Audrey Bunny ~ Review and Giveaway

If you have ever fallen in love with the story of the Velveteen Rabbit, then you will definitely want to capture this children's book, Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith. It is a beautifully illustrated and wonderful story of a stuffed bunny who used to be one of twelve in the barrel in the toy story but now is only one of two. The bunny is struggling with wanting to find a forever home, but because of a smudge over the heart that she tries to hide whenever someone comes looking for a stuffed animal to take home, she is always tossed back because she is damaged or unwanted because of her mark.

Now that Caroline comes in looking for a birthday present, the bunny hides the mark in order to find a forever home and she succeeds in going home, but she knows that one day Caroline will see it and it's only a matter of time before the bunny, now named Audrey, is taken back to wind up in the barrel forever. Only like all of us, what makes us unique is something worthy in the eyes of those that can see it.

This is a delightful book that demonstrates to children who read it that were are all different in some way, but it's those differences that set us apart and make us special not undesirable. God made us all different and He uses those special characteristics in all of us to show how we are each a masterpiece not an imitation. There is even a great section in the back of the book called Parent Connect that allows parents to ask questions and garner a great discussion for children to learn what it means to be different but not an outcast and it's one of those books that your child will definitely read over and over again. 

I received Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith compliments of B and H Publishing Group and FlyBy Promotions for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I only wish I would have had this book when my children were younger to point out the lessons in differences in people and how God view them. We are all uniquely created and masterpieces instead of copies. It teaches them to see those differences in new eyes and creates such a great conversation between parents and their kids that they can refer back to the story over and over again. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and have already gifted mine to a special little angel in my life that LOVES this story.

Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Dove Award winning group Selah), best-selling author of Mended, I Will Carry You, and What Women Fear, and one of the most popular speakers and blog writers in the country. She holds a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and lives with her husband and daughters in Nashville, TN.

For more information about Audrey Bunny, Angie Smith or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith

Written by: Angie Smith

Publisher: B&H Publishing

Hardcover with jacket:  32 pages 

Release Date: October 1, 2013

$14.99

Now for the best part, thanks to B and H Publishing Group and FlyBy Promotions, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog. Here are your guidelines to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address below so I can notify you if you're the winner of this giveaway. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email when the giveaway ends on October 24th.

Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole

"If you would have told me fifteen years ago I would be working on a book about my Christian walk, I would have laughed. And so the story goes, right? God has a way of redefining our expectations.

It has been a labor of love to walk back through some writing published over the past four and a half years on my blog, Bring the Rain. The blog began as a way to keep family and friends informed as we walked through the pregnancy of our fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, who we only got to have with us on this earth for a few short hours. I blogged through the brokenness and hurt, clinging to God's Word and a community emerged. Somewhere along the way I began to consistently get e-mails from people asking if there was some way to combine my more devotionalesque entries into book form. Mended is the fruit of that vision, and I hope it blesses you and reminds you how loved you are by your Creator. Has something convinced you that you aren't a worthy recipient of His love? Where are the distractions and the noise of life getting in the way of your walk with Him?

Whatever calls our name louder than the voice of Jesus needs to be identified as an obstacle in our walk. Life is busy and days are short. We don't take the time we need to let our souls breathe. I want to invite you into my little corner of the world for a few minutes of your day and ask you to sit with me in silence. There's no wrong way to read Mended. Go at the pace that matches how God is speaking to you. But as you start, let me suggest that you carve out a half hour out of the madness each day and let's talk about the way He loves us in spite of ourselves.

My hope is that will be a resource that leads you to pray and dig deeper into His word. I have given you some prompts to help with this along the way, whether you are reading alone or with a trusted friend or spouse. Each entry has a focused Scripture, a devotional, and then some brief application ideas." (pg 2).

In the book, Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole by Angie Smith, she incorporates her own stories as a way to help the reader look into their own life circumstances and be challenged to see how God can heal all those broken places and renew us in ways we might never have imagined. This would be a perfect for a women's small Bible Study to help heal the areas within us all that remain broken and make us feel less than perfect, when God's whole purpose is restoration in our lives. I think the way Angie has utilized her own stories creates a bonding of sorts with what women can relate to on their levels. The overachiever, the one never feeling worthy enough, the ones whose past is holding us back from the future God has imagined for us. This book does just that and more and one I highly recommend!!!

I received Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole by Angie Smith, compliments of Shelton Interactive and B and H Publishing Group for my honest review. Far too often, as women who are busy in families and marriages we place our own needs far below others and this book helps heal those places and makes us better equipped to deal with those challenges that women face. I rate this book a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information on Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole, Angie Smith or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Mended: Pieces of A Life Made Whole by Angie Smith

You can also find Angie Smith on Facebook. 

To visit Angie Smith on her website, please click here.