Huck and Loona
This charming story by Emily Kilgore, with illustrations by Florence Weiser, is set in the great Northwoods, where woodland friends Huck the bear and Loona the loon plan to spend “every minute of every day with each other.” But what happens when they discover that Loona can’t climb trees and Huck can’t dive to the bottom of the lake? Or when they realize their ideas of an adventure are different? Huck and Loona is a delightful way for children to discover that it’s OK for friends to sometimes disagree. (Beaming Books, 2024)
Anonymoose
A timid moose, an industrious porcupine and a fort in the forest set the stage for this picture book by author-illustrator Shawna J.C. Tenney. As she watches Peter the porcupine build a fort, the shy Ana Moose becomes Anonymoose, secretly sending him notes with building tips. Anyone who’s felt like an onlooker but wants to join in the fun will find themselves connected to Anonymoose, especially when Ana must decide whether to step outside her comfort zone and into community. (Beaming Books, 2024)
Calendar of Word and Season: Sundays and Seasons, Year C 2025
Striking artwork meets highly useful church year information in this year’s Calendar of Word and Season. Add beauty to your wall with the poignant icons created by contemporary Ukrainian artist Ivanka Demchuk, who uses modern and ancient technologies to create interesting color effects and textures. As you turn each page, you’ll encounter a thoughtful, captivating icon Demchuk has created that can be a source of meditation, reflection and spiritual enrichment for the month. This calendar is a distinctive and unique gift for art lovers in your life. (Augsburg Fortress, 2024)
Living in Wonder: Hymns of Susan Palo Cherwien, Volume 4
This book—the late Susan Palo Cherwien’s fourth and final collection of hymns—offers a great gift to worshiping assemblies, church musicians and those who love to read and ponder poetry. A prolific hymn text writer, Cherwien authored 123 of them throughout her life. These 21 hymns hold deep appeal for church musicians planning worship for their congregations, and Living in Wonder’s texts provide meaningful devotional content for personal reflection and study. (Augsburg Fortress, 2024)
How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World
Is there a forest you love? Have you ever imagined how you are called to care for it, especially amid climate change? Ethan Tapper, a forester making his debut as an author, writes about forests as socioecological systems, claiming that “our lives are forever stitched into the green flesh of the biosphere.” Each chapter in How to Love a Forest covers a plainly stated but complex theme, including responsibility, change, relationship and beauty. Storytelling and scientific findings are beautifully woven together, beckoning readers from all walks of life to reimagine forests and themselves. (Broadleaf Books, 2024)
The End Is the Beginning: Revelation, Hope, and the Love That Lit the Stars
In this fascinating, surprising exploration of the Bible’s final book, author Matthew Ian Fleming is a skilled, compassionate guide through Revelation. He writes: “In challenging myself to find glorious visions of promise and fierce words of indictment in this strange book at the end of everything, I found a new beginning of sorts, meeting a God who isn’t electing between sheep and goats on judgment day but rather holding a community in loving embrace through a world-wrenching time here on earth.” The End Is the Beginning makes an ideal gift for the theologically curious reader who readily embraces books that surprise, challenge and inform. (Broadleaf Books, 2024)
Day by Day We Magnify You: Daily Readings for the Entire Year
Looking for a uniquely Lutheran perspective on daily devotions for 2025? Check out this classic and hefty title that includes selected writings of Martin Luther for every day of the year, plus special occasions and festivals. Each entry in Day by Day We Magnify You includes a Scripture passage, an excerpt from Luther’s work and a brief response. Daily readings are organized by season of the church year, with indices for Scripture and motifs. Marshall D. Johnson edited this revised edition, which invites the reader into deeper faith and reflection. (Augsburg Fortress, 2008)
