By the Way Book Series (a review)

We had a great time reading about the state of Washington with this book review from the By the Way Book Series which currently has 6 books each featuring a state in the U.S., and one that features the Smoky Mountains. These books use nature and a biblical view to introduce children to the facts and geography of a state or location. Out of the 6 books to choose from, we chose the Washington~Here we Come! title. My reason for choosing this one was because I knew we had a trip to Washington coming up. It was super interesting, and we learned things we never would have without checking this book out. There's always something to new to learn!

The book we received was a sturdy hard backed book with 49 beautifully detailed full-color pages throughout, with tons of information and details about everything. I am a nature loving Momma, so this really made my nature heart happy. I did also love the reminders and scriptures throughout that reminds us of where all this beauty comes from. The book flows really well in a story format that the children can really relate to. It doesn't read like a textbook, and I am really happy for that. I found this very enjoyable to read aloud to my two youngest boys ages 8 and 6, and they often didn't want to stop. But, it is quite lengthly, and we found we needed to read it in several sessions because there is a lot to take in with each reading.

We learned that the Washington state bug is the Dragonfly! I thought this picture was an amazing close up.

This book is easy to follow. There are several areas where there are fact boxes, or text that is a different color or size to emphasize certain details. It's a great balance of pictures and words to keep the children interested, and the learning at its finest. There is also a page at the beginning that has some pictures for the kids to seek and find as the book is being read. These are pretty tough to find, but it certainly keeps the kids looking, another way to help them engage with the book.

From the book: "On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens blew its top!"I loved this fact, and how it was presented. I was also able to give my kiddos perspective on it because it was the year I was born. We also talked about what it means to "blow its top". We stopped to have conversation about many things throughout the book. I loved how easily this book led to discussions like that.

Overall, I was very happy with this book, and plan to purchase others in the future. I think these are a great addition to any homeschool or family library. It could be a fun way for kids to find information about reports or to read just for fun. It is also a great way for parents to talk to children about the world around them through God's point of view. We used this for bedtime reading, but it would also be a great to read aloud during homeschool studies. I hope I was able to give you an idea of what these books have, and how great they are.

 You can also find By the Way Book Series on Facebook.

If you'd like to see some of the other books featured (or even more on Washington) you can read the reviews from other review crew members by clicking on the banner below: