Have you ever looked at your state or town from the point of view of a tourist? It is amazing to see the every day through new eyes. That is the experience we have had with the latest in the By the Way book series on our home state, Indiana. This series is following the admonition to talk about God with our children and grandchildren – all the time, every day, at home and as we walk ‘by the way’. Who knew there were so many interesting things in the Hoosier state? Limestone capital of the world, #1 producer of popcorn, largest Christmas tree in America and all the festivals. There are festivals year-round for just about anything you can think of. Last weekend was the Apple Butter Festival in our county.
The pages share photos and illustrations that get us looking and wondering. The story lets us learn alongside our main characters Alex and Lexi as they experience and take adventures. This is all by design throughout each book of the By the Way book series (10 so far). These are meant to be conversation starters on a Biblical worldview by being informative, integrated, intentional, and inspirational. I love not only the heart of the author, Joy Budensiek, in creating this series but also the manner in which she has done it. Every aspect of the books appeals and captures our attention.
We have been blessed to review another title in this series last year (Smoky Mountains). We hope to eventually have them all. My children range from 8 years old to 17 years old and they have all enjoyed these books. My teens may read with their younger siblings, but they are being inspired too. When they saw the photos on the pages about covered bridges and saw that there is one in our county, they pulled up an online map and figured exactly how to get us there.
We mostly found a few places that we have driven past or knew were close yet hadn’t made a point to visit or check out before. We have driven past the turnoff for the Tippecanoe battle site countless times when we have visited family in Lafayette. I think we need to plan a field trip. So often the things we see every day can be overlooked. When we look at them from a new point of view, they become interesting and exciting. We also found a couple other future field trips like Marengo cave and a limestone quarry in Lawrence County.
Our youngest two children kept coming back to the book and revisiting favorite parts. My 10-year-old daughter loves the information about cats and that the kittens shown are calico. We have month-old calico kittens in our barn right now. The pages featuring deer and fish are our youngest son’s favorites. He loves anything outdoors. He’s been reciting the “Deer Data” to his dad whenever he can. Did you know deer can jump 30 feet? Now all those 10 feet+ high fences around gardens make sense.
As the younger ones have been pouring over the pages, they have also been searching for some hidden pictures. We still have one we’ve not found. At the front of the book, there are 10 objects and animals to find on the pages. They may be obvious or snuck into other photos. This has been fun for all of us, seeing who can find them all first.
Besides the obvious enjoyment of the story and the tidbits learned about animals and geography, there is Scripture sprinkled throughout. This is the point after all of the By the Way series, to share about God. While we enjoy His creation and see His hand in the people and places of our home state, we are continually pointed back to Him. Which is the way it should be.
To read the reviews of the other new books in the By the Way series, check out the Crew blog by clicking the image below.
