God wants them to treat others. I love that each story begins with a character sharing what the Bible has to say. While young children will learn real-life ways to show kindness, love, honesty, etc., their parents get insight on how toddlers think and act and tips to positively reinforce the lessons learned. Each story is accompanied by a short Bible verse — perfect for memorization. After all, it’s never too early to hide God’s word in your heart.
If you have small children or grandchildren, go get this book. First Virtues is a fun way to learn to live God’s truth!
Highly Recommended!
Audience: toddler and their parents.
To purchase this book, click HERE.
(Thanks to B&H for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Some friends are closer than family. They weave their way into our lives, there to celebrate the highs and comfort us through the lows. And for those special friends, Max Lucado offers forty scriptures and guided prayers that bring joy and serenity in Pocket Prayers for Friends.
Graduation is one of life’s most exciting milestones. It can also be a source of uncertainty and anxiety. What comes after graduation day? More education? A career? Starting a family? Often this time in life can bring more questions than answers, but Max Lucado offers hope and direction by pointing to the Answer to all of life’s question. Pocket Prayers for Graduates includes forty scriptures and guided prayers written especially for those considering their futures post-graduation.
Daily life for those in the military and their loved ones at home can be filled with rapid change, fear, and uncertainty. For those bravely sacrificing for our country, bestselling author, Max Lucado, offers words of hope, pointing them to the Source of faith and courage. Pocket Prayers for the Military contains forty scriptures and guided prayers that will help readers face the unique challenges of military life with courage and faith.
Dads wear many hats. From protector to playmate, confidante to counselor. No matter the role, families rely on dads to lead with strength and faith. And in Pocket Prayers for Dads, Max Lucado offers forty scriptures and guided prayers that will help dads do just that.
No one knows how quickly the chaos of daily life can become overwhelming more than moms. We lean on them for everything from hurt feelings to missing homework to broken bones. So, where can moms turn for peace and rest in the midst of mayhem? Bestselling author Max Lucado points to the Source of all hope and strength in Pocket Prayers for Moms, which contains forty scriptures and guided prayers written especially for all moms.
More than 120 million readers have found inspiration and encouragement in the writings of Max Lucado. He lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy, in San Antonio, Texas, where he serves the people of Oak Hills Church. Find out more about Max at 
Pocket Prayers for Teachers went to my good friend and super teacher, Carrie. This mom of two elementary school-aged boys is an inspiration to many in her professional and personal life, but we all can use a little help!
Sheryl is a busy mom and my husband’s dedicated office manager. She immediately dug into Pocket Prayers for Moms. She says she loves beginning each day with a message and prayer that prove pertinent for her upcoming day.
Nikki is still a newlywed. She has been married less than a year, but her husband has been deployed twice for a total of six months! She is a wonderful registered veterinary technician who received Pocket Prayers for Military Life.
I have a new friend and sister-of-the-heart in Carol. We have had so much fun in the short time we have known each other and I hope the adventure continues for a long time! She got Pocket Prayers for Friends.
Soon to be graduate (and my soon to be daughter-in-love!), Brittany is a young woman with a bright future. I gave her Pocket Prayers for Graduates for the guidance she needs to transition from college to real life!
Fiona Lanier is the only woman in the tiny Gulf Coast settlement of Navy Cove. While her shipbuilding family races to fill the demand for American ships brought by the War of 1812, Fiona tries to rescue her brother who was forced into service by the British Navy.
About
Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you’re ready for a lesson in love . . . Tippy style.
Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.
Mama Bear is the best mama in all of Bear Country and Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear know just what to do for her on Mother’s Day. In this newest title in the Berenstain Bears Living Lights, The Berenstain Bears Mother’s Day Blessings, join the Bear family and all of Bear Country as they spend Mother’s Day together remembering just why our mothers are so special to all of us!
After sending his army to besiege another king’s capital, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier’s wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king’s household.
The author of more than 100 published books and with nearly 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Note, The Nativity Story, and Esther: Royal Beauty. Romantic Times Book Club presented Angela with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, Angela completed her PhD in Biblical Studies in Theology. She and her husband live in Florida with their mastiffs. She can be found online at 
When photographer Lily Parker escapes an attack, she doesn’t want any help from the FBI agent who is convinced she’s a serial killer’s latest obsession. But after one of her photographs is found at a murder scene, it’s clear that Special Agent Rex Sullivan was right. Lily, a former CIA agent, isn’t used to relying on others, but she won’t survive without Rex at her side. And Rex quickly sees that Lily isn’t a typical victim in need of his protection, but a valuable partner who can help him bring down a madman. With the murderer growing bolder, Rex has to convince Lily to trust him with her safety—or she could become the killer’s next victim.
Rachel Dylan writes Christian fiction including inspirational romantic suspense for Love Inspired Suspense. She also writes the Danger in the Deep South series and the Windy Ridge Legal Thriller series. Rachel has practiced law for a decade and enjoys weaving together legal and suspenseful stories. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five furkids — two dogs and three cats. Rachel loves to connect with readers. You can find Rachel at 
Sophie Dupont assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. In private, she paints the picturesque north Devon coast, popular with artists–including handsome Wesley Overtree, who seems more interested in Sophie than the landscape.
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane — Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Her book, The Silent Governess, was also a finalist in the Minnesota Book Awards, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, and Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit 
The Baby Wren and the Great Gift, written by bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jen Corace, is a celebration of all the wonderful gifts God has given us. The tiny wren marvels at the incredible creatures around her, all the while wishing she had a special gift to share. As she takes in the beauty of the world around her, she discovers a unique talent that’s been inside her all along.
Sally Lloyd-Jones is a Brit who came to the US in 1989 “just for a year.” She’s still here.
Lydia’s quiet expat life in Cambodia is dramatically turned upside down by the sudden arrival of Song, a young and vulnerable Vietnamese girl, and the flattering romantic attentions of a handsome, dashing local man. Just as she settles into this new-found happiness, everything is shattered as Song is kidnapped and sold into the child sex trade. Broken, Lydia returns to the UK, confirmed in her doubts about ‘God’, only to find the most unexpected guest on her doorstep one night many years later with the most incredible story to tell of hope lost and innocence restored. 
Katherine Blessan is the author of Lydia’s Song — a loyal friend, wife, mother of two beautiful boys, English teacher, follower of Jesus, international traveller, and avid reader.
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