Can't-Wait Willow Review and Giveaway!

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Can't-Wait Willow is the first book in a new series about making wise choices by Christy Ziglar (Zig Ziglar's neice!). I've been on a real virtues/values kick lately, so I jumped at the opportunity to review this children's book! But before I give my thoughts, here's the synopsis from the Shine Bright Kids website:

Willow is so excited that the Over-the-Top Circus has finally come to town!  The only problem is that when left to make her own decisions, she can’t say “no” to her favorite things.

Along the way to the show, Willow is distracted by enticing treats and fun that she just can’t turn down. She arrives late and is sad to find that not only has she run out of time but money and won’t be able to enjoy the pink cotton candy she’s been dreaming of.

Willow is given valuable advice and a second chance and is ultimately taught the lesson that sometimes in life you have to say ‘no’ to good things to end up with something great!

Now, here's what I think:

First, I can't tell you how many times I've read this book to my girls. Mary requests it everyday! As Willow sits crying outside the circus tent, the ringmaster comes up to offer comfort - and some good advice:

"You know, sometimes you need to learn to say no to little things that are good to end up with a big thing that is truly great!"

Wow! I am Willow! How many times have I blown my money and time on little things that I wanted in the moment and then had nothing left for the big things I really wanted to save up for! Ugh! Hopefully my reading this sweet book to my own girls will help us (all) learn more self-control.

I do have two concerns, but they are very minor and certainly don't stop me from reading this book regularly. One, there are no parents in the book. Willow leaves her home and goes to the circus by herself. I'm assuming it was written this way to keep the emphasis on Willow and her own self-control issues. So, no biggie, but the absence of her parents was puzzling at first. And second, there's no Scripture in the book. Now, I'd love, love, love to only read children's books with Bible verses in them, but those can be hard to come by sometimes. What I do instead is say, "Girls, Willow has a problem with self-control, right? Sometimes we have trouble waiting for things, too. Did you know that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit? Jesus can help us with self-control as we learn more about Him and love Him." That's just an example of how I turn this book into a Christian teaching tool. It's a great springboard into talking about self-control with your kids. And for that reason, I highly recommend adding Can't Wait Willow to your home library!

If you'd like to learn more about the book, please watch the trailer below:

Can't-Wait Willow! from Ideals Children's Books from Ideals Books on Vimeo.

I'm very excited to offer a free copy to one blessed reader. Woot! To enter, please leave a comment telling me your favorite children's virtue/values book. If you don't have one yet, you can say that, too; maybe this one will be it! :) The giveaway will end Wednesday, May 8th, at 11:59 p.m.

I know that some friends are having trouble leaving comments, and I do apologize - I have no clue how to fix that. So, in an attempt to level the playing field (kind of) I've added the opportunity to 'like' my Facebook page and the book's publisher's page for additional entries. I've been reluctant to add that option to giveaways, because it really doesn't matter to me how many people like my page; however, I don't want to leave people out of the giveaways either. So, it is what it is, and let's just have some fun with it. Game on! :)

Update: Okay, so I'm no techie. I goofed up on the Rafflecopter thingy and didn't enter the correct FB address for the blog. So, you can like And Here We Go! by clicking here. Hopefully I'll have this fixed on the next giveaway. Puh-leeze let me know if you run across any more mess-ups. :)

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