New Releases
Gardening with God:
Lessons from the Master Gardener
by Anita Wadley Schlaht
“This uplifting book is a must-read for any gardener. Anita parallels her gardening experience with how God, the Master Gardener, nurtures our soul.”
Cynthia A. Moore, Logan County Master Gardener, Past-President Edmond Iris and Garden Society
"Anita combines her passion for gardening with her love for Christ to share a unique connection between creating a special landscape and developing a relationship with God. Her perspective challenges us to dig deeper and grow closer to our Savior. If you are a gardener, then this devotional is for you. If you don’t enjoy getting your hands dirty in your flower beds, then live vicariously through this book. You’ll both love the journey."
Shelley Pulliam
Co-founder and Executive Director of Arise Single Moms
A Thirty-one Day Devotional Guide. Schlaht relates her experiences clearing and planting a new lot to the lessons God teaches us in the Bible. Each devotion includes scripture, experiential lesson, a suggested prayer, and plenty of room for taking notes.
Anita’s desire through Gardening with God is to encourage others to appreciate God’s Word and world, and to be aware that God can use our surroundings to teach us every day.
“God give us eyes to see You, Amen”
Go Ahead! Kick Me Out of School!
by Mary Ann Kerl
Jeremy Pryor is fed up with classmates calling him dumb, stupid, and retard just because he hasn’t learned his multiplication tables. It’s hard to keep up in school when you’ve been abused and bounced around from foster home to foster home. He hopes his new foster parents will homeschool him.
But Mr. and Mrs. Daniels treat Jeremy so well he wonders if they are up to something. And their other foster child, a seventeen-year-old, teases Jeremy nonstop. Kent and his friends are bigger, so Jeremy can’t fight back. When they ask Jeremy to deliver a small white box to a guy on the corner, he does. Then he wonders if the white box might have contained drugs.
Should he tell the Daniels’ about delivering the box?
Will Kent get into trouble?
Or worse, will his new foster family send him back to the state home?
This story brings insight into life, school, and social problems children experience, and offers answers for their parents."
Dr. Dona T. Mularkey, former college professor
"A heartwarming story of a young foster boy who learns to overcome great difficulties in his life and learns to believe in himself. Kerl has written a story that is relevant to teens today who face challenging times and offers practical solutions."
April Everett, special education teacher
Mary Ann Kerl
2022 winner OWFI Best Juvenile Book
(published)
Shelley Anne Richter, author
Bigfoot and the Gold Star Kid
Heistin’s father was killed in Iraq. Now it’s just him and his mom, a Gold Star family, living on the edge of a swamp. Mom must work, so Heistin stays home by himself a lot. One night he hears a loud noise, and someone jiggles the doorknob.
When Heistin peeks out the window and sees a huge, hairy, man-ape, he panics and calls his best friend, Jax. Jax’s grandfather comes along to help figure out what happened, and he tells the boys about a creature called Bigfoot who once rescued a local soldier from a hunter’s trap.
Day after day Bigfoot returns. Knowing no one will believe him, Heistin struggles to keep Bigfoot a secret from his mom and his best friend. But one day everything changes. A hunter shows up on the edge of the swamp and wants to prove Bigfoot exists. Needing to warn the gentle man-ape, Heistin conquers his fear and enters the ominous swamp where Bigfoot introduces him to his world, filled with insects, birds, and alligators.
Heistin asks Bigfoot if he will ever see him again. The man-ape replies with a special word shared by Heistin and his dad. The mystery of why Bigfoot keeps an eye on Heistin and his mom is solved--Bigfoot had saved Heistin’s dad from a hunter’s trap years ago and had befriended the injured soldier. Bigfoot now wants to protect the soldier’s wife and son.
Tony loves to help. He delivers groceries and firewood, and even helps vehicles stuck in the snow. This year, he gets to deliver a Christmas tree to the Children’s Hospital.
But when heavy snow traps Tony in the garage, he tries to jump over the snow, push through it, and finally, squeeze around it. Nothing works.
Then he hears the RUMBLE RUMBLE of his friends, Sarah the snowplow, Felicity the front loader, and Road Assistant Rosco. With a little help from his pals, Tony escapes the garage delivers the tree to the Children’s Hospital in time for Christmas.
Tony the Truck and the Christmas Delivery
David Barrow, Illustrator
M. Jane Hawkins, author
Billy Bob Flybottom
David Barrow,
illustrator
Come on 'round and hear the tall tale of Billy Bob Flybottom from Hoop ‘n Yoller Holler. Billy Bob is as tough as a cedar tree and as strong as a team of mules. He can out-chop, out-plow and out-hoe anyone in the Appalachian Mountains.
When the tales of his incredible exploits travel to nearby Corn Pone Holler, bully Jimmy John Rockriler gets jealous. He wants to fight!
Billy Bob must get creative and outwit the bully from the neighboring “holler”!
A humorous folktale set in the Appalachian mountains.
Susan Kite, author