Although I don’t have to worry about this yet, I know it can be a unique challenge to find appropriate chapter books for elementary school children.  They grow out of the picture books but aren’t quite ready for the really big, long books yet.  Or, if you have an advanced reader, they may not be old enough for some of the topics.  Well, how about chapter books that include biblical lessons?

Creation by Design seeks to provide fun, educational, and engaging products to connect children with God.  They are embracing the changes in society and how we take in media and finding a way to instill faith through it.  Creation By Design offers a series of books featuring a 9 year old boy named Xander Nash.  I received the opportunity to review three of the Xander Nash titles including: The Beginning of it All, Sibling Rivalry, and Let My People Go. 

Xander Nash is presumably a normal kid who has a loving family.  He likes to read and is interested in exploring.  He has a poster of “Michigan Jones” in his room and likes that he looks like him.  Unlike most 9 year olds though, he loves to wear his brown fedora and explorer belt when he goes out exploring.  While the outfit seems a bit out of place, it’s part of his imagination and imitation of “Michigan Jones.”  (Yep, quite like Indiana Jones!)

The first book introduces you to Xander and his family.  His brother is late for the movies and feels the beginning isn’t important.  A windstorm whisks Xander and his best furry friend Mitts back to the beginning of the world.  They witness the first six days of creation and even get to meet Adam and Eve.  The second book I read started with Xander being jealous of his brother getting something new.  He and Mitts climb a rainbow that takes them back in time to learn a lesson from the Bible.  It was a bit of a shift from the first one since the first one didn’t have any conflict.  The third book I read had another lesson to be learned.  Xander was upset at his mother for not changing her mind about letting him go to a sleep over.  He and Mitts ride a cloud back to ancient Egypt where they meet Moses and witness the plagues.

Final thoughts:  I found these easy to read through and I believe they are appropriate for 7 years+ who are ready for chapter books.  They aren’t super long so they should keep their attention.  The text is larger and more spaced to make it easier to see and read as well.  I wasn’t a fan of the illustrations, but kids might like them.  I found the mix of animation and nonanimation to be distracting and odd looking.  These books also contain life lessons that go along with biblical stories.  This is an interesting way to help children learn and remember those stories. Also, I would note that the theme seems to be that God helps Xander time travel so that he can learn these lessons first hand.

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** FTC Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative in order to conduct an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. The thoughts, experiences, and opinions included are entirely my own and may differ from that of others. I am not liable for any issues you may incur from use of said product(s). Images used are owned by me or provided with the company’s permission unless otherwise sourced. See full disclosure information. If you have any questions you can contact me or leave a comment.

About Darcy

Darcy Zalewski is a married, stay-at-home mom who is discovering her greener side, starting with advocating for cloth diapering. When she's not changing diapers or singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, she can be found at Tales From the Nursery, where she shares tales of motherhood as well as product reviews, or at ShePromotes, a resource for blogger support.

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