"Adorable, inside and out...this is just what young readers need!"

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller By: Dr. Gerald Mittmann,  

Illustrated by: Gregory Cannone
Review by Joy of This Little Book of Mine

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 60 pages
• Publisher: Fish Pond Kids (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935265784
• ISBN-13: 978-1935265788

My Review

This is a unique way to teach children the story of David and a whopper of a giant named Goliath! A little rock named Smoothie who lives in a creek wants God to have a purpose for him. As he lays in his creek, he hears the whopper Goliath saying bad things about God and it sounds like maybe a fight will start because of what he hears on each side of his creek. Then David comes along looking for just the right rock to to a job God has for him and suddenly Smoothie realizes the purpose God has for both Smoothie and David.

This is an adorable book inside and out! At first I thought it was kind of ‘busy’ inside, but as I read and looked at the illustrations, I realized that this is just what young readers need! Since it is several chapters, it would be a wonderful Bible study for Ages 4 thru 8. The book is well laid out and I love the colors and awesome illustrations. The pictures make the story a lot of fun, and give readers a better understanding of what they are reading.

Run out and buy a copy of this great book for your child’s library!

I rec’d this book from the publisher through Bring It On Communications to read and review. I was not required or expected to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are mine alone.

Purchase at Amazon

About the Author and Illustrator:
Rock-A-Teller author Gerald Mittmann has worked with children in ministry since 1978, organizing and directing children’s Bible camps, Sunday children’s sermons, Awana clubs, and speaking at mid-week elementary Christian school chapels.  He graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary in 1986 with a Master of Divinity degree in Bible exposition, and then went on to receive his Doctor of Ministry degree from Talbot/Biola University in 2005.  He has been a pastor to families and children in three evangelical churches, and has led several biblical drama teams to the mission fields of Mexico, Honduras, and Africa’s Congo (DRC) to act out biblical plays which he wrote.

"This book is a must-have for every family. Your child will have a better understanding of David and Goliath after reading this book."

Review by Tiffany at Fabulous Finds


Title: Smoothie Rock-A-Teller: On The Whopper Stopper
Author: Dr. Gerald Mittmann
ISBN: 1935265784
Publisher: VMI Publishers
Illustration by: Gregory Cannone
Release Date: September 1, 2011

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller: On the Whopper Stopper is the first book in a series of nine where rocks retell biblical stories from their point of view. In this book the rock’s name is Smoothie and he retells the story of David and Goliath. My soon to be 4-year-old was immediately enamored with the beautiful, colorful illustration that were used throughout this book. The author of this book came up with really fun ways to refer to different characters in the book. For example people are referred to as talking-walk-abouts and fish are referred to as wiggle-movers. My daughter really liked that but sometimes I would have to remind her I was referring to people and fish.

I think this book is a must have for every family. Your child will have a better understanding of David and Goliath after reading this book. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. The Rock-A-Teller Family know how to tell a good story. This book definitely gets my seal of approval.
This book is rather long, 52 pages broken into 5 chapters. Each night I would read a chapter to my little girl and when we reached the end of each chapter we would go over the questions for review and say the little prayer as well. I really like this book, it’s throws a new twist on old Bible favorites. I plan to take this book and donate it to my daughter’s Christian school. I know a lot of children will really enjoy this book.

You can purchase this book from Amazon or the Deep River Bookstore for 13.99$
“To read more reviews like this one, go to Tell Us The Truth Reviews!”

I was sent a copy of his book for free for review. I was not monetarily compensated to give a positive review. Thanks to Bring it On Communications for the free book.

"This author's creativity doesn't stop at just having the story told...." Come read more about Smoothie Rock-A-Teller!!

Review done by One Mommy

Looking for a new children’s book?  How about one that retells a Bible story in a unique and fun way?

I’d like to suggest Smoothie Rock-A-Teller on the Whopper Stopper by Dr. Gerald Mittmann.  This 52 page children’s book is actually the first of a series of nine books where rocks retell Bible stories from their point of view.   In this book Smoothie (That’s the rock’s name!) tells the story of David and Goliath.  It is a creative twist in telling a favorite Bible story of many kids!

The author’s creativity doesn’t stop at just having the story told through the rock’s point of view.  He also has his rock character use very descriptive names for every day objects, like “baa-baa-mini-cloud-walker” instead of sheep.  This book is written for ages 4-10, and I can see where this would entertain a child and perhaps even help hold their interest.

The book is very versatile, however, and I was able to read it to my 2 and 3 1/2 year old, using the actual words, like sheep, so they would better focus on the story itself and not get mixed up with the descriptive language.

When I first read through the book  I was drawn to the colorful images that filled the pages.  My children also thoroughly enjoyed Gregory Cannone’s illustrations.Not only did the illustrations help both my preschooler and toddler better understand the story, but my daughter was able to retell the story later just by looking at the pictures.   As a former language arts teacher, I love anything that helps comprehension skills develop.

Don’t feel like reading all 52 pages at once?  The book is divided into five short chapters, each with a few questions at the end to further engage the audience and promote reading/listening comprehension skills.  If you can’t get through the whole book in one sitting, these questions can also help a child refresh their memory on what happened previously in the book.

The list price of the book is $12.99.  You can find it here on Amazon or at Deep River Books.

**I received a free copy of this book from Bring It On! Communications for review purposes.   I was not monetarily compensated in any way for this review.   All opinions are my own.

"When I say we LOVED this book, that is a huge understatement!" said this blogger about a new Children's book!!

Review done by The Jacobsen Family!
I've got another amazing children's book to share with you!

Many of us have heard the Bible story about David and Goliath, and many books have been written re-telling the story.  But never have I read it told like this. "Smoothie Rock-A-Teller on the Whopper Story" by Dr. Gerald Mittmann tells the story of David and Goliath, but from the perspective of the rock that David used to slay Goliath with! Are you intrigued yet?
When I first got the book, I discovered it was much longer than I had expected; 52 pages broken up into 5 chapters.  While I knew this wouldn't be a problem for my 7 year old, I worried that it may be too long for my 5 and 3 year old to sit through. We didn't get past the first page before I realized it wasn't going to be a problem; they were hooked!  Because this is written from a different perspective, it was almost as if my kids were hearing an entirely new story all together.  The way it is written is fun and draws you in, and the illustrations are amazing as well!  More than once my son commented on how much he loved specific pictures on the pages (kudos to illustrator Gregory Cannone).

 

Not only does this story tell about David and Goliath, but it begins by telling about how God created everything by merely speaking, and explained that God is working with us and shaping us into who He desires us to be.  It reminds us that if God is with us, who can stand against us?  It is written in a way that makes sense to kids, and makes it fun too. One example: Being a rock, Smoothie uses different words than we do.  He calls birds "Tweeter-flappers".

"Some call them 'birds'. But what kind of a name is that? 'Birds?' Nope.  Tweeter-flappers are what they are.  They tweet and flap and flap and tweet."

Every time I read the funny names Smoothie had for different things, my kids laughed and laughed!
Another neat thing about this book is that is a devotional of sorts.  At the end of each chapter, there are review questions as well as a prayer suggestion relating to that chapter. This was good, as it got my children thinking more about the morals of the story and how God can work with them, just as he did with young David and little Smoothie.

I have to be honest and tell you that I cried when reading this book... More than once.  I took it to church and showed some of the Sunday School teachers, as well as other moms and grandmas, and they teared up as well.  It is such a great book, and a wonderful reminder of what faith in God and trusting in Him can accomplish!
When I say we loved, Loved, LOVED this book, that is a huge understatement.  My kids picked it up after I had already read it to them and read it again.  When my mom came over for dinner that night, they asked her to read it to them.  We absolutelyrecommend this book, and I am beyond excited to tell you that the author, Dr. Gerald Mittmann, has even more Rock-A-Teller books that are coming soon! We cannot wait!
Buy It: This book is one you must add to your children's book collection!! Smoothie Rock-A-Teller can be purchased online at the Deep River Bookstore for $13.99.

This is a fun book for any child with lots of pictures and great review questions!

Review done by Judy

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller Book Review

The classic story of David & Goliath is well-known and a favorite Bible story for many children because of David’s success despite all of the odds stacked against him. But…we usually only hear the story from one perspective. You may ask how many perspectives there are and I would too, but Dr. Gerald Mittmann has taken this story to a whole new level. If rocks could talk and feel, what would the rock that killed Goliath have to say? What story would that rock tell?

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller is the stone that was shaped and smoothed over time specifically for the purpose of being placed in David’s sling and killing Goliath.

I am always on the lookout for different ways to teach my children stories from the scriptures and I thought this book presented the story from a fun and intriguing perspective. Immediately after we read this book for the first time, my 4 year old was playing his own version of David and Goliath with his toy cars and I love to see that the story has made an impression on his mind.

Honestly, it took a while for me to warm up to this book. My 4 year old has insisted on reading it daily since we got it and at first I felt that this book was way beyond his comprehension. It is a long book for young children to sit through and much of the story confused K because it was from a different perspective. Smoothie gives everything his own names (ie people are “talking-walk-abouts”, sheep are “baa-baa-mini-cloud-walkers”, etc), and I found myself feeling the need to replace those names as I read with the names K is familiar with. Now that we’ve read it several times I no longer need to and he understands the story just fine. I think this book would be perfect for children around 6-8 years old who would be able to understand it even better.

My only other complaint is how random the text is…it is arranged sometimes confusingly, jumping all over the page and I often miss parts of the story and have to go back and figure out what order the paragraphs are supposed to go in.

All complaints aside, above all, this book is a wonderful reminder of God’s love for each of us and of His presence in our lives. This is a fun book for any child with lots of pictures and great review questions at the end of each chapter.

This book is written by Dr. Gerald Mittmann, published by Deep River Books, and is available for $12.99. ISBN 978-1-935265-78-8. To learn more, visitdeepriverbooks.com.

I’m so grateful to Bring It On Communications for the opportunity to review this book for free. To read more reviews like this one, 
go to Tell Us The Truth Reviews! I was provided with this book for free in exchange for my open and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are mine.

 

Your kids won't realize they are getting a history AND a moral lesson in this book!

Review done by Jennifer

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller:  On The Whopper Stopper is the biblical story of David and Goliath.

If rocks could walk and talk then this is one story they may tell.  Smoothie is a rock created by God to fulfill his destiny in the place of all things.  He is content to lie at the bottom of his brook where the water would tickle him with its whooshing and swooshing.

His one dream in life is to fly like the tweeter-flappers, some would call them birds, but what kind of word is that?  Bird??  Nope, they are tweeter-flappers because they tweet and they flap and they flap and they tweet.

One day, Smoothie is noticing some strangeness going on in the world of the talking-walk-abouts, the Philistines were readying for a fight and the people of Israel were frightened.  The Philistines had themselves a whopper stopper of a talking-walk-about and the Israelites didn't have one champion amongst them who would take up Goliath's one on one challenge.

Until the day little David was sent to take some food to his brothers who were on the front lines of the upcoming war.  Seeing how this whopper stopper was yelling and making fun of God, David proclaimed he would stop the giant.

Searching the brook for the perfect stones to send flying in his sling, his feelers find Smoothie lying in his place in the brook and he is placed into David's sling and for the first time, Smoothie is flying just like the tweeter-flappers!  With the faith of God behind him, David sends Smoothie flying true and Goliath, the giant whopper stopper is no more.

I thought the pictures in the book were very nicely done, illustrated byGregory Cannone, in a water colour washed effect.  There are many sight words listed throughout the pages and my children loved hearing them.  The story is an old one, but its approach is a fresh idea, making up words to get the children to follow along.  All the made up words were neat and the different explanations and names of things was most imaginative and the children giggled over their meanings and stayed focused on the story.  

I wouldn't suggest reading the story in one sitting, the book is set up in a chapter like format.  The beginning has a verse from the bible listed and at the end of each chapter are questions to be discussed with your young folks!  They don't even realize they are getting a history AND a moral lesson in each chapter they read.  You are also encouraged to pray at the end of each chapter, giving you suggestions on what to pray for!

I'm fairly certain this would be beneficial in bible study classes for young folks or even if you homeschool and need an introductory book explaining the biblical story of David and Goliath, then this would most certainly help!

SYNOPSIS:
There is a story in the Bible about a WHOPPER of a giant who did not love God. Everything about him was a whopper - he was whopper tall, whopper strong, and whopper mean! Everyone was afraid of this giant, except for one. 

This is David and Goliath told from the eyes of the littlest one. No, not from David (the watcher of the baa-baa mini cloud-walkers), but the rock who saw it all! 

Now, rocks don't walk, and rocks don't talk, but if they could...they would tell you of the time that a whopper champion came looking for a whopper fight with the army of Israel, and how God used one small boy to bring him down with a simple little whopper stopper!

The entire family will enjoy this Bible devotion as Smoothie Rock-A-Teller shares David's story of courage in a way you've never heard before!

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller is a big hit with this blogger!

Review done by Wendy

This is the story of David and Goliath told through from the view of a smoothie rock.  He talks of God's plan and how He made us and shapes us.  To pray for those that make fun of God and for those that don't love Him.

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller brought a smile to our face with his way of seeing the world.  He knew people were called people, but he called them talking walk-abouts.  Birds are tweeter flappers! There are more but it really was sweet. Rock-A-Teller's version of David and Goliath is endearing and mesmerizing.  He knows God has a purpose for him and this is his story of how he became the rock that took down that meanie Goliath.

 The illustrations by Gregory Cannone are very detailed and vibrant.  This is a nice sized hardcover book that many children will love and understand the story and the messages.  Great for at home or for a Sunday School.    There are also Rockie  (devotion time) points to talk about at the end of each chapter. 
 

I received a complimentary copy for review from Bring it On! Communications.

Looking for a book that will keep the kids interested while sharing God's message?

Review done by Liz

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller On The Whopper-Stopper is just the book for families who love to share Bible stories with their children in a fun and new way!

Smoothie Rock-A-Teller On The Whopper-Stopper is by Dr. Gerald Mittmann and illustrated by Gregory Cannone.

The ISBN number is 1935265784, the publisher is Fish Pond Kids, with an upcoming release date of Sept. 1, 2011 at an MSRP of $12.99

This adorable children’s book is about a very special rock, who just knows that God has a purpose for him. The rock, named Smoothie, settles in a creek bed. One day he hears lots of commotion around the creek- on one side the Philistines and on the other the Israelites. He hears Goliath, whom Smoothie describes as a “whopper,” saying mean things about God and feels sad. When David, the “whopper-stopper,”  arrives and decides to face Goliath, Smoothie discovers God’s plan for them for both!  A great story for children ages 4 and up!

Dr. Mittman presents the story of David and Goliath from a new perspective-the rock that took down Goliath! His messages, one, which is God having a plan for each of us and two, trusting in God are presented in a consistent and kid-focused way. He has written questions throughout the book that help kids to find the message by thinking critically and analyzing what is going on in the story. The perspective alone does a lot to reiterate the great story of David and Goliath though, my kids were tickled pink to hear Smoothie talking about birds, fish and the people he sees! The illustrations are soft and large, filling each page with a picture that tells the story, a great pairing between story and visual, which especially helped my 2 year old daughter to enjoy the story along with her big brother.

My children were immediately drawn to this book because it has two things they love: rocks and the story of David/Goliath. After a very lively reading of this book with my children, I can honestly say I would recommend it to a family with young children, it’s very well written and illustrated, with a clever perspective that entertains young and old! I can’t wait to read more books in the Rock-a-Teller series!

“To read more reviews like this one,  go to Tell Us The Truth Reviews!”

 Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. No other compensation was received.