"Heaven Is For Real for Kids" Booksneeze Review

**I received the kindle edition "Heaven Is For Real for Kids" by Colton Burpo at no charge through the Booksneeze program under no obligation to provide a positive review.

The artwork in this book is absolutely amazing. "Heaven is for Real for Kids" as told by Colton Burpo is a wonderful book about a true experience of an almost-4 year old boy. After being very sick, Colton got to visit heaven then return and tell his parents about it.

Even if you are a skeptic about whether heaven really is for real or about Colton's story, this is an excellent book. There are bright and colorful pictures on each page depicting Colton's experience. The text is easy to read and written from a child's perspective. Most kids (mine included) love to read books about kids and when it is written as a child would speak it makes it easy for them to relate to. It talks about things children wonder about, like whether or not there are animals in heaven or how we actually "get" to heaven (do we fly, walk or what).

On each page there are scriptures (not part of the story, kind of as a side note). It also features several questions kids ask about heaven near the back of the book and photographs of Colton and his family inside the back cover.

I own several hardcover copies of this book and prefer it over the kindle edition, because of how it ends up laid out on the screen as an electronic document. When viewing on a kindle (keyboard style with BW screen) it flows nicely. When viewing on an Ipad, I prefer it in the "vertical" position rather then holding it "horizontally" because then all the text is on one page. The kindle (w/Black & white screen) is fine for reading the text and you can see the pictures, but they are small and not in color.

The Ipad is at least in color so you get an "OK" version of the artwork but it is very small compared to what is actually offered in the hardcover edition. In the hardcover edition the artwork covers the pages completely behind the text, filling both pages of the layout with color.

So, as far as giving this book a rating, I'd give the hardcover edition 5 stars, while the electronic edition only 3-4 only because it loses so much of it's impact with the artwork displayed differently than the print edition.

If you plan to own this book, purchase the hardcover edition. You won't be disappointed.

"I Am Second" Booksneeze Review

**I recieved "I Am Second" by Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett at no charge through Booksneeze under no obligation to provide a positive review.

I loved this book. I love the idea of being "Second." I love how real people, celebrities or not, are choosing to become part of the "I Am Second" movement. I am a Christian but after reading this am inspired to live in such a way that it is more obvious that "I Am Second."

Being "Second" is choosing to put God first. As the book describes, "God is first, whether we decide to put him first or not." People who declare "I Am Second" are acknowledging and putting their faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ, as their personal Savior.

This book is full of stories. Stories about people who have experienced the "peace, purpose and freedom" they experienced when they chose to be "Second." Reading their stories will encourage you. You will find you are not alone in the troubles you face. You will discover God uses all kinds of people no matter what they've done in the past. You'll read about NFL players, surfers, pastors, skateboarders, Marines, singers, salesmen and more. You'll experience how God worked when their lives were at rock bottom and how they are allowing God to use them now as "Seconds."

Read this book and pass it on to a friend. You won't regret it.

Go to www.iamsecond.com, Facebook, Twitter or Google+ to learn more about the "I Am Second" movement.

"The Encounter" by Stephen Arterburn, A Booksneeze Review

**I received "The Encounter" by Stephen Arterburn free from Booksneeze under no obligation to write a positive review.

The Encounter is a refreshing book about forgiveness. The main character, Johnathan Rush, heads to his "hometown" to find the mother he never knew. In order to face "issues" as an adult, his counselor (and friend) sends him to find his birth mother and discover why she abandoned him as a child. Johnathan ends up meeting and developing relationships with unlikely people while on the hunt for his birth mother.

The description on the back cover calls it a "parable" about how to "learn to step out from the darkness of a painful past and into the healing light of a forgiven future." This book deals with issues such as unplanned pregnancy, adoption, forgiving yourself and forgiving others.

I enjoyed "The Encounter" and how Johnathan, the main character developed and matured throughout the book. I appreciate the way the book, just like a parable, tells a story to teach lessons. One of the main things that stuck out to me in the story was that Johnathan had basically hated his mother for abandoning him, but he didn't know anything about why. He'd lived for thirty odd years believing something about her that was untrue.

This is a short book, only 159 pages, and includes a study guide at the end.