BOOK REVIEW: The Hurry-Up Exit from Egypt 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 truth through rhyme.

The Hurry-Up Exit from Egypt takes readers along as Moses leads God's people out of slavery in Egypt and toward the Promised Land.

Following the Passover the Israelites escaped from the Egypt at the order of God.  However, once they were en route the Egyptians changed their minds and gave chase, trapping the Isrealites at the Red Sea.  God, however, as always had a plan and used Moses yet again to part the sea and allow the Isrealites passage.  Not so much for the perusing Egyptians.  However, this book does an amazing job of making even that part of the story appropriate for a younger audience.  Using repetition and rhyming this book engages a young listener as well as gives confidence to a beginning reader while building on the principles of Biblical truth.  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 liked the book and the story a lot but it bothered her that the people had been captured (we read the actual Bible story as well.)  She was repeating the rhythm along with the story.  Given a choice she said it would be 5 fingers (our rating system) from her.  She had a good grasp of the story behind the story and seemed to enjoy the whimsy in the presentation.

Goobie was very engaged in the story and picked up the repetition and was saying the words (somewhat) along with the book.  His favorite part was Moses (OK, mine too!) and he really liked the pictures.  I feel like this book did a good job of helping to provided a foundation about this period of Biblical history that we can come back to with maturity to build on for deeper understanding.

(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.


Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble

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." 

Website | Facebook | Goodreads







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.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram