The Dead Sea Squirrels tells the story of Merle and Pearl, two 1st Century squirrels from Israel who’ve been preserved in sea salt in a cave alongside the Dead Sea. When 10-year-old Michael discovers them 2000 years later and sneaks them home in his backpack, hijinks ensue after the salty couple reanimate and take their new friend on adventures full of action, humor, music, and character-building lessons.

Enjoy this reading of Squirreled Away – part of The Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Narwoki, co-creator of VeggieTales and voice of Larry the Cucumber!

Mike Nawrocki is the co-creator of VeggieTales and the voice of the beloved Larry The Cucumber. He has been making entertaining and wholesome content for kids since 1993. Mike created, wrote and directed most of the extremely popular “Silly Songs with Larry” segments, and lent his screenwriting and directing talents to VeggieTales episodes as well as their movies Jonah and The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.

Mike also developed and wrote for 3-2-1 Penguins! and authored a number of VeggieTales Books and CD projects. Mike serves as Assistant Professor of Film and Animation at Lipscomb University and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “The Bible for Kids.”

Learn more about his book and animated series projects at DeadSeaSquirrels.com

You can find The Dead Sea Squirrels series of books on his website or at Amazon.com

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The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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School can cause kids to feel nervous and stressed out, not just about schoolwork, but about friendships. Feeling left out of conversations, feeling lonely, hearing hurtful words, and unsure how to break out of the cycle of friendship struggles.

In their devotional, Let’s Be Friends: A Tween Devotional on Finding and Keeping Strong Friendships (Harvest House, October 2023), mother-daughter authors Blythe Daniel and Calyn Daniel, want to give girls tools. This interactive book helps girls know how to find true friends, how to leave friendships respectfully, and what friendship with God looks like.

"Sometimes we need a little time to see if the people around us are friends for us or may be friends for someone else. But sometimes the people we don’t think will be a good friend can turn out to be a best friend if we just give them a chance to share who they are," says Calyn.

It’s hard for girls to know what to say when they face certain friends. Remaining respectful, standing up for themselves, leaving an unhealthy friend group, and making new friends when shy or unsure of yourself are areas addressed.

Let’s Be Friends contains 30 devotions with journaling space for the reader to share her responses, check off what’s most important to her, a prayer to pray and words to speak over herself.

Topics include fitting in, rejection, what friends show you about yourself, body confidence, when to walk away, taking your pain to God, thinking on God’s word, and pressing on when life is hard.

Calyn enjoys spending time with her friends and family, including older sister, Maris, and her twin brother, William. Calyn is a competitive gymnast, an oboist, and likes to cook. She has included some of her favorite recipes and activities to do with friends in her book. Calyn believes teen girls need to know who they are in Christ, how to navigate friend groups and how to not lose sight of who God has made them to be.

Calyn Daniel and her mother Blythe Daniel want to help teen and tween girls find their voice in conversations with friends and develop friendships with others and with God. They have co-authored Let’s Be Friends: A Tween Devotional on Finding and Keeping Strong Friendships.

Learn more about the book at https://connectingheartsandconversations.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Coloring eggs, wearing a lovely bonnet, joining in the fun of an egg hunt, and attending church with family are special things that are a part of Easter.

In this bouncy rhyming board book, Bunny is determined to find out if Easter is all about special breakfasts, chocolate bunnies, and fancy new bonnets, or if it might be about a little bit more.

Laura Sassi has a passion for telling stories in prose and rhyme. She is the author of five picture books including the best-selling Goodnight, Ark, which was a 2015 Christian Book Award Finalist.

In addition to books, she’s published over one hundred poems, stories, crafts, and articles in various children’s publications.

Laura is a graduate of Princeton University and UCLA. She had a successful teaching career before becoming a children’s author. She’s been a homeschool mom, children’s ministry director, historic museum interpreter, and more. She writes daily from her home in New Jersey and finds special joy in sharing her love of reading and writing with the next generation at school visits and other book events.

Learn more about her writing at https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Twas the Morning of Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. The beautifully illustrated story uses the familiar language and rhythm of the Clement C. Moore classic ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas!"

Enjoy this reading of Twas the Morning of Easter by Glenys Nellist, author of multiple children's books, including 'Twas the Evening of Christmas.' Glenys Nellist was born and raised in a little village in northern England. Her writing reflects a deep passion for helping children discover joy in the world.

Using the classic cadence of Clement C. Moore’s iconic poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” this gorgeous picture book shares the true story of Easter with little ones through read-aloud rhymes and engaging illustrations by Elena Selivanova.

The eye-catching cover decorated in shining foil and embossing makes this book perfect for any Easter basket. Reading the story together is sure to be a treasured Easter tradition for years to come!

Learn more about her books at http://www.glenysnellist.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Who is the Easter Bunny?

Let him tell you the tale of how everything has changed, even himself.

Follow a little rabbit, as he discovers a familiar voice in a garden one night. The man is God in the flesh, of this he is sure, and he cannot help but follow Him, as He is captured and put on trial.

The little rabbit is confused at what he sees, but as he hides and waits he discovers true transformation. Now he can't wait to tell you and his friends about the good news he has found.

Will you help to share his tale?

This creative retelling of the Easter story presents the Gospel message in a sweet and kid-friendly manner.

"With warm and endearing illustrations, An Easter Bunny's Tale offers biblical truth and reminds us of God's love and grace." ~ Crystal Bowman, award-winning, best-selling author of more than 100 books for children.

Author Valerie Fentress writes children's books for all ages, seeking to challenge her readers to look at the world around them and find God's love reaching out to them. She hopes to communicate biblical truths through simple stories. Valerie wants everyone to look at familiar things and find the truths and secrets hiding within them. Beneath the Hood is her debut children's book.

Valerie lives in Texas with her husband and three boys, who challenge her daily to find joy between imagination and chaos. While in college, Valerie trained a service dog. She loves both Star Wars and literary classics like Pride and Prejudice equally. She is an amateur gardener!

You can find more of her books and thoughts at ValerieFentress.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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He needs to find his friend. But that means facing gators . . . again.

After Parker Buckman is mauled and nearly killed by an alligator in the Florida Everglades, he sees his new town as a place of death.

All he wants to do is get out of the area, and he'd convinced he won't truly be okay until he does. When his park ranger father gets a transfer, Parker feels his escape is finally within reach.

But when a friend goes missing in the Glades, Parker knows he can't leave until he finds her--or proof she's really dead.

Parker's search takes him deep into the wilds, where he comes face-to-face with a rogue monster gator.

Will Parker ever escape the death-grip of the Glades? Or will he find the strength to break free? Sometimes the only escape from danger isn't running away but facing it head-on.

TIM SHOEMAKER author of sixteen books, including Easy Target, Escape From the Everglades, and Code of Silence to name a few. Tim speaks at schools, churches, and other organizations (such as Focus on the Family, Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conferences, and Pastor Conferences). He also speaks at retreats, conventions, and workshops all across the country.

Learn more about all of his books - and gain some other life lessons - when you visit him online at TimShoemakerSmashedTomatoes.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Megan Willis’s search for her parents will put her in more danger than she ever imagined. Can she survive the hazards she faces and reunites with her family before it’s too late?

This fast-paced YA space opera (reminiscent of Star Wars) follows a strong female protagonist, Megan, on an interplanetary search for her mother. On her journey, Megan witnesses the horrors of child trafficking and slavery and joins with a group of other teens to fight against corrupt systems and stand up for the vulnerable.

Full of unusual characters and daring escapes, Search for the Astral Dragon draws readers into a world of snarky spaceship computer systems, a variety of different sentient species, spaceship tech, and magical elements. Megan is smart and quick-thinking, competent with spacecraft technology, and a person of strong character whose experiences give readers difficult questions to consider.

Bryan Davis is the author of nine different best-selling fantasy, adventure, and mystery series

suitable for your entire family. To date, he has written more than thirty-two (32) novels along with various non-fiction works and children’s books with total sales reaching more than one million copies.

He lives in Western Tennessee with his wife, Susie – where they homeschool their four girls and three boys. His passion for the written word, reading, and writing has taken many forms and explored multiple genres - including theology, fiction, devotionals, poetry, and humor.

Learn more about his writing at daviscrossing.com and Amazon.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

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Jack and his friends learn some survival skills at the church’s summer camp. They’ll need them!

Determined to find Ruthie’s lost cat and protect Jack’s new puppy from Fang, the local wildlife, the kids head deep into the woods. Just when they think they’re cornered by the “enemy,” the kids realize someone has gone missing.

Is Fang up to no good? Or will faith and friendship be enough to see the kids make it out alive?

Adventures, friendships, and faith-testers . . . all under the watchful eye of a great big God.

The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine, but their 1990s suburban neighborhood is more than just quiet, tree-lined streets. Jack, Ellison, Roger, and Ruthie face challenges and find adventures in every creek and cul-de-sac—as well as God’s great love in one small neighborhood.

In Book 2 of the Tree Street Kids series, Jack and his friends learn some survival skills at the church’s summer camp. They’ll need them! Determined to find Ruthie’s lost cat and protect Jack’s new puppy from Fang, the local wildlife, the kids head deep into the woods. Just when they think they’ve cornered the “enemy,” the kids realize someone has gone missing. Is Fang up to no good? Or will faith and friendship be enough to see the kids make it out alive?

In The Hunt for Fang, Jack and his friends learn some survival skills as they head to summer church camp. But it soon turns into an adventure they hadn’t bargained for that takes them deep into the woods to find Ruthie’s lost cat and protect Jack’s new puppy, Arrow, from Fang. Then a crisis emerges as someone goes missing. Will they find their missing friend? Will God help them work together to get out of this sticky situation?

Readers will happily head to camp with the kids and eagerly follow each chapter to find out what happens to kids just like they are. Parents will love how this series carries the spirit of the well-loved Sugar Creek Gang books from their childhood. Middle-grade readers will be excited to join the Tree Street Kids on The Hunt for Fang—continuing this journey to adventure, friendship, and fun!

Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she’s still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grown-up authors.

Amanda’s children’s writing has been published in Ladybug, The Friend, Sunday school curriculum, and at Story Warren. As a longtime writer, she’s contributed to Christianity Today, Think Christian, and many other print and online publications. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she leads writing workshops at her local teen center.

Learn more about her books at https://treestreetkids.com

Please share StoryJumpers with a friend if you enjoyed this episode. StoryJumpers is still growing, and your positive review and 5-star rating would help.

The Bridge Podcast Network is made possible by generous support from The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel and Victoria’s Restaurant on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - Open 7 days a week, year-round - Learn more at https://boardwalkplaza.com

Feedback, or Show Ideas? Send an email to podcast@wearethebridge.org

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