Whit's End Mealtime Devotions: 90 Faith-Building Ideas Your Kids Will Eat Up!

by John Avery Whittaker with help from Crystal Bowman and Tricia Goyer
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2013


First of all, I like the idea of mealtime devotions. Research points to the importance of family dinners. The authors do their best to make these devos easy to use so busy parents can make the most of family mealtimes. I've read the book myself and tried some of the devos with my children and their grandparents. I can attest to the fact that Whit's End Mealtime Devotions allow for lots of lively discussion and teaching centered around the Bible and Christian life.

Each day's layout is simple to follow. The authors describe it this way in the introduction:
Mealtime Prayer - a prayer suggestion
Appetizer - something to whet your appetite for more
Main Course - the "meat" of the devo - something to chew on
Table Talk - challenging questions to help families think about what they've learned and how to digest it for their daily lives.
Vitamins and Minerals - a Bible verse that relates to the day's reading and discussion

I like the fact that you can skip around and find topics relevant to your family at a particular time rather than having to go from cover to cover. I also appreciate the special sections of holiday devos (Valentine's, Good Friday, Easter, Mother's Day, etc.) and themed devos (treasure hunt, backward night, Bible riddles, grandparents, caming, etc.)

I give Whit's End Mealtime Devotions:
5 out of 5 for user friendly
4 out of 5 for keeping kids' attention
5 out of 5 for relevant topics
3 out of 5 for some lengthy Scripture readings (40 verses is a bit much for children at a mealtime!)

I highly recommend this book for ease of use and for generating lively discussion at the dinner table and just helping you talk as a family about spiritual things. Rather than just pulling out the book, make sure you read through your selected devo. If you pick one with a long Scripture passage, you can read it ahead of time, summarize the majority of it and pick the most important verses to read.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.