Children's Book Review- One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado, Ilustrated by Gaby Hansen

One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado is a beautifully illustrated, engaging book for 2-6 year olds about the magic of our hands and how they can be used for so many wonderful things, like playing, touching and most importantly, helping others.

This is the first Max Lucado book I've had the pleasure of reading and I have to admit that I fell in love with it before I actually even read it. The cover illustration is so cute (I have a thing for little girls and their dogs) and as I quickly flipped through the pages one passage jumped out at me right away:
               "Wipe tears. Give a gift.
                Write Grandma a letter.
                With hands and a hug,
                we make people feel better."
I knew right there that One Hand, Two Hands was a keeper. Lydia thought so too, I think a lot of it had to do with the adorable drawings of the puppy and other assorted animals in it. It did start her asking questions, though, about our hands, why we have them, all the things we can do with them and all the things we wouldn't be able to do without them. It also opened the door to teaching her, in a fun way, a little more about the importance of doing things to help other people.
This book will definitely be added to my list of gift-giving books and I'll be keeping an eye out for more
Max Lucado children's books.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

How to Have a Campfire That's Safe For You and the Environment

For the first time this summer we are finally going to get away for a couple of days. Not very far away, we'll be camping about 20 minutes from home, but it's a mini vacation that we take very year at the local Boy Scout camp that my family has reserved every Labour Day weekend for the last twenty years. It's a fun-filled weekend of canoeing, baseball games, a communal barbecue one night and a corn roast the next and a big campfire every night. It's the perfect time to catch up with those family members that we don't get a chance to chat with very often, but it's also the perfect place to slip off alone for a little peace and solitude.

Campfires have always been a regular part of camping but few people (including myself) ever think about the environmental impact that they can have. 

What impact can campfires have on the environment?

Campfires can get out of control. Man-made forest fires and wildfires do enormous amounts of environmental damage each year. And these types of fires are entirely preventable.

When a fire rages out of control, animal and plant life are lost. Entire habitats are destroyed. While nature did account for some natural fires to occur (and in fact, some plants and animals thrive in burned areas), man-made fires can occur in areas not intended by nature to experience burning.
Also, campfires produce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas implicated in global warming. Large bonfires are particular culprits.
To make sure your campfire efforts do not result in environmental damage, here are some things to consider.