Francis Chan, bestselling author of Crazy Love and Forgotten God, gives fans another reason to celebrate: a line of children’s books. Fully illustrated beautifully by Matt Daniels, these colorful and large children’s books are great looking and excellent resources for Christian families looking for a children’s book that doesn’t star vegetables. In Halfway Herbert, we meet a child who does everything halfway. He brushes only half his teeth, ties only one of his shoes, eats only half his food. Importantly, he only pays attention half the time as well and soon finds himself in a bit of pain. When he only tells half the truth he find that being halfway isn’t good for him. The story quickly moves from entertainment to instruction when his father calls him on his half-truths mixing in Herbert’s actions with how God wants him to act and love. Herbert’s father tells a parable and soon Herbert is convicted (full-way) of his errors, praying and vowing to do things all the way going forward. While the ending is a little heavy handed compared to what we normally get from children’s books it is hard to say that Chan is wrong to move the story in that direction. It is rare to get a Christian book that directly challenges readers – or children – to make good decisions because God wants us to. Furthermore, as adults we may grimace a little at the abruptness, children won’t. I read this book to my four year old and he took the change from story to teaching in stride and loved the book. A very good children’s book for those in the market for Christian alternatives. In a little village, the farmers had an old red tractor that they used each year to plow the ground. They would start up the tractor, then using a rope pull or get behind it and push the tractor around the field one row at a time. They would take so long plowing this way that they finished just in time to plant and then harvest. One day, the farmer Dave found the owners manual, which read “How the tractor was made and all the great things it can do.” Dave read the whole manual one night and was excited to tell the others that the tractor could actually move on its own. Unfortunately, no one believed him. Undeterred Dave started working on the tractor, fixing it up. Once it was finished being renovated, he started it up and plowed the field in one night. The people of the village were astounded, calling it a miracle. The people of the village were now able to grow so much produce that they were able to share their veggies with surrounding villages in need. Chan uses the story to illustrate the use of the Bible in our daily lives. We can do things we have never even considered or things we wouldn’t now believe if only we went to the owners manual. More obvious (for adults) but less preachy than Halfway Herbert the main draw of this book is the tractor. Little boys, like my son whom I read this book to, love the tractor and the action in this story. The moral is obvious and easy to digest. Chan does a great job breaking down the need and the desire for more in life and how it is easily obtainable if we go to the right sources.