About Me I am a retired librarian and I now support books and authors through my reviews.

I have always loved to read and I was able to share that love through my work as a public librarian for 22 1/2 years. I now promote literacy by reading, and then writing reviews. I love to support authors by sharing my reviews with others!

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree & When God Made Color – Book Reviews, Tour & Giveaway with Celebrate Lit


About the Books



 
WhiteSpark Publishing is thrilled to bring readers young and old two delightful stories all about color!

Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree
Isaac loves the sugar maple in his yard, and he can’t help but feel bad for it when its branches are winter-bare. He decides to give it a gift…and is surprised when the tree returns the favor in the new morning snow, presenting him with balls of…ice cream!
But how long can this magic last with spring on the horizon? A magical exploration through the colors of the rainbow, the days of the week, and some of our favorite fruits that is sure to delight.

When God Made Color
The wonders of creation spread out before us in all the glories of the rainbow…the deep purples and blues of night, the bright yellows of day, the pinks and oranges of flowers. And of course, the colors of all the creatures…including us! These sumptuous fine art illustrations will thrill parent and child alike!

Click here to purchase Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree.
Click here to purchase When God Made Color

MY THOUGHTS.....

Isaac's Ice Cream Tree is a fun story that lets a child imagine the fun of finding  ice cream on a tree and having different flavors of ice cream every day! Isaac finds a different color of ice cream each day of the week and they all taste delicious. He enjoys this all winter but changes occur when the temperatures warm and Spring arrives.  The ice cream begins to melt and then, a rainbow appears. Isaac realizes that the melted colors have now created a rainbow and he is reminded that 'Even when the magic seems gone, always remember to look for the rainbow!'


The colorful illustrations and the easy to read text make Isaac's Ice Cream Tree very appealing to children and it is a great book for children and adults to read together.

When God Made Color is truly a book of colors and the vivid artwork creatively illustrates how God created the world and everything in it. His creation of day and night,  the sun, moon, and stars, and all of the living creatures are shown in vivid detail. And then, as the story explains,

'It was time to make His most marvelous creation—His Children!  …And what did God’s children look like? Yes, they were all different colors also.'

This is a picture book that would be a great way to teach your child about The Creation and it is also a wonderful way to stress that even though there are people with many different skin colors, they all are alike because they were all created by the same God.

I received a digital ARC of both of these books from WhiteSpark Publishing and Celebrate Lit and a favorable review was not required. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

About the Authors


 
Angela Henderson resides in Dallas, Texas, where she teaches middle school English Language Arts & Reading and is a mother of three. Exploring children’s books for twelve years with her own children during numerous “story times” at the local library and reading hundreds of books to her children, her passion for quality children’s literature led her to write her own work. After creating her blog and Facebook page, Kidsbook Friends, and her Instagram, Instabooks, she’s been able to share her love of literature with over a thousand followers by featuring authors and books. She’s thrilled to introduce her own creative story where magical moments lead to positive perspectives.



 
Sheri Carmon seeks to incorporate the beauty of the Lord’s heart, His ways and His love in her writing for children. As an author, her goal is to shine His light through stories. In the past she has published poetry and inspirational compositions with both Blue Mountain Arts and The Group Publishing. Sheri has always cared for the individual needs of families and spent fifteen marvelous, fast-paced years in real estate, specializing in family friendly homes. She and her husband have helped facilitate whole church Bible-reading programs in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. They make their home in Colorado, on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, where they’re surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation every day.

More from Angela

Why children’s books? After all, I teach young teens. Well, my reasons:
  1. I love art, and reading children’s books is like looking at an artist’s showcase of creativity! * Shout out to my amazing illustrator, Rachael Koppendrayer!
  2. I love to dream up the impossible, and you can make anything happen in a children’s book!
  3. I love togetherness and nothing brings a family together like a good book.
As I read picture books with my kiddos, the teacher in me wanted to instruct too. I created a blog (www.kidsbookfriends.com) so teachers, librarians and parents could have little lessons to help them “make friends” with the characters in the stories I featured. Surrounded by such inspiration from these books and my kiddos, I started writing my own manuscripts when my kids were all under age five, mainly sketches of thoughts until I had segments of time where I could construct stories. After several years of attending SCBWI conferences; connecting with writers; creating manuscripts & editing and revising, editing and revising (you see a pattern?!); and submitting them to publishers, Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree was accepted for publication and was released January 15, 2019, by Whitefire Publishing! (It’s a process!!!) The message embedded in this colorful, magical story expresses a very real part of my heart as it’s our family motto: “Always remember to look for the rainbow.” My kids and I both literally and figuratively practice this principle, rushing out after every rain to see if the sky is painted with a bow as well as trying to find the good that comes through the storms of life. Through my journey, I’ve experienced much loss through moving many times, caring for my mother during her dying days, and losing my husband through divorce. Yet in it all, God redeems and uses each pain and joy like brush strokes on a canvass, reminding us of His unfailing promises while creating a masterpiece. Creativity, imagination, inspiration . . . make magical moments. Gather together. Dream the impossible. Embrace the colors. . . as I introduce you to a new friend, Isaac! Excited to share this story with you. . . and my next one . . . and the one after that. . . until we have many new kindred spirits . . .together.

Click here for a fee printable coloring page.

Click here to learn the story behind the story.

More from Sheri

A child asks, “Who am I?” Creation Vs. Evolution – The big battle. Many public schools are presenting Evolution as fact and not theory. They leave no room for the concept of Creation. Our little ones are not creatures descended from animals, they are Children of God, created in His image. This is our identity and our children’s Identity and it makes all the difference in how we see ourselves, how we see others and how we engage in the world. Our identity is made clear in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 NIV. As Christian parents and grandparents, we are charged with teaching, encouraging and bringing forth our family line for the LORD. The new picture book When God Made Color, with its awe inspiring illustrations, is about our true identity and about the joyful, loving God who created us and the whole universe – a universe that is still expanding – Isn’t He just amazing?

Click here to view a special video

Blog Stops

By The Book, May 2
Mary Hake, May 5

Giveaway



To celebrate their tour, Angela and Sheri is giving away a grand prize of The Great Color Giveaway Package that includes a$25 gift card from Amazon, Rainbow ice-cream cups with colored spoons, a paperback copy of Issacs’s Ice Cream Tree, a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble, Crayola Washable Kids’ Paint – 12 count original and glitter paint (see attached image), and a paperback copy of When God Made Color!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/e2a9/the-great-color-celebration-tour-giveaway

4 comments:

  1. Connie, thank you SO much for your clarity and warm sensitivity to the purpose and depth of the picture book, 'When God Made Color'. You fully experienced what the illustrator and I deeply desired to communicate to the readers,(both the children & adults). Your beautiful words, "This is a picture book that would be a great way to teach your child about The Creation and it is also a wonderful way to stress that even though there are people with many different skin colors, they all are alike because they were all created by the same God." I only wish you could have helped us write the back cover copy - YOU, Connie, have such a splendid way with words! Thank you very much for the blessing you have given us in your review! Warm regards, Sheri Carmon - Author of 'When God Made Color'

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  2. Both of these book sounds really wonderful.

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  3. Thank you Connie for your review of my book, Isaac's Ice Cream Tree. I’m excited to follow your work... wonderful benefit of a blog tour is meeting new friends & connecting through our love of books, imagination, and creativity. Grateful, Angela Henderson

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