This would have been a book that I would have appreciated in my children's younger pre-teen years. Jennifer Pepito does a good job sharing her own experience as a mother, and how through God's prompting and through books that she was reading helped to guide and shape her parenting philosophy. I really appreciated the chapter study guides at the end with questions, a bible verse to memorize and more books that you can read on the topic of the chapter. This would make for a great read in a Mom's group!

I did feel that the subtitle was a bit misleading... I had anticipated the book to be more instructional about reading aloud to kids, suggestions on how to do so, and the benefits of such. For me, it's just a simple thing, but could confuse a reader who was looking for this topic, and not the one of generalized motherhood that the book is about.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bethany House Publishers for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love the chapter categories. It made me excited to dive into this book.
The book itself is uplifting and encouraging. I’ll be buying a hard copy of it to mark up and have at home to reference.
Thank you Netgalley!

Super cute book!! I loved the different stories told by the author and her family....how one manages with that many kids, I will never figure out! But I enjoyed the stories, her writing style, the use of scripture etc. I didn't think it was super intense but more light hearted which is why I enjoyed it so much!

A really worthwhile perspective on mothering and all that it entails: the ups, downs, highs and lows. This book meant a great deal to me as I read it as a mom of two after living through possibly one of the hardest years of my life, coming to terms with my own struggles with postpartum anxiety and depression. To hear my story validated in the stories of others is immensely helpful and I know this book will be a blessing to many others! Moms need to know that it is ok to not always be ok and that there is not just one way to do things and to raise your kids. Moms also need to know that there are good and bad days, and that they are not alone in any of it.

Review: Mothering by the Book
Author: Jennifer Pepito

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️4/5

This book was definitely different than I expected. I was thinking that I would be mainly advice on what books to read your kids at different age groups, as they grow- and while that can be found in a smaller degree in this book- what it turned out to be is actual encouragement and direction on how to mother using the lessons that classic books have taught us.
Beloved stories such as Charlottes Web, Pride and Prejudice, and Little house on the prairie.

Though this book was not what I expected, I enjoyed it. I felt encouraged in my motherhood and my love for books!

I enjoyed this book, it is a good book to read if you have fears in regards to raising and/or homeschooling your children. Even if you don’t have fears about doing enough, teaching your kids enough, training them enough, it’s a great book to read! I loved the literature references throughout the book, being a avid reader myself! The author has a great way to explain her story and fears humbly and help remind us all to turn to the Lord to help us with our fears. Definitely recommend this book!

Wow, this book could/should actually be a series. This one focused on overcoming fear, but I actually think she could go on to do all sorts of things that we mothers face and are able to learn about in reading. “Books are always informing our lives, even when we are unaware.” There were some points that just hit me so deep. Specifically the chapter on the words we speak over our child. As someone who has heard and studied a lot on our words, the way she put it just hit different.
Although I expected it to talk on a bunch of differing topics—not only covering different areas of fear—I highly recommend this one!

Through a series of beloved literature, Jennifer Pepito shares that literature expanded and encouraged her life towards hearty flourishing. Personal, gentle, thoughtful, and authentic, Jennifer does not shy away from reality but gently shares an active practice of reading on a personal and family level. A delightful, afternoon read to encourage, always forward, the reading life!

For anyone who is a mother, or homeschooling their children read this book; I loved it from start to finish. I will be buying a physical copy to annotate some information on this book. The author touched on many issues moms face and gives tips on how to deal with them.

This is a quote i loved...
“We can teach our children to laugh in the face of fear, to find joy even when the days are dark, and to live for a purpose that is higher than themselves.”

The subtitle to this book (The Power of Reading Aloud To Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy) is misleading. I spent most of my time with a furrowed brow, expecting the book to be about the act of reading aloud and its benefits when in reality it was a memoir about how the author fought fear in her life as a mom and how certain books provided lessons for her to glean from.
Each chapter deals with a specific fear, a synopsis of a specific book and lessons she gleaned from it with alot of her own story. The books felt secondary. Each chapter ends with book recommendations as well as a study guide in order to personalize the experience for the reader.
If you struggle with fear in motherhood or just life in general you may find encouragement, help and hope in her story and may even find yourself looking for lessons in your own reading but if you are looking for a book highlighting the benefits and power of reading aloud with your kids you might want to pick up something else.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was really intrigued with this book and the concept of using literature in mothering/parenting. While the author did tie in lessons she learned from specific books, one book for each of the 14 chapters, I didn't personally grasp a ton of how to incorporate literature into my life, as it came across mostly as how she used it her parenting journey with lots of examples, which are great, but I wanted it to tie in more of "this was my experience, here's how you can incorporate that into your life," which it only did minimally, and not as much as I was expecting, I guess. There are questions at the end of each chapter to the reader answer for expanding on what the reader learned in that chapter, as well as a suggested bible verse for memorization and other suggested books to read to tie in with the theme presented in that chapter. There are lots of spoilers for each book used as examples, so if you haven't read each book used, be prepared that there are spoilers for each story. The variety of books used were interesting as well. I enjoyed seeing which books the author mentioned and how she would tie them in to the topics, but, as I said, there are spoilers and I wasn't prepared for having the endings of some of the books spelled out in this book. (Yes, I know what happens to Wilbur and Charlotte in <i>Charlotte's Web</i>, but I haven't read a lot of the other books used and those endings are still mentioned in this book.)

There were a lot of great examples used for struggles Pepito faced as a mother, some used multiple times, but, again, I felt like this book didn't necessarily teach me as the reader how to incorporate the concept presented in the title of the book for myself, just focused strongly on the author's own journeys and didn't always incorporate the mentioned novels in the way I personally expected from the title/presentation of the book. Still, there are a lot of great encouragement and uplifting for mothers/parents to learn from, so I did round up to 4 stars instead of 3.

A "real life" book....from one Mom to another.

I appreciated the author's humor & real-life approach to things. Great words of wisdom from a veteran Mother & homeschooler.

The book is laid out very well & easy to read. Each chapter is related to a classic book & quotes from them, such as "Pride & Prejudice", "The Railway Children", "Charlotte's Web" & much more.

Lessons from each book can be applied to our lives as Mothers, Wives, Teachers, etc. I look forward to rereading many times in the future & sharing it with my kids & grandkids.

(I was able to preview this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.)

I really enjoyed this Title!! It's the first time reading a book of Jennifer Pepito. This book came in the perfect time. We have been struggling as a family with our younger son. Mothering by the book has been so encouraging. Jennifer Pepito shares her heart with all of us inspiring us to keep going deeper in God love.

Talk about combining all of my loves into one book: mothering, homeschooling, Jesus, and reading! I loved the short chapters and the Biblical encouragement. It reads like part memoir, part homeschooling encouragement, and part read aloud ideas and themes to tie to motherhood and schooling.
I loved this book and highly recommend it!

- So grateful for the opportunity to read this for free through NetGalley!! I was familiar with the author through her homeschool curriculum but I didn’t think I needed this book… I am pleased to admit that this is one of the best books I’ve ever read! Each chapter challenged and inspired me (and I loved the literature aspect of it)! I can’t wait to get my hands on a hard copy of the book so I can underline the wisdom in its pages! I highly recommend taking a look at this book.

Thank you to Bethany House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of Mothering by the Book. My thoughts are my own.

Let me first say, this was my first time reading Jennifer Pepito. I'm familiar with her work and follow her on social media but had never had the opportunity to read her work before.

I was intrigued by the cover and the tile of this book more than anything, and knowing she was a Christian made me want to check out this title even more.

While I understand the concept of pulling from the great literature we read, I found myself longing for more words of wisdom from the Bible. Pepito spends a lot of time talking about her own story and adding in words of wisdom from her literary journey rather than pull wisdom from the Bible, our life source.

Her story is compelling and one to follow, especially in the realm of homeschool, the wild+free movement, mission work, perseverance and finding your purpose. However, I believe we should ground ourselves in the Bible first, rather than gravitate towards outside sources.

I think moms, especially younger moms, will find hope and encouragement between these pages, and as all moms can attest, motherhood can be very challenging and refining.

Since this is my first time reading Pepito, I look forward to reading more by her.

I have followed Jennifer online for awhile and was excited to see she was releasing a book. In Mothering by the Book, Jennifer shows how the power of reading aloud to her children helped bring her joy. I know the power of reading aloud to children but this book helped remind me why it is so important and helped me to catch a vision for it.

Jennifer Pepito is an absolute inspiration! Having heard her on podcasts before, I knew I needed to read this book. I was not disappointed! She shares struggles and challenges in her own life, encouragement found through different stories, and solid truths from scripture.

I appreciated greatly her vulnerability and willingness to admit different mistakes or challenges in her parenting journey. There were so many nuggets of wisdom in here and I loved the questions at the end of each chapter. They would be good to do either on your own or in a group setting. While the author has chosen to homeschool, she in no way demeans others who have not chosen that for her kids which makes it a great read for moms of all kinds. This book is a gem and I will most likely read it again as it seems to be one that would impact you in different ways depending on the season of life you are in.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read it early in exchange for a review!

Any Christian mom who loves books will appreciate this author's reflections on the ways books she has read aloud to her kids, along with God's grace, have helped combat her parenting fears. In chapters about books like Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte's Web, Little Britches and Cheaper by the Dozen, she discusses how reading helped her combat every fear from being alone, to the newborn phase, to failure. I liked the memoir-style tone of the book, as well as the classic titles she chose to discuss. This is a unique approach to the topic of reading aloud that adds something new to the growing list of books on that subject. Though I believe the author is Protestant, as a Catholic reader there was nothing theologically problematic about the book, and I think it will appeal to Catholics just as much as to Protestants.

Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy by Jennifer Pepito caught my attention via its subtitle. Mothering my daughters and reading books are two wonderful parts of my life and the combination appealed to my bookish heart. I appreciated that this author has grown children and shared honestly about her mistakes and successes. Her perspective offered encouragement mixed with wisdom but avoided (and even called out) the false idea that following certain rules or methods will guarantee happy, healthy, and godly children.

Reading one chapter of Mothering by the Book per night fit my taste well. Although I had read only two of the literary works the author discussed, she provided the necessary information from each story and tied it into her focus concept. Each chapter deals with overcoming fear and finding joy but addresses the topics from different angles and incorporates varying practices (journaling, speaking life, thankfulness, etc.). Some chapters inspired while others challenged. I underlined many portions and spent time in my journal answering the reflection questions.

Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy by Jennifer Pepito will likely appeal to bookish moms. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and now have several recommended novels on my wish list. Although the ideas can be applied to all types of families, the author homeschooled her children and I think the book fits with the homeschool experience well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.