Monday, June 3, 2024

Elephants Are Not Birds by Ashley St. Clair and Brave Books

Elephants Are Not Birds

Our children are being sought after. They are being chased down by the enemy. If we are looking for him, we can find him. We really don't have to look that hard. The enemy is everywhere. He's in our entertainment - television and radio. He's in our school curricula. He's in our children's television shows and even in some of their children's books. It's a hard truth that needs to be heard and realized. The devil is after our kids. That's the horrifying news. The good news is that we can protect our kids. We don't have to keep them in a bubble. We can't protect our kids from everything, but we can ground them in truth. We can give them the tools they need to stand on their own when the enemy appears right in front of them. I have found one tool to help you teach your children conservative Christian values and be entertained at the same time. I've discovered Brave Books. I love them so much that I became a Brave Books Ambassador. I joined their Freedom Island Book Club, so I get a new book every month. Today, I'm going to share the first book with you. The Saga One: Book 1 title is Elephants Are Not Birds by Ashley St. Clair.

We don't have to go far to see that there is a whole population of people out there who are so unhappy with who they are that they choose a lifestyle of pretending to be someone else. The transgender movement is worldwide. It's worldwide, but it is also right here where we are. He could be your restaurant waiter or . . . your child's teacher. We can be horrified at the level of exposure of the transgender movement to our children, and we should be. But there is something so sad about this movement as well. Somewhere along the way, a child, a teen, or a young adult became dissatisfied with who they were. They became someone with little or no self-worth. This can happen to anyone. Sometimes, this can happen in a well-grounded Christian home. It can happen to you.

Christian parents or grandparents, once our kids are grown and making their own decisions, we can still have a powerful influence over their lives, but it will look much different from when they were children. We must do our best to ground them in the gospel and give them the tools they need to navigate an increasingly dark world.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6L10-18

The first tool you should give your child is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Give them a Bible. Read it with them. Study it with them. Talk with them about the text. Don't skip over the hard stuff. The enemy won't skip it. Have the hard conversations, and don't assume they get it because you are Christian parents raising your kids in a Christian home and taking your kids to church every Sunday. Let me say it again. Don't assume they are getting it. Your kids' spiritual journey begins in the home. Make it count. You don't have as long as you think.

Here is a good Bible for your children if they don't have one they love already.

This children's Bible is available here.

Elephants Are Not Birds

Let's get to today's topic, Elephants Are Not Birds. If your child is very young, he or she might not understand a whole lot about sexual sin, especially transgenderism. Remember a few paragraphs above when I said that at some point in some people's lives, they became unhappy with who they were? They didn't realize their true value and uniqueness in the person God made them. Elephants Are Not Birds helps young children understand their worth and realize the value of who they are the way God made them.

Elephants Are Not Birds by Ashley St. Clair

Look at that adorable cover. Who doesn't love a dreamy little elephant?

Freedom Island

The stories from Brave Books occur in various cities on Freedom Island, which inhabits good and evil characters. Story after story completes good-vs-evil sagas. You can purchase books individually if you wish, but when you join the Freedom Island Book Club, you'll get a giant map of Freedom Island. With each book, your child will get stickers to place on the map. This keeps them physically engaged with the stories and helps them keep track of the good guys and the bad guys.

Elephants Are Not Birds - Story Page (Sneak a Peak 1)

This page shows an elephant hauling a load up a hill. In the town of Toke-a-Toke, the elephant's job is to haul heavy loads up the hills. Everyone has a job to do, and this is the elephant's job.

A vulture named Culture tells Kevin the Elephant a lie.

Kevin the elephant loves to sing. One day, a vulture named Culture uses flattery to convince Kevin that he must not be an elephant. Kevin must be a bird since he can sing like one.

Culture, the vulture convinces Kevin, the elephant, that he is a bird.

Just like that, Culture, the vulture, had Kevin believing his lie, the lie that tells Kevin the elephant that he is really a bird.

Kevin, the elephant, wears a fake bird beak.

Since Kevin is a bird and not an elephant, as he was convinced by Culture, he needs a beak. Kevin wears a fake bird's beak so he can be a bird - you know, because he's a bird and not an elephant.

Kevin the elephant sings while carrying his load up the hill.

Let's skip ahead a bit because I don't want to spoil the whole story for you, but eventually, Kevin realizes that Culture lied to him. He is not a bird. He is an elephant with a special purpose. His life as an elephant has value and meaning - and he can still sing while he does his God-given work.

To Your Family and The Brave Challenge

At the end of each book is a Brave Challenge. Kids get an objective and instructions on how to play a game. This book has multiple games for your kids to play. There are also questions for parents to discuss with their kids to help them apply the meaning of the story to their lives so that when "culture" lies to them about who they are, they will have the tools they need to fight back and win the battle over the enemy who is seeking them out to destroy them.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

Here is a little bit more about Elephants Are Not Birds and Brave Books Saga 1 from the back cover.

Elephants Are Not Birds, Back Cover

Elephants Are Not Birds is now an important addition to my "Nonnie's Library." My "grandmother name" is "Nonnie," and I plan to have a whole host of pro-God, pro-family, pro-America children's books for my grandchildren to read. I hope you, too, will build a library in your home that encourages conservative Christian values for your children and grandchildren to read. These books are good quality, so if they are cared for, they'll last a very long time.

Brave Books are pro-God, pro-family, and pro-America. Will you join the Freedom Island Book Club today and build a conservative library for your kids?

Go live life abundantly . . .

but before you go, don't forget to pin this post!