In my time, I have read a devotion book or two or ten. (It’s been quite a few, all right?) And what I have learned about devotion books is that they are definitely not all created equal. Some are better quality than others for sure – not just in terms of content, but in terms of engagement and realatability for kids.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review on this post. This post is my true experiences and opinions about this book. This post also contains affiliate links, of which I will receive a small portion of any purchases made through them. Thanks for your support!
Recipes for a Sweet Child by Katie J. Trent blew my expectations out of the water. It is well-written and well-crafted, thoughtful in every way. Let’s breakdown what I thought about this book.
Simple but Impactful
Recipes for a Sweet Child was very easy to use. With sections clearly marked out, I could easily find the parts that I needed and follow along. The activities to do with your kids to reinforce what they were learning were all very achievable. They felt like things my family would naturally do – not things that we were forcing for the point of the lesson.
Despite the simplicity of activities, they had a big impact on my kids. They lead to great conversations with my kids – and we were able to share a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. And beyond just the moment, the activities made a connection – for me and for my kids. When moments came up later in the following days or weeks, I was able to connect back and remind them of what they had learned. That is the ultimate in simplicity and impact as far as I’m concerned.
Connecting with God’s Word
The devotions are grouped into three sections. We personally chose to just start at the beginning and work our way through – because they are all good topics and helpful reminders. Not all of these topics might be the biggest struggle for any one of us individually, but it doesn’t mean we are never tempted by them. But, the grouping of the topics also means that if you are looking for something specific, it’s easy to find.
God’s word is at the heart of every devotion – and I love that it had simple, but meaningful prayers that I as the parent could pray for my kids and for my family. I think connecting around God’s word as a family is valuable – and I am grateful for these opportunities to grow together. Doing family devotions in this way brings forth the beauty and blessing of intergenerational Bible study.
I really appreciated too, that these really stuck with us. Because the activities reinforced what we were learning in the Bible and the recipes did too, they are things we can return to. Our brain recalls them easier. That’s one of the points of devotions – so that God’s word will be there, at the ready, in our day to day situations.
A Wide Variety of Situations – and a Wide Variety of Recipes
One thing I absolutely loved about this book (apart from all the amazing God connections with my kids) were the recipes. First of all, every single one we tried was delicious. And most of them were really accessible too – the directions were written in a way that was easy to understand and they were recipes where I could read them and feel comfortable that this was attemptable for us. There were a few exceptions, a couple of recipes we passed over because of difficulty or needed supplies we don’t have, but overall, most of them were possible for us.
Another great thing about the recipes is that they aren’t just like 36 different varieties of cookies. Not that there would be anything wrong with that – but the variety provided is astounding! It truly makes ever recipe feel unique, which helps us to remember and tie back to what we learned. You can make everything from scones to FUNnel cakes to pretzels and more! And the flavor combinations are really fresh too – we loved the Loving Lime Sugar Cookies, as an example. That was a flavor combo I would never have thought to put together, but was so delicious.
A Solid Choice
Recipes for a Sweet Child is “36 baking devotions for the whole family” and it lives up to every bit of that description. If you’re looking for a way to make God’s word meaningful and impactful, while also having fun with your family, you can’t find a better book!
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