Happy New Year, friends! I’m sorry for my (months-long?!) silence. The past year has been a hard season, and I’ve only had the bandwidth to focus on the ministries in my own home and neighborhood. On the writing front, I’ve had to prioritize books under contract, squeezing sentences into the crevices of days and putting articles on the backburner.

I at least wanted to share a few lovely books I’ve happened upon over the past few months and have reviewed for various sites. Hopefully you’ll find them sweet ways to share, in the words of Kate DiCamillo, “a patch of warmth and light” with your kids. Here are the reviews:

West of Moonlight, East of Dawn: An Old Tale Retold and Illustrated — A beautiful retelling of the Nordic fairy tale “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” a story that also draws influence from the myth of Eros and Psyche. In this version, Isabel Chenot changes the ending to point to the gospel.

Meg Is Not Alone — This installment from the TGC Kids book series offers kids a poignant illustration of how the body of Christ is God’s gift to his people.

And for older kids (teens and up):

Everything Sad Is Untrue — Alternating between moment of hiliarity and heart-aching beauty, this “nonfiction novel” by Daniel Nayeri reads like a memoir, and recounts his experiences growing up as a refugee in the US after his mother fled Iran for her faith.

In Dream Keeper Saga news, the third book, Lost in the Caverns, releases in May! I’m slogging through the penultimate round of revisions on book four. I’m also delighted and grateful to announce that the first book, The Dragon and the Stone, received an award in Christianity Today’s 2023 book awards!

Right now, a snowfall is cluttering the sky in our corner of the world, and the tree limbs bend and bow under the weight. What a comfort, to know that our God is so gentle with us, as to sustain us with the promise, through Christ, that the frost will melt away, and the sunlight will return and forever burn away the shadows. “A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench” (Isa. 42:3).

May you journey through these wintry paths toward that spring warmth, enjoying plenty of enchanted moments with the kids in your life along the way.