BOOK REVIEW: The Frightening Philippi Jail by Gary Bower Illustrated by Barbara Chotiner

The Faith that God Built series by Gary Bower uses the same whimsical style of storytelling as The House that Jack Built, using rhyme to introduce preschoolers through second graders to favorite Bible stories. Gary has a well-developed talent for creating engaging narratives that also teach biblical truths through rhyme.

In The Frightening Philippi Jail, Paul and Silas praise the Lord in a difficult and unfair situation.

Based on the story of Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16 this story has a repetition to it that is engaging and easy for any reader of the story to help draw in the listener.  Or even for a beginning reader to gain confidence in their reading while also building their foundation of Biblical truths.  The narrative was engaging to even grumpy old me and the pictures complimented to verse while also offering their own enticement to the story.  Personally, I'm very glad I chose to request this book for review from Tyndale to add to my Minions of Mayhem's book collection.  speaking of the MoM's, I read this book with Goobie (4) and Moo (6) and like other reviews, don't just take my word for it but theirs as well.

Moo is a pretty good beginning reader and was easily drawn into the story and the repetition helped to build her reading confidence.  She enjoyed the pictures and was able to better understand the truths in the book, as we also read through the story in the Bible, than her younger brother.  Moo said her favorite part was that God rescued Paul and Silas since they didn't deserve to be in jail but that while they were they tried to help the others.  She gave 5 fingers. (I'll explain fingers later!)

Goobie said he liked everything about it.  He had difficulty following the pattern and would insert his own ideas instead since some of the words were a bit over his understanding.  He was engaged with story the entire time but the message was a little lost on him.  This is a book that he will most definitely grow with as he continues to grow up.  He too said it was totally a 5 fingers book.

(Fingers are our version of stars.  It's easier for me to show them on my hand the way they can attempt to relay how they liked the book.  Thumb means not at all.  Index finger means it was okish.  Third finger means that it was good.  Ring finger is pretty good.  Pinkie is amazing.  We use this easy scale for lots of things around the house.)

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Tyndale.  I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.

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About Gary Bower 

Gary Bower is an adoring dad who strives to write books that have appeal both to children and grown-ups. He says, "A book that is relevant to a wide range of age levels offers a way for parents and kids to have meaningful talks about important life issues.   I try to create for families springboards into natural conversations." 

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About Barbara Chotiner

The "BZ" of bz designstuff is Barbara Rose (Zuckerman) Chotiner. Barbara Chotiner is an artist, designer, mom, and coffee lover, who lives, works, and creates in a pretty little suburb just outside Philadelphia, PA. Previously she has lived in New York City (her first love) as well as Boston.

Barb creates colorful, whimsical and sophisticated designs for numerous clients, and is a fan of combining traditional techniques with modern approaches. What starts as a simple doodle usually ends up living among numerous (organized) layers in the computer. She is inspired by large cities, small elements found in nature, and Scandinavian design. With her work, she believes in organized chaos and making people smile.

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