There’s a constant driving force that is showing our girls that they have to look a certain way or they need a special talent or a special anything to make an impact – in order to be a hero. As a mom of a little girl I find it so important to teach her about so much more than just princesses and super heroes. I want her know at her core she’s incredibly special and already equipped with everything she needs to be a hero herself with God by her side. She doesn’t need a fancy cape, crown or dress. When I discovered Bible Belles and their mission to bring Female Heroes of the Bible I was really intrigued about their stories. We hear a lot about the men in the Bible but the stories of women in the Bible other than Mary and Martha seem to fade into the woodwork a bit, don’t you think? I love that they are sharing the women heroes of the Bibles so she can view it by an example. Today I am going to share with you a bit more about Hannah the Belle of Prayer, the first book of the Bible Belles and I literally cannot say enough about it.
Hannah the Belle of Prayer brings a story to life about about a little girl named Rooney Cruz who is an elementary school aged girl who goes through every day struggles that girls can relate to, or will be able to relate to in the coming years. In this particular story Rooney is struggling with some girls who aren’t very nice to her at school. In fact, one of them even throws a stone at Rooney which at first made me think “well that’s harsh for this book” since my little one hasn’t experienced anything like that but then I loved the underlying message of how we shouldn’t throw stones in a different sense like the from the Bible, so I later did appreciate that on an extra level later. I also love how that opens up for more conversations later on a different sense.
In this book, Rooney is also introduced to her guardian angel Mari who will be taking Rooney through all of the books adventures in the Bible Belles series. This story though, is about the book of Hannah. Rooney and Mari travel into the bible through gorgeous illustration into the story of Hannah. There they share all about how Hannah was married to a man with two wives and how yes, that’s kind of weird. In the story Rooney sees how Hannah’s feelings are hurt a bit by Peninnah, just like the girls on the playground had been to her, but all because Hannah couldn’t have a baby which she wanted dearly. Through the story, Rooney sees how Hannah’s story unfolds and how Hannah uses prayer to speak to God and share with him the desires of her heart. She then learns how faithful God is by giving Hannah a baby who she named Samuel. All of this really surprises Rooney and she learns that she, too, has the power to talk to God anytime about anything which is pretty awesome. The book ends by Rooney praying for the first time and asking for God’s help with the girls at school that aren’t nice to her.
I love how beautifully illustrated the pages are because they bring so much to these books. In fact, these books are illustrated by a former Disney illustrator which is really neat. They are beautifully done! I really love that these stories share with my daughter the powers that she has within herself. She doesn’t need anything but herself to be a hero, she just needs to be the girl God made her to be and he’ll be with all along the way. By sharing the women of the Bible, these stories share with us real stories of women in history and then apply them to the life today with Rooney Cruz. By having the story combining both it adds a whole element of learning to my daughter. I also really enjoy the fact that this week, A was “reading” the book to herself waiting on me to finish up something quickly to read it yet again to her and as she did I heard her go through the whole book recalling the story. “Hi Rooney, I like your clothes. Thanks, I went shopping with my mommy. They threw a stone and Rooney cried. Rooney’s Angel Mari came and they learned about Hannah. Hannah’s husband had two wives. Hannah wanted a baby and she prayed. Hannah had a baby because God gave her one….” It was absolutely the sweetest and I’ve noticed A more confident in praying herself since we started reading our Bible Belle’s book!
You can buy Hannah the Belle of Prayer on the Bible Belle’s Website or Amazon*!
You can find so much more on the Bible Belles site and their social media pages. They are full of fun and encouragement for both moms and daughters. Bible Belles also has a great Podcast. You can find all of their links and information on their website!
Book #2 in the Bible Belle’s Series, Esther the Belle of Patience, is releasing next week on June 15th! We have been waiting patiently for it to come out and we are so glad that it’s finally here. We are getting our order in this week so we can have another beloved Bible Belle’s book and we can’t wait for the new adventure. If you have fallen in love with Hannah the Belle of Prayer, I recommend ordering Ester, too! I highly recommend ordering both books if you can! You can re-order on the Bible Belle’s site!
*This review was in no way sponsored by Bible Belles. We did use our amazon affiliate link for your convenience which will not increase your price but we might receive a small commission for your order. We simply love Bible Belles and think it’s a fantastic series for all girls.
Oh, I might have to get these for Kenley! How cute!