Homeschool Friday - The Wonder of Creation

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotions About God and Science

By: Louie Giglio

Publication: November 16, 2021 by Tommy Nelson

208 pages

Genre: Children's, Christian, Devotion, Science

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon **Currently on sale** )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this captivating follow-up to the bestselling kids' devotionals Indescribable and How Great Is Our God, founder of the Passion movement Louie Giglio offers more mind-blowing, faith-building scientific facts and biblical truths about the wonder of God's creation.

In this book, children will find new delight in God's creativity with 100 devotions that explore:

Animals: from honeyguide birds to flying snakes to white rhinos
Space: from black holes to volcanic moons to gamma-ray bursts
People: from optical illusions to brain freezes to our immune systems
Earth: from rainbow rivers to blue lava to flowing glaciers
And much, much more!

Like the other books, Indescribable and How Great Is Our God, The Wonder of Creation has a Scripture, a scientific topic which is in turn related back to God, a short prayer, and a related fact concerning the topic. The topics are related to space, Earth, people, and animals. When I finished The Wonder of Creation, I thought there were fewer real photographs used in comparison with How Great is Our God. I didn't go back to count them, but The Wonder of Creation does include a mix of real photographs and unrealistic graphics. My kids asked to see the photo a few times on a topic, but one wasn't always included. So, it's not necessarily a bad thing, yet still noticeable.

My kids are ages 9, 7, and 3 at the time of writing this review. The three-year-old didn't usually read this with us, but we typically read one of the topics every other night before bed. Some days, my kids were so excited to hear the topic, and other days, not very much. But we've been doing a devotion at bedtime for so long that there's no real complaining about it. The kids just know that's what we're going to do.

As always, theology is something that concerns me when looking for devotions. I don't have time to create lessons and devotions from scratch, but I want to ensure I'm teaching truth to them directly from the Bible. The Wonder of Creation had only one topic that I can remember which I edited while reading. And that wasn't anything wrong, I just added in a piece that often gets left out of the watered-down message of believing only. So as for theology, I highly recommend this book.

Similar to our experience with the previous two books, what we might be going through in life is occasionally related to the topic from The Wonder of Creation. But this only happened a few times. I can't credit or blame the book for that. God deserves the credit for that any time it occurs.

The Wonder of Creation is a great option for doing devotions with your child(ren). The topics are short enough not to lose a child's attention, but I love how the content always brings things back to God and our relationship with Him. I continue to see the fruit of regular conversation about God creating the world and how He works in our daily lives, in my children, and in my home. The Wonder of Creation gets 5 Stars. Have you read The Wonder of Creation? What did you think? Let me know!

Indescribable - Review

Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science

By: Louie Giglio

Publication: February 5, 2019 by Tommy Nelson

206 pages

Genre: Children's, Christian, Devotion, Science

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Discover the Wonders of the Universe with the CreatorIt's impossible to out-imagine God. He orchestrates time, creates light, and speaks things into existence--from the largest stars to the smallest starfish. God is a powerful, purposeful, personal, unparalleled Creator.Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens tell the glory of God. And the skies announce what his hands have made."Indescribable displays the majesty of creation with scientific findings, photography, and original illustrations. These 100 devotions encourage awe at God's creativity with an in-depth look * Space, Galaxies, Planets, and Stars* Earth, Geology, Oceans, and Weather* Animals--from Hummingbirds to Dinosaurs* Our Minds, Bodies, and Imaginations Each devotion features a "Be Amazed" section with fascinating facts, hands-on activities, and a closing prayer. Based on Louie Giglio's popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great Is Our God," 100 Devotions About God & Science will help kids discover the incredible creation of our indescribable God.

We read How Great is Our God before realizing that Indescribable came first in the publication order. So we started this book immediately after How Great Is Our God.

Like the other book, Indescribable has a Scripture, a scientific topic which is in turn related back to God, a short prayer, and a related fact concerning the topic. The topics are related to space and time, Earth and weather, the human body, animals, and plants. I did notice fewer real photographs used in this book compared to How Great is Our God. That wasn't a bad thing exactly, but I did notice it.

My kids are ages 8, 6, and 3. The three-year-old didn't usually read this with us, but we typically read one of the topics every other night before bed. Some days, my kids were so excited to hear the topic, and other days, not very much. We have already started Wonders of Creation, as well.

Theology is something that concerns me when looking for devotions. I don't have time to create my own lessons and devotions from scratch, but I  want to ensure I'm teaching truth to them directly from the Bible. How Great is Our God had about three topics that I edited while reading. But Indescribable had even less than that. As for theology, I highly recommend this book.

Again, similar to our experience with the previous book what we might be going through in life directly related to the topic of the day from Indescribable. But this only happened a few times. I can't credit or blame the book for that, though.

Indescribable is a great option for doing devotions with your child(ren). The topics are short enough not to lose a child's attention, but I love how the content always brings things back to God and our relationship with him. I have seen the fruit of regular conversation about God creating the world and how He works in our daily lives, in my children, and in my home. Indescribable gets 5 Stars. Have you read Indescribable? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2023

1. Helen Scheuerer - Blood and Steel (Legends of Thezmarr, # 1)



2. Rebecca Yarros - This should probably be my number 1. I didn't rank them in order of preference. But these two books are in my top favorite of 2023.



3. Jennie Goutet - I read 9 books by Jennie Goutet this past year which is pretty phenomenal for a new-to-me author in one year. I read: A Yorkshire Carol (A Christmas Match, # 3 --review coming), An Amiable Foe, A Regrettable Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 1 --review coming soon), A Faithful Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 2 -- review coming soon), A Daring Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 3 --review coming soon), A Fall from Grace (Clavering Chronicles, # 1), Philippa Holds Court (Clavering Chronicles, # 2), The Sport of Matchmaking (Clavering Chronicles, # 3 --review coming soon), & His Disinclined Bride (Seasons of Change, # 7)



4. MA Nichols - Read The Shameless Flirt (The Ashbrooks, # 2) & Flame and Ember (The Kingsleys, # 1 --review coming Thursday)

5. Katie Stone Stewart - I read Scotland's Melody and immediately hoped for a sequel.

6. Louie Giglio - We finished How Great is Our God and we are reading Indescribable now.

7. Jamie Erickson - I read Homeschool Bravely and LOVED it.

8. Libby Hubscher - Play for Me was much deeper and complex than I expected. I'll defintely check out more from her in the future.

9. Amanda Taylor - I read an Uncharted Devotion and was totally bummed to have missed her newest release Persuaded to the Sea when it was available on egalley. I'll get around to it eventually, I'm sure.



10. Nisha J Tuli - I read Trial of the Sun Queen & Rule of the Aurora King. These weren't perfect books for me, but I did read them quickly.

Which new-to-you authors did you read in 2023? Let me know!