Monday, November 16, 2015

Ishtar's Odyssey - by Arnold Ytreeide - REVIEWED


About the Book:
A new Advent family devotional from the author of Jotham's Journey! Fourth in a set of Advent adventure books for families, Ishtar's Odyssey follows the ten-year-old son of a Persian wise man as their caravan follows a star across the desert. Ishtar would just as soon stay in the comfort of the palace, but slowly he learns that there's much to see, do, and learn in this world that can't be experienced in school. He eventually meets Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha as he follows his father and uncles in their search for a newborn king. 

Arnold Ytreeide's family advent devotionals have become a much-loved Christmas tradition, enjoyed by multiple generations. With over 100,000 in print they include Jotham's JourneyBartholomew's Passage, and Tabitha's Travels

My Thoughts:
Advent was not celebrated in the church of my childhood, and not in many of the churches I’ve attended since becoming an adult.  So, for me, an advent devotional was a wealth of knowledge about many things.  Since the story that this advent devotional is based upon – the journey of the magi to see Jesus as they followed His star – was familiar to me, I was equally fascinated with the Persian culture presented in the story.   The food was particularly fascinating!

However, there was much more that food presented.  For instance, Ishtar, only ten-years-old during the journey, learns first-hand about poverty that he never knew existed.  He also learns that there is a right and accepted way to help those less fortunate.  Ishtar also learns what is it like to flee for your life from someone purposefully trying to destroy you just because of your position and identity – much like the King of Kings was the target of King Herod’s wrath!


I simply adored the devotional ending to each day’s reading!  It is targeted to a young audience, but the truths presented are very applicable for adults as well!  This is a treasure trove of history, tradition all based around the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus.  I was completely captivated and wished I still had small children in my life to share this with!  Wait!  I do!  My great niece!  I can’t wait to share this with her!  I highly recommend this to everyone!

About the Author:
Arnold Ytreeide is a fine storyteller who cares deeply about spiritual growth in families. Ytreeide is the founder of Storyteller Productions and lives with his wife and two children in Nampa, Idaho.

2 comments:

Julie Lessman said...

Hey, Kim,

I hope you don't mind my contacting you here, but I've been trying to get a hold of you for a while, my friend, so I thought I'd give this a shot. :)

Two months ago, I sent you an email to see if you might be interested in being part of my blog tour for my new contemporary, Isle of Hope, but I didn't hear back, so I'm guessing I have the wrong address.

The blog tour is over and done, but I was going to check with you regarding Christian Fiction Online Magazine and who I would talk to about purchasing an ad and/or getting an interview about my new release.

Isle of Hope is my most spiritual book to date, primarily because it's semi-biographical regarding my own estranged relationship with my father, just like the heroine in the book. The reviews have blown me away so far, so I hope you will consider reading it and a possible interview in the magazine. Here's the link to a Seekerville Weekend Edition that has reviewer quotes and clips from the book sprinkled throughout the post to give you a sneak peek.

ISLE OF HOPE SEEKERVILLE WEEKEND EDITION

Anyway, I hope to hear from you soon, my friend, and thank you!

Hugs,
Julie

Julie Lessman said...

Whoops ... gave you the wrong link, sorry! Here's the correct link:

ISLE OF HOPE SEEKERVILLE WEEKEND EDITION


HUGS,
Julie