Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for many people. It can be a time of joy and a time spent with family members and loved ones. Many people still celebrate Christmas for the right reason, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I have already done a Christmas review pile, but here is another one for you. Below are some books that will help different kinds of people see the real reason and hope of Christmas, for the smallest children, to whole families and for the non-Christian friends or family member too. Let’s start with the wee ones…
Christmas by Julie Clayden and Angela Joliffe
This little book is for tiny little readers, it’s a board book with one word per page that will help you tell the story of the birth of Jesus to the smallest of listeners. The art work is good and will help the child be engaged as you tell them about Jesus being born. There is also a story at the back of the book which uses all the words on each page to help you tell the story well if you need an aid.
The Christmas Surprise by Steph Williams
This little book is about the birth of Jesus, as you’d expect, but I like that it doesn’t dive straight in with Mary. Instead, this book takes you back to the beginning and the entrance of sin into the world and how God promised that he would send a Kin who would fix things for ever. Then comes the surprising story of the birth of Jesus. The art work is really good and really brings out the surprising nature of all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. I will say that I was a little bit disappointed with the ending, it would have been the perfect place to jump to why Jesus came and why God sent a King. However, I recognise that there are limitations to children’s books and the page count. This could be a fun read for wee ones this Christmas.
Seek and Find, the first Christmas by Sarah Parker and André Parker
If you don’t already know, I love the Seek and Find books! They’re so engaging and really help you unpack truth from the Bible to children, so I was very excited to see a Christmas edition! Each page gives you a Bible reference and a short summary of the story, and great artwork with things that the child needs to find as you retell the story of Jesus’ birth. At the end of each summary there is also one take away truth that is really helpful to keep the message memorable for children. This is a preorder, and coming out on November 17th 2022, I highly recommend preordering it now so that it arrives asap.
All about Christmas by Alison Mitchell
This is one for slightly older children, maybe about 7-10 years old. The birth of Jesus can come across a bit like a fairytale sometimes, so it’s important to remember the facts of that wonderful event that we celebrate each year. In this book you’ll find facts about the Bible, about history, interesting links into todays world and engaging questions that are relevant for kids to keep them engaged too. This book is also great for adults because it’s easy for us to forget the facts too! Grab your copy and enjoy investigating the facts of Christmas with your child this year.
The Ultimate Christmas Wishlist by Rico Tice
The dreaded question comes every year “What would you like for Christmas?” I never know, books is generally always a winner with me, no surprise there! But thinking beyond the gifts under the tree, thinking beyond the boxes and the wrapping paper, if there was no limit to what you could ask for a lot of people would ask for some ground breaking stuff. Rico has written this little book which unpacks some of the things that we might want, if there were no limitations on our Christmas lists; hope, peace, purpose and confidence. It sounds like these things are impossible to get at Christmas because no-one can make them happen, but that’s exactly what Christmas is all about, because each of those things finds their fulfilment in Him.
This is a good giveaway book for non-Christians who will hear about Jesus in a short, engaging and down to earth way. I like Rico’s writing style and how easily, and without being cheesy(!), he gets to the gospel. Buy a good few of these and maybe give them away at a carol service. Buy it here and there are also discounts if you buy multiple copies.
*** I received a copy of these book from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews. This does not change the way I rate the books. My views are my own. ***
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