I want so very much for my children to understand that Christmas is more than just presents and trees and lights, so I am very particular about the Christmas books that I buy for them. These stories may not all tell the story of Jesus’ birth in the traditional sense, but they do have reminders that He is the focus. They are all books that we own and love.
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Song of the Stars is an absolutely beautiful book. It is the night of Jesus’ birth and all of creation knows it. The wind whispers the news, the seas thunder it, the lion roars it, the stars sing it. It is Jesus’ birth from the perspective of animals and nature. I love the thought that perhaps that night, the whole earth celebrated the coming of the Savior.
This is a sweet rhyming book with wintry scenes of cuddly animals enjoying the season in many familiar ways: decorating the tree, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies, wrapping gifts. It ends by acknowledging Jesus as the best gift of Christmas. I don’t know if it comes in different formats, but we have a padded-covered board book, which I like for it’s durability with our little one.
‘Twas the Evening of Christmas
I just bought this book last year and it has become a fast favorite. It is the story of Jesus’ birth written in the cadence of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. What’s not to like? The rhymes are easy, the rhythm is catchy, and Jesus is the focus.
The Pine Tree Parable is about a farmer and his family who sell Christmas trees and the sacrifice they make to bring joy to another family. The parallel to Christmas is the sacrifice that God made by sending his Son to earth in order to bring salvation to all. My boys are six and one and I don’t think they can understand the connection, but they can recognize the qualities of kindness, generosity, and helping others. It is a book to grow in to!
This book has fun rhymes and pictures of children enjoying the many activities surrounding winter, Christmas, and New Years. Each page ends with “Thank you, God, for winter.” I love the way the book demonstrates thankfulness for even the simple pleasures in life. There are scriptures on every page, and in the back it has a short family devotion with discussion ideas and instructions for a craft.
I have had this book for a long time. I always place it next to my nativity. It is a lovely picture book of the story of Jesus’ birth. It begins with Gabriel visiting Mary and goes all the way through the visit of the wise men, as well as a short description of Jesus’ ministry on earth. The final page explains why we celebrate Christmas. The illustrations are captivating and the story closely follows the Bible. This is my favorite book to read to the kids before bed on Christmas Eve.
This is a board book that I always keep with our kids’ nativity. It is a wonderful explanation of Christmas for even the youngest child. The pictures are very sweet and it is a quick read for those short attention spans. In the past, my older son has enjoyed acting it out with his nativity people as I read.
Thank you for reading! Merry Christmas!
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
~Sarah
What is your favorite Christmas book that embraces the reason for the season?