Love Your Heart by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas

Love Your Heart by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Ages: 4 – 10
Price: Hardcover $16.99

To see a flip version of the book, visit here.

The second book in Tim McGraw’s My Little Girl series is a heartwarming story of a little girl’s selfless act of kindness.
Tim McGraw and songwriter Tom Douglas once again join forces to write another book about the precocious Katie and her dad. Katie has many talents, but she wonders which one will win her school’s talent show. With the help of Dad and her faithful dog Palio, and after several amusing mishaps, Katie finally chooses one talent that includes Palio. But at the talent show, she decides to drop out of the contest to help her friend, showing kindness is the best talent of all. Katie’s proud dad reassures her that she did the best thing and that while he loves many things about her, he loves her heart most of all.

Tim McGraw is: dad of three daughters, husband to Faith Hill, Country music superstar, Grammy Winner, American Music Award Winner, People’s Choice Winner, highest grossing tour in history (with wife, Faith Hill), and has sold more than 35 million albums. Yet, beneath all the accolades beats the heart of a dad who immensely loves his family.

Tom Douglas is a singer-songwriter who graduated from Oglethorpe University and received an MBA from Georgia State University. He is the writer of hits “Little Rock” by Collin Raye, “The Gift” by Jim Brickman, “Love’s the Only House” by Martina McBride, and “Grown Men Don’t Cry” by Tim McGraw. He and his wife have three children.

Melissa J’s Thoughts

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. The artwork is awesome, attractive to a child yet pleasing to an adult’s eyes. I know the crux of the book is about who the author is, but honestly, it was the art work that grabbed me first!

I read the book to my 2 year old daughter. Although she couldn’t understand the story line, she sat still the whole time. I think this is because of not only the art work, but also the font in the book. Rather than plain black and white text, the text has variety with different style fonts, colors, and even wavy lines.

The story itself grabs a Mama’s heart, through and through. it’s the type of story you hope and pray your daughter lives out in her own life, somewhere down the line. The book opens with Katie discussing with her Dad, her plans for what she’ll do the talent show. Next we know, talent show night is here and Katie is ready. But then, she makes a very selfless decision that ends up in another girl being honored and not her. This is something that many adults don’t even have the emotional maturity to do, so I love that it was put into story form for a child to think about. I can’t wait to discuss the concept someday with  my girl, when she is old enough to understand what it’s about.

$16.99 seems a bit pricey for a children’s book but the character trait it teaches is priceless.

Mel’s Thoughts:

Love Your Heart was the sweetest book, and it definitely made me want to have a little girl….I love my boys, though, and I wouldn’t trade them for all the girls in the world.  It did make me long for a girl, though, as an added blessing to our little family.:)  Written by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas, I could almost hear Tim telling the story as I read it to my boys.  Katie is just full of energy, and honestly, she reminds me a lot of my boys.  She has a talent show coming up, and she’s just not sure what to do for it….what is her special talent?  Does she have a special talent?

When the night of the talent show comes, things take an unexpected turn, and Katie shows her true colors; in fact, she shows the beauty of her little heart, as well as the beauty of true friendship.  Throughout the story, you can just feel how much the Dad loves his little girl, as he encourages her throughout and makes it clear that no matter if she wins the talent show or not, it’s what’s inside her heart that counts.  He loves her for her heart.  I just love the message behind this story.  It’s a beautiful story for any child, boy or girl; but it’s an especially lovely story for a father and daughter to share together.

Illustrated by Abigail Marble, the book is filled with beautiful, almost whimsical illustrations that fit the story and the characters to a T.  It’s colorful and rich and vibrant.  You can purchase Love Your Heart from Tommy Nelson for $16.99.

Disclosure: Mama Buzz and reviewers received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

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The One Year Devotional for Preschoolers 2

Title: The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2
by Carla Barnhill; illustrated by Elena Kucharik
Age range: 3-6 years old
Publisher: Tyndale
Price: $14.99 (hardcover)

Mel’s Thoughts:
My boys had gotten the first Little Blessings Devotionals book a couple of years ago for Christmas.  So I got excited when we had the chance to review the second book from Tyndale Kids.  It’s The One Year Devotionals for Preschoolers 2.  It’s full of devotionals that are designed and written for the younger children in your house.

This book takes your child through the Bible, chronologically, just filling their minds with bits and pieces of inspiration from several Bible stories.  Starting in Genesis in January and ending in Revelation in December, it has a one page devotional for each day.  Of course, not every story or topic from the Bible can be covered, but it can help your child to learn more about God and His promises and the life He wants us to lead.  Here are a few topics from the book:

  • God’s Favorite Creation
  • Little Lambs
  • Shine the Light
  • A Gentle Answer
  • Fly Like an Eagle
  • Nap Time
  • Doing What’s Right
  • The Shepherds’ Surprise
  • Bumps and Bruises
  • Growing Good Fruit
  • Jesus Understands
  • A New Family

Each devotional has a verse to go with it, and at the end of each one is an inspirational tidbit to end the lesson.  There are cute and colorful illustrations to go with each one, as well.

I would highly recommend this book, as it’s something that you and your child can sit down and read together every day.  Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you could sit down for maybe 5-10 minutes before school or before bedtime and read and discuss what you read.  You can pick this book up for $14.99 from Tyndale Kids.  For a year’s worth of reading and discussion with your child, in my opinion, it’s definitely worth it.

Melissa J’s Thoughts:
I am unable to give my thoughts, because this book never made it into my mailbox. :-(   So bummed! Sounds great!



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