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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Book Spotlight: Bethlehem's Baby by Sheila Deeth

Book Review: Bethlehem’s Baby
By Sheila Deeth
Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Bethlehem’s Baby is the sixth volume of short bible stories written by Biblical author, Shelina Deeth. This volume includes stories following the birth of Christ (including the story of Caesar Augustus, Herod, John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, and many more). Bethlehem’s Baby includes more than 40 short stories aimed at middle school readers.

Bethlehem’s Baby was an interesting read for our family. I am quite traditional (I’m actually a traditional church organist complete with the thee’s and thous of the King James Version) and some of the non-traditional references in Bethlehem’s Baby caught me off guard initially. My children really enjoyed the present day spin Deeth placed on the bible stories of old. I can certainly see how this style of story-telling appeals to children and teens as well as many adults. The stories are the perfect length for a quick pre-bedtime read with additional time remaining for discussion and conversation as well as goodnight kisses and snuggles for younger children.

A prayer is included at the end of each chapter and scripture references are provided so readers can refer back to biblical text as reference. Pictures are not very large but are perfectly matched with the stories. Our family read Bethlehem’s Baby on an electronic reader and my young children were unhappy about the inability to enlarge the pictures. As the mother, I was perfectly happy that we had to cuddle together to read and enjoy the stories and pictures alike. The stories were written for middle school aged children but I felt even my five and six year old grasped the information and understood it well.

Bethlehem’s Baby is a book I would recommend for anyone struggling to reach children and/or young adults with the teachings and stories of the bible. Deeth is a long-time Christian Educator and Sunday School Teacher and her fun educational style shines through in her writing. Whether you are a middle-schooler reading the stories independently or a parent reading them aloud, the length and content of the stories is easily digested. Bethlehem’s Baby makes learning the bible a fun and pleasant experience. Deeth’s author notes are also a nice addition with insightful tidbits!

After reading Bethlehem’s Baby I was curious about the other books in the series and went back to the first few pages which list the other titles in the Five-Minute Bible Story Series as well as several novels authored by Deeth. If this book appeals to readers, there certainly are more titles out there for additional reading enjoyment.

 Bethlehem’s Baby, Book Blurb:
Get ready for Christmas with five-minute Bible stories for bedtime, naptime, Sunday school time, or just everyday reading time. Meet the Emperor Augustus’s advisors, the quiet research student helping wise men study stars, the shepherd whose granddad keeps complaining at the noise, an Egyptian fisherboy, a Roman soldier, and more in this set of forty read-aloud stories based around the events of the Christ Child’s birth in Bethlehem. Read them all through December and remember, Christmas doesn’t end when the wrapping paper’s done.








Author Bio:
Sheila Deeth is an English American, Catholic Protestant, mathematician writer with a deep love of the Bible TM Series for children. When not at the computer, Sheila can usually be found with kindle, kobo or paperback book in hand, reading and preparing book reviews, or else wandering the neighborhood, talking to her characters and meeting the neighbor’s dogs.
and a profound interest in science and history. She writes spiritual speculative novellas, contemporary novels, short stories in various genres, and the Five Minute Bible Story

Purchase links for Bethlehem’s Baby:

Find out more about the Five-Minute Bible StoryTM Series on the publisher’s website: http://capearagopress.com/Five-Minute.html

Connect with Sheila at:



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