My Thoughts:

I AM by author Diane Stortz says it is a book of Bible stories, devotions, and prayers about the names of God. The cover states 40 Reasons to trust God. This is a beautiful book for children beginning with the sparkly cover.

The vividly colored front cover on this hard copy has sparkling waves. Any child will have his or her eyes immediately drawn to it. Inside is a nice blue ribbon bookmark to keep your place. The illustrated are eye-catching and children will be excited to see them.

Like the Bible, this book is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and New Testament. The devotionals are divided into eight parts:

1) A name of God
2) A story from the Bible that illustrates that characteristic of God
3) A key takeaway from the story
4) A “What Does It Mean” section that gives an example from life
5) One or two verses quoted directly from the Bible
6) A “Learn More” section suggesting another Bible passage
7) A short “What Happened Next” paragraph
8) A short prayer

In the Old Testament the name of God is given in English and Hebrew (with pronunciation help). Only English is listed in the New Testament section. The stories are age appropriate and should be easily understood by all children children. Ideally it was written for children ages 4 – 8 years old.

I love that each story points children to God. This is not just a Bible book of stories, but this is a devotional. Each lesson is designed to prepare hearts and minds for Jesus.

I highly recommend this stunning, brilliant, God-glorifying book. All church libraries and Sunday Schools would benefit from having it. This will make a perfect birthday or Christmas gift for a preschool or early elementary child. It gets a 5 out of 5 star rating from me. Celebrate Lit provided a copy, but these are my honest words.

About the Book

Book: I AM

Author: Diane Stortz

Genre: Juvenile nonfiction, Bible stories

Release Date: 2016

Creator, Comforter, Healer, Friend. God’s names tell us who He is, what He is like, and what He does. This beautiful book covers 40 of the Bible’s many names and descriptive titles for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, including Jehovah Jireh, The Lord My Shepherd, Immanuel, Rabbi, and I AM.

Through Bible stories, short devotions, and prayers, children discover the meaning of each name and how it relates to their lives. As they develop understanding of God’s character and His love for them, children will grow to know, love, and trust the great I AM more and more.

“Those who know your name put their trust in you.” –Psalm 9:10

Click HERE to get your copy!

About the Author

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Diane Stortz is a multipublished author who writes to make God’s wonders known to the next generation. Her children’s releases include the best-selling Say & Pray Bibleand I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God, both from Tommy Nelson. Diane’s books for women, A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Bible in a Year and Encountering God’s Heart for You, both from Bethany House, encourage women to get to know God through His Word, the Bible. Diane and her husband have two married daughters and five grandchildren—all boys! Visit her at www.DianeStortz.com .

More from Diane

You can often guess someone’s age by considering their name. Diane, for example, was popular in the 1950s, so . . . that tells you something about me.

But God’s personal name? Well, it’s ageless. Just like Him.

When Moses met God at the burning bush and received the task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he wasn’t exactly thrilled at first. He peppered God with questions, including, “When I tell the people that I met you here and you gave me this assignment, they’re going to want to know your name. What should I tell them?”

The Israelites had just about forgotten who the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was.

But God hadn’t forgotten them. Not at all. God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. . . . Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

I AM WHO I AM. I always have been. I will always be. I will never change.

Choosing a book title is rarely easy, and choosing a title for this book about the names of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit took a long time. I couldn’t be more grateful to the Tommy Nelson publishing team who developed and settled on the title I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God.

My prayer for every child who reads this book and every family that goes through the book together, and for myself: May we all grow mightily in our understanding of who God is and our relationship with Him! As Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name put their trust in you.”