Customer Reviews

Bless the Lord: The 103rd Psalm

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Snuggle up with someone you love as you slowly turn through these pages filled with not quite Victorian and not quite country - but a mixture of the two that creates a very down home sweetness that is simply irresistible. This is the perfect bedtime book if there ever was one! Young children, grandparents and all ages in between will be captivated by the sheer joy, love and intricate detail Johannah Bluedorn has placed in each illustration. Just when you are ready to turn the page, another intriguing image will catch your attention for yet another long, enjoyable study of a delightful scene.

Each page is graced with earthly beauty which is based on the scriptures found throughout the 103rd Psalm. Only Johannah has given it deeper meaning. She has taken to heart each and every word King David wrote and placed those words into our homes, our families, our very lives. She has done this in such a humble, simple way by creating vivid illustrations of home and daily life that reflects the wisdom in the verse she uses.

The beauty and exquisite detail found in each illustration captures the reader's attention and continues to hold it indefinitely page after page. It is simply impossible to take in the entire illustration at one glace, or even within several minutes. While you meditate on the verses found in the 103rd Psalm, you gaze over exquisite detail, grace and beauty on each and every page. What a very unique and simple way to memorize this special Psalm.

Whether it is a full page illustration, the details of which are unsurpassed in a child's picture book or a beautiful array of foliage with a glancing vignette to highlight the meaning of a verse the book is captivating and cries to be read again, and again, and again. Truly a memory maker for children and parents as they slowly work through each page and happily share little details they have found carefully tucked away.

And let's not forget the simple song score at the back of the book, simple enough for even young children to play on the piano or violin. The song contains the treble clef notes and the words to the entire 103rd Psalm to sing along with. As soon as my middle daughter saw the music, she took out her violin and began to play filling our home with a worthy song to sing.

Definitely a keeper for this generation, and the next...

In Bless the Lord, Johannah Bluedorn illustrates the true beauty of The 103rd Psalm (KJV) in lovingly detailed pictures. Some of her drawings remind me of the My First Little House books that I used to read with my boys. There is an innocence to Johannah's illustrations that kinda makes you *sigh*...but in a good way! The rich colors throughout the book make you just want to climb right in and make yourself at home!

I think that this is a great book to sit and read with your
children. Start your day out with it over breakfast or cuddle up with it at night before bed. They will enjoy getting lost in the world that Johannah has created. My oldest son really enjoyed finding some of the "hidden treasures" in the pictures. He even noticed a couple things that I missed in my first three times through the book (hint: look in the trees)!

Another thing I really like about this book is the song at the end. Harvey Bluedorn wrote music so we can have a tune to Psalm 103-- how's that for talent in a single family?! We all know that it is much easier to memorize scripture when it is set to a tune! And with verse numbers notated in the score, you can easily pick out what verse of Psalm 103 you're singing.

This books sets a wonderful backdrop to the true poetry in God's Word. I can't wait to read (and view) Ms. Bluedorn's other books.

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Any day of the year when I find myself discouraged, I go to the Psalms. There I always find comfort from God's word to sooth my troubled soul. Recently I discovered a wonderful book entitled Bless the Lord. The words are those penned by David when he wrote the 103rd Psalm. The illustrations are by Johannah Bluedorn. Johannah, a homeschool graduate, has a spectacular talent using beautiful colors and intricate details. On each page I find children, animals and people from days gone by. The art work is enchanting and I find it as soothing to my eyes as the words are to my soul.

Bless the Lord is a great addition to anyone's library. I read this book to my younger daughter and she pleaded for me to read it again. Meanwhile, my older daughter couldn't wait to peruse the pages herself. The book could easily be used for family devotions. I love the way Johannah has illustrated verse 12 with a little boy sitting on the beach, giving the sense that he is contemplating the vastness of the ocean and the greatness of our God. It could also be used as an encouragement for children to practice their own drawings. Johannah has written and illustrated several books and I hope there will be many more to come.

What a fabulous snuggle time read! Bless the Lord, written and illustrated by Johannah Bluedorn is a super sweet children's book which illustrates the 103rd Psalm. Every page is adorned with Johannah's beautiful artwork on nice thick paper that will last for years to come. I am simply amazed by the details found in Johannah's paintings and enjoyed lingering over the pictures in this book. I look forward to collecting more of Johannah's books!

Upon receiving Bless the Lord: The 103rd Psalm, I sat down to read it with my seven year old daughter. I didn't want to just gauge my reaction to the book, I wanted to see how my daughter would respond to it as well. She loves to read and at her age the artwork in books really catches her eye. As soon as she saw the book in my hand she asked if she could hold it. She didn't put it down until she had looked at every illustration intently and we had read it two times.

I was impressed myself. The beauty of this book is hard to describe. It amazes me that Johannah Bluedorn taught herself art. Her work is a contrast of styles--Victorian and country provincial. The detail she brings to each and every illustration is astounding.

Children and grown-ups alike will truly enjoy this book. The beauty of the art in time with scripture is eloquent. Johannah has brought the 103rd Psalm alive in a way that you just can't imagine. You really have to see for yourself and I promise that you will not be disappointed. This is a book you will want to share with all the children in your life.

Her message is clear-- Extol virtue and eschew evil.
All throughout the book there is that deep sense of gratitude she causes us to think about. While the illustrations will warm your heart, the scriptures shout out His glorious praises through her fingers. What are the illustrations telling us? Whether you are a homemaker, writer, father-- serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all of your mind while you live. As you read each scripture and look at the corresponding illustration, you will see the many benefits God has blessed you with. Look at the ill child...you'll be reminded of the times, you or your children were sick in bed. You'll remember how you recovered because God strengthened your frail body. Since we live in a culture that is ungrateful, you can't help but notice this ungodly attitude illustrated in some children's book. You can protect your children's eyes while feasting their eyes on virtous illustrations. Place in front of your children's eyes the moral goodness that is inherent in this book. Parents, can use this pictorial guide of the 103rd Psalm to teach their children to be grateful and forget not all His benefits.
Art---that not only moves you to tears-- but also to think about your moral obligation to God out of a sincere heart that loves God. P.S.--Johannah, I like the little purple bottle of echinacea sitting on the window sil.
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Johanna Bluedorn, a homeschool graduate and self-taught artist, has illustrated this sweet children's picture book of the 103rd Psalm. The words "Bless the Lord, Oh my soul", beckons us to worship our Great God, and Ms. Bluedorn has uniquely combined each verse of this beloved Psalm to her original artwork. A girl walking in flowering meadows, a young boy in the arms of his father, a mare nuzzling her colt-each picture echoes the psalmist's invocation, leaving the reader with an overwhelming sense of adoration towards God.

The book is intended for children, but all members of your family will want to read this lovely book, lingering on each page, enjoying the beauty of the words and pictures. As you read, it's as if you can almost hear music, and feel the soft rustling of a warm summer breeze.

This charming hardcover picture book is a precious and endearing work, and you will plainly see Ms. Bluedorn's love for God and family represented in her renderings. In just a few readings you and your children will have likely committed this psalm to memory, and will find yourselves giving heartfelt praises to God.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul indeed!

I have recently discovered Johannah Bluedorn's books. I am fascinated by her style of painting! You must look at the books very carefully as you read to take it all in. As I read them to my children, we always are discovering something new and precious on each page. Bless the Lord: The 103rd Psalm illustrated by Johannah Bluedorn would make a beautiful gift to give a special friend. I am pleased to own my own copy and we have read and re-read it over and over. Reading the book to my children has inspired them to draw and paint, to develop the talents in their little hands.

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Johannah Bluedorn is an artist. She has an eye for details that left me wondering just how much beauty is all around me; I am more observant now.

Each page has magnificent artwork. Each page has a border, and with in that border Psalm 105 begins to come to life as you read from page to page. My first time through the book was one of awe.

I was surprised to discover this artist still lives with parents and two brothers -- it is hard for me to imagine a child creating intricate details, but Johannah Bluedorn is an artist.
However, she may well be a child or a young person. You will enjoy this book for beauty as well as the Psalm.

Carefully she writes a section of the Psalm, and the illustrates it. The details are, on each page are works of art. I read the book to two seven-year-olds. It was difficult for them to understand because it is written from the King James Bible, and the "hath" and such words get in the way. But they went through the book carefully enjoying each page, just as I had done.

This book leaves you feeling wonderful.

Creating thirty original illustrations, artist Johannah Bluedorn offers a compelling vision of family life and the joy of being a child as exemplified through the words of the 103rd Psalm that begins with "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." A self-taught, homeschooled artist who won her first art prize at age 14 and published her first book at age 17, Johannah Bluedorn has a unique and detailed style that perfectly showcases each individual verse of the Psalm with portraits of "sumptuous simplicity" that includes farm and wild animals celebrating the bounty of nature, the beauty of family, the blessedness of God's provision, and the benefits of His protecting hand. The result is an acclaimed and highly recommended children's picture book making the King James Version of Psalm 103 wonderfully accessible and understandable to a new generation of children. Also very highly recommended is Johannah Bluedorn's children's Psalm based picture book, The Lord Builds The House: The 127th Psalm (0974361615, $12.00).