Book Review // Blog Tour - A Princess Story

A Princess Story - 
The Real-Life Fairy Tale Found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ

About the Book:

Author: Jaci Wightman

Released: 2016

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Genre: Spiritual/Inspirational

Book and Author Sources:

AMAZON | BOOKS AND THINGS | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | 

Book Description:

EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD FAIRY TALE

Filled with hardship and happiness, a princess and her prince, an evil villain, and an epic battle, fairy tales draw us into the adventure. But these stories aren't far from reality. You are living your own personal princess story!

Discover how the Lord's plan of happiness is just like a fairy tale with this inspiring book for women of all ages. Learn to see your divine potential and recognize your inner princess. This enchanting read will guide you to build a closer relationship with the Prince, return to the King, and find your own happily ever after. 

My Thoughts:

Any book about a princess or fairy tale and you already have my heart captured. But this book, oh my goodness; let me just tell you that I am in love!! I love watching disney movies and any type of princess movies and finding the parallels and liking them unto the gospel. I love digging deep into a good fairy tale to find the hidden message of how it relates to me and my purpose as a child of God, but this book...WOW it goes way beyond that.

Jaci takes an incredible approach to explaining the plan of happiness and the gospel teachings and she ties them into every princess you can think of. She even ties all the villains such as Ursula and Gothel into the story as well. I just couldn't put the book down as I started to understand things that had never even crossed my mind.

For any girl that is struggling with her testimony, for any girl who is looking to build a testimony, for any girl that loves the gospel but wants to understand the deeper doctrine, for any girl that loves princesses, for any leader who is a mentor to a girl...this book is for you!

I just wish this book would have been around when I was in the Young Women's program, I think I misunderstood a bit of the doctrine and this book is incredible at both powerful and simple. Jaci uses SO MANY scripture references, which I LOVE! The girls can go through and mark their scriptures like a fairy tale. 


A Few of My Favorite Quotes:

"I believe one reason we feel so much guilt and shame over our sins is because we know we need to be clean and pure in order to return to our Heavenly home."

"Cinderella's experience just goes to show that you'll never get out of the lair by relying on your own plans, your own will power, or your own ambition."

"Every princess has an epic battle scene and your story is no different."

"The villain and his sneaky servants have lied to you just like Gothel."

"Just like with Rapunzel, the villain has told you things about yourself and about the world that are flat-out-wrong."

About the Author:

JACI WIGHTMAN // Jaci (PRONOUNCED JAY-SEE) Green Wightman was raised in five different states before meeting her husband during her freshman year of college. Together, they've enjoyed the daunting task of raising seven children born in just eight years. In 2012, Jaci was thrilled to graduate from BYU-Idaho with a degree in University Studies, twenty-one years after postponing her schooling to start a family. Underneath all her outward busyness, however, Jaci is simply an ordinary woman who discovered an extraordinary Savior. Her greatest joy lies in teaching and testifying of the One who not only changed her heart, but also radically transformed her life. 

Book Review: We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father

We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father - 

Striving to Live the Young Women Values

About the Book:

Author: Jen Brewer

Released: 2015

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Genre: Spiritual/Inspirational

Book Sources:

AMAZON | GOODREADS | WEBSITE

My Rating: 5.0 stars

Book Description:

DRAW NEARER TO GOD and discover your divine destiny in the words you repeat every week. This inspiring book helps you better understand the Young Women theme by breaking down each section and sharing the story of how and why the theme was created.

DISCOVER
- How to stand as a witness at all times
- What it means to accept and act upon your values
- How to strengthen your home and family now and in the future
- The importance of covenants and ordinances
- How much your Heavenly Father loves you

THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND UPLIFTING, this book makes a wonderful gift to share with young women, parents, and leaders.

My Thoughts:

Working with Young Women, speaking to Young Women, helping Young Women come to know Christ, it's all my passion. I feel it's my purpose and what I was born to do. I LOVE this book. In fact, I'm obsessed with this book. I may or may not take it everywhere with me. It so perfectly teaches Young Women why the Young Women theme was born and how they can better live it in their own life.

Jen has done a brilliant job at breaking down the Young Women's theme to show what every single line that is said every Sunday really means. She so perfectly helps Young Women understand what it means to be a Daughter of God and why that is so important. Jen interviewed Sister Ardeth Kapp Perry, who started the Young Women's theme in the 80's. 

This book is a MUST read for every teen girl. Every girl that knows who she is and is looking for a better way to fulfill her role as His daughter, and for every girl who needs to gain a stronger testimony of what it means to be His daughter. 

I LOVE that every single page has so many spiritual gems and truths that really make you think about the gospel and how to live it more fully. There are so many scripture references in this book that a girl could read one page a day, and then study the scriptures on that given page and take SO much away.

Jen has also included great questions to personally ponder on with room to right down personal thoughts. I love this because I believe journaling is a huge key to developing more faith and more self esteem.

About the Author:

Jen Brewer // Jen Brewer got her degree in dietetics from BYU, married a handsome hunk of a husband, and spent the next ten years traipsing around the country with him as he pursued a medical degree, while adding children to their ever-growing family. They have now settled in Minnesota, where she works full time as a mother of seven, as well as pursues her passions of nutrition education, speaking to youth, and writing. She speaks often to various groups of all ages. Her passion is reaching out to the youth and helping them see their true potential in the Kingdom of God. She is a popular speaker at Education Week Youth Track at BYU-Idaho, as well as at stakes and wards all over the country. 

I received a free copy of this book for review but all opinions and rating are my own.

Book Review - The Olive Tree: An artistic adaptation

THE OLIVE TREE - An artistic adaptation

About the Book:

Author: Christine Layton Graham
Illustrator: Carol Layton Ogden
Calligraphy: Joan Layton Merrell

Released: 2015

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Genre: Spiritual/Inspirational

From the parable of the olive tree from Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon.

Book Sources:

AMAZON | GOODREADS | WEBSITE | BOOKS + THINGS

My Rating: 4.0 stars

Book Description:

 Nurture your connection with Heaven as you examine the olive tree parable more closely. This unique book will enhance your spiritual understanding with a one-of-a-kind experience that takes you beyond the story.

Through artwork, adapted text, and hand-worked calligraphy, you'll see each symbol as you never have before and feel the Savior's love each time He case for His trees.

The branches, the fruit, the servants, the grafting - each stands in place of something with larger meaning. The story of the Olive Tree isn't just a parable. It's the story of humanity.

My thoughts:

The artwork and the calligraphy in this book is so beautiful. The whole look and feel to this book is so pure and so enthralling that it really is a master piece of art. I loved that there were different colors used to captivate the audience. There are pictures on every page.

This book was created with the whole family in mind to understand this parable in a more clear perspective. Scripture language and parables don't come easy to my understanding. I have to break apart words and fragments often to understand concepts in the scriptures. I was so excited for this book to help me understand the parable in a very simple way, and it didn't as much as I expected. 

While it didn't explain it in a children's language like I expected, it is still the perfect book for family, perhaps to use in family home evening or family scripture study. The book brought the Spirit into my heart as I found myself searching out the parable more, pondering it in my mind, and praying about it's teachings. Isn't that what scripture stories are supposed to do for us anyways? So I absolutely loved it for that purpose. Most of the pages are full of exact scripture, so the parable is not altered or taken out of context, which I loved. 

About the creators behind the book:

Christine Layton Graham // A writer, an editor, and a college English instructor living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her books include When Pioneer Wagons Rumbled West, Three Little Robbers, and Peter Peter Picks a Pumpkin House. She also has had literary pieces published in the New Era and the Friend.

Carol Layton Ogden // An artist living in Springville, Utah. She studied design at BYU and in recent years has studied under a variety of artists, including Ann Kullberg and J. Kirk Richards. 

Joan Layton Merrell // A professional calligrapher and fiber artist living in Jefferson City, Missouri. She teaches on the national level, and her calligraphic art has been published in Letter Arts Review and The Calligrapher's Engagement Calendar.

IDEAS ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK:

If you decide to check out this book and obtain a copy for your family, it would make an incredible scripture study discussion if you use it with the Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual (my favorite book EVER for understanding scriptures).

The pictures in the book added with the questions the manual offers would be a great way to help children really understand the concepts and principles this wonderful parable teaches us.

The Parable of the Olive Tree is an allegory. "An allegory uses symbolic characters, objects, and actions to teach truths. As students study this allegory, they can learn important lessons about Jesus Christ's willingness to help those who have turned away from Him." (Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual [2012], 157)

Here are some of the questions from 

the manual to go perfectly with this book:

Have you ever wondered about the Lord's willingness to forgive you of your sins?

What began to happen to the tame olive tree?

What does the decay of the tree symbolize?

What is apostasy?

What evidence can you find of the master's concern for the roots of the tame olive tree?

What phrases show the effort of the master of the vineyard to preserve the tame (or natural) olive tree and its branches?

What does this illustrate about the Lord's feelings toward His covenant people?

What have you learned about Jesus Christ, the master of the vineyard?

How does this allegory relate the Lord's willingness to forgive of us our sins?

How does the master's care for his vineyard represent the Lord's love for us?

What are some examples, from the scriptures of from the life, that illustrate that the Lord continues to love and care for people even after they have turned away from Him?

Do you think the master will give up on his vineyard? Why or why not?

What did the master hope would happen to the roots?

Who might be represented by the multiple servants?

What is significant about the words we, our, and us?

When have you felt that the Lord has labored with you as you have participated in His work?

What are some opportunities you have to serve the Lord and help others bring forth "good fruit"?

What did the master of the vineyard promise to those who labored with him?

Why do you think it is significant that the servants labored "with their mights" and "with all diligence"?

Discuss what each symbol represents:

Tame olive tree

The vineyard

Decay

Lord and master of the vineyard

Pruning, digging, and nourishing

Servant of the master of the vineyard

Branches

Wild olive tree

Grafting and planting branches

Burning branches

Fruit 

I received a free copy of this book for review but all opinions and rating are my own.