Esther: The Belle of Patience {a book review}

We first introduced you to author Erin Weidemann and her book series for girls– Bible Belles’ The Adventures of Rooney Cruz — last August when she debuted her book, Hannah: The Belle of Prayer.

Rooney is a fun-loving, kind, tender-hearted, ordinary 9-year-old. In the first book, Rooney was introduced to the story of Hannah, a woman from the Bible who turns to God in prayer when feeling outcast, lonely, and hurt. Rooney learns that she can turn to God in prayer whenever she wants and He’s there to listen.

In the newest book, Esther: The Belle of Patience, Rooney’s little angel friend shows up again to teach her about Esther, a woman who waited patiently for the right time to speak up. Esther knew she had to wait, pray, and listen to the prompting of God before she risked approaching the king with a very serious request.

Bible Belle’s Esther: The Belle of Patience from Bible Belles on Vimeo.

I love the message of this book for kids: when we see injustice or a problem, it may not always be the best time to speak up loud and boldly. It’s often best to sit back, pray, and ask God what the next step is and when we should take it. Sometimes He tells us really quickly, or has prepared us to know the next best right thing to do or say. Other times He’s working some things behind the scenes first and asks us to just wait until He gives us the green light.

This book may bring up the question- how do I hear from God?

Just a few days ago, as the kids were getting ready for bed, they were talking about how God doesn’t speak to them very often. They went on to explain that they have never really heard God’s voice out loud (“that’s okay, right mom?”), but every now and then they feel something inside of them that makes them feel like they should help someone in some way.

It has been tricky for Jake and I to explain to the kids what it means to hear God. For better or worse, we’ve explained it like this:

• God’s voice isn’t generally audible.
• God’s voice often feels like someone is telling your heart something important.
• God’s voice is kind, not mean.
• You can trust God’s voice.
• Sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s God’s voice or our own thoughts.
• It takes time to learn to recognize God’s voice, and God understands that.
• We can continue to talk to God and ask Him to help us recognize when He is trying to get our attention.

Esther: The Belle of Patience is a great book for kids, especially girls who are looking for characters in Scripture that provide a good model of a strong woman who loves God. And I love books that open up important conversational topics and get kids asking questions.

As always, the illustrations are beautiful and the girls loved this book! A big thanks to Erin and her team for sending us this book to review. We’ve been so honored to be a tiny part in helping get the word out about this great series.

To learn more about the history of Bible Belles and to order your own copy, check out their website at https://biblebelles.com/. Dig around a little because there are some great gems- including some free activities to do with your daughter, coloring sheets, and a podcast!