Advent Books

Marci Alborghetti grew up in a family where Christmas was a celebration that lasted from the first week in December to Three Kings Day. She always wondered what happened to the fabled gifts of the Magi, so one Christmas season she wrote The Miracle Of The Myrrh to answer this timeless question from two thousand years ago. Award-winning French artist Herve Blondon richly illustrates Alborghetti's original, entertaining, and highly recommended picturebook story of a grown-up Drummer Boy, his son, and the fate of the frankincense, gold and myrrh.

Marci Alborghetti has written a children's story which will be a Christmas favorite for years to come. The Miracle of the Myrrh is a sensitive tale showing us the blessings we receive when we generously offer our gifts to meet another's need. I can picture myuself reading this to a child every Christmas season. It is a story which will never grow old. Herve Blondon captures the story visually in such a way that, once the stroy is read, the child who is not yet reading can "read" the story again just by looking at the illustrations.

Every year I search for just the right Christmas storybook to add to my daughter's collection. The Miracle of the Myrrh is a wonderful story that celebrates the true spirit of giving and Christianity. It is a welcome relief for a season that has become so commercialized. I know this book will become one of our favorite Holiday reads.

The Mircle of the Myrrh is beautifully written and created an oasis for our family to stop and truly reflect on the spirit and meaning of Christmas. It is written with a new perspective and caught the attention of both the adults and children in our family with its freshness, beauty and insights. It will be one of our most beloved family traditions for many years to come!

As a small town librarian, I recommend this book for family reading over the holidays. Its message is as simple as it is profound: like breathing out and breathing in, you have to give in order to get. Also, wonderful illustrations. This story is a natural for a composer of melodic talent. Who hasn't enjoyed Amahl and the Night Visitors? Read it and see if you agree.

My family and I love this book. A favorite at Christmas, its a nice take on the traditional version. Having 3 kids and reading stories constantly, you relish and enjoy the ones that are unique and fun to read.

This book is a clever and funny version of the "Night before Christmas". The kids think its funny and as a mother, I found it to be VERY true to real life on the nights before the big day, but with a comical twist!! The price is right...we gave these to friends and neighbors instead of holiday baking!

...this is their favorite Christmas story.

As a housewarming gift, I picked up a pair of Christmas books for my friends' children last year. This year, their mother again thanked me for "The Night Before the Night Before Christmas." It had become her kindergartener's and pre-schooler's favorite. In fact, it was the only story the pre-schooler wanted to hear.

For fun, I ordered myself a copy. It is now my favorite too. Following the cadences of "The Night Before Christmas," readers are invited along to witness a typical, loving family's Christmas challenges. Page after page of endearing illustrations will enchant readers of all ages. Not even the most dedicated Grinch can resist.

Don't wait another year to pick up this great story.

We love this book. My three year old daughter loves the story and illustrations as do I. It also hits home as a parent during this frantic time of seeming unbridled avarice. Love is the best gift of all. Buy this book today and snuggle up with the ones you love for a hilarious spin on the classic poem. Happy Holidays!

This twist on Clement C. Moore's Christmas poem is one that parents can really identify with! It's about all the things that can and will go wrong during Christmas preparations, like burnt cookies. Yet the spirit of the holiday wins out. My daughter really likes this book and I think it is a pleasure to read to her. I don't agree with the editorial review that it, "...scans awkwardly and does not easily lend itself to sharing aloud." I love the illustrator's style too. It's a very cute and clever book that is worth having in your Christmas library.

Although this book is aimed toward the younger readers, it is the original poem of the Nightmare Before Christmas, so no matter if you are a Burton fan or study literature, this is an essential item to add to that collectio

Hmm, where do I begin... I LOVE JACK SKELLINGTON first off, and this book is SOO COOL! And yes, you can probably tell I'm a teenage girl so far... but yeah, I read this book when I was really little (same with watching the movie) and at first it scared the crap outta me (hey, I was little). But when I got older, I started to realize that this thing kicked @$$. It made me laugh, made me smile, made me cry a little, everything! Best holiday book ever! It's not really a little kid book, but it's not too scary either. The scariest part about it are the drawings, just cuz they're so abnormal. Also... if you haven't seen the movie, make sure you do. But all in all, this is probably my favorite book. GOOD JOB TIM!

I bought a copy of this book a couple years back, only to find my young nephew (only 5 back then) reaching to look at it often when he visited. I've now decided to buy him his own copy of this book, while it's still in print, because I see this movie's "legend" continuing to grow as an annual Halloween classic. Such is the unique and wonderful world of Tim Burton; his style often does not catch on immediately, but it slowly finds its way beyond "cult" viewing and into the hearts and minds of mainstream audiences. This book features a generous offering of pre-production designs (including many of Burton's own drawings) and behind-the-scenes photos, which are fun to look at again and again. A beautifully illustrated book, and fun to own

A director named Burton with the first name of Tim
Wrote this tale of a skeleton, tall and slim.

Jack Skeleton is the name of this "hero"
He comes with a ghost dog known as Zero.

As the title implies two holidays meet
Do we say "Merry Christmas" or "trick or treat?"

Jack wants to spread Christmas and help Santa out
But he's a little misguided when he takes the toy route.

The kids are a bit surprised by Jack as S. Claus
Some of his Christmas traditions would make anyone pause.

Before you read this give the movie a look
The film helps the reader make sense of the book.

Illustrated with drawings instead of claymation
This book still creates quite a sensation!

I'd like to know more about Nightmare Before Christmas.

Not classically a Christmas story, THE RED SCARF is a look at life in Arkansas in the fall of 1944. The reader meets a young Richard Mason. He is an eleven-year-old sixth-grader. His best friend is John Clayton. He has a dim-witted dog named Sniffer. And he lives in a small town with approximately 650 residents.

Richard has always had a crush on Rosalie. They've almost been boyfriend and girlfriend. But then Richard does something stupid, like any eleven-year-old boy would do. So to get back into her best graces, he decides he will buy her a Christmas present. Richard has it on the good authority of one of Rosalie's friends that the red scarf in Samples Department Store is just what Rosalie would love.

The only problem is that Richard doesn't have enough money to buy the scarf. At least not since his mom made him spend his paper route money on a new pair of shoes. But that doesn't deter Richard. He keeps getting up at 5am to deliver the newspapers to the townsfolk.

Taking place during the span between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, Richard tells the story of his efforts to buy the scarf for Rosalie. During the course of the month, the reader gets to experience Richard's daily life. The reader meets many interesting characters from the town of Norphlet. Among some of the most unique are Uncle Hugh, the old black man in the woods that Richard delivers groceries to every week; Bubba, the large cook at City Café, who's pretty daunting with a skillet; Curly Sawyer, the drunk constable; and many others. The reader also finds out about how accident-prone Richard can be. And the reader gets to experience the hardships on a family during the end of World War II.

Richard's spirit is pure and the story is infective. Mr. Mason weaves a sweet tale in spite of the hardships that his main character has to struggle with. As mentioned in the first sentence, this isn't a traditional Christmas story, but the spirit rings out for a joyous holiday season for everyone.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Every single person I have shared your book with has loved it.

My father just finished it and absolutely could not say enough wonderful things about it. In fact, he asked me if the New York Times had read it and said they really needed to share it with the rest of the world. And, he's buying a copy to give to my Uncle for Christmas.

My 9-year-old son even told me how much some of the kids at his school were enjoying reading it and grabbed his copy to start reading it on his own.

That is really, really saying something when a piece of literature can cut across so many generations and bring so much Christmas joy to so many. Congratulations and thanks for sharing a piece of your Arkansas childhood with the rest of us!

Excellent story of life in the rural South from years gone by. I would
very favorably compare this book to John Grisham's 'A painted House'.
It exemplifies the upbringing that formed this generation. For all ages,
a really good tale.

The author has written an excellent Christmas story with a most unusual ending. The style of writing is reminiscent of Mark Twain and captures the readers attention from page one to the surprise ending.

The novel recounts the struggles and adventures of two young boys who are best friends in rural South Arkansas during the mid-forties. Despite all obstacles with which the boys are faced, they do have a very Merry Christmas.

This novel is excellent reading and I recommend it to all.

The Red Scarf is funny, historical and emotional. It is goes back to a time when kids were kids free to play and find adventure. I would recommend it for any age.

My children adore this very thoroughly illustrated Redwall tale! It gives faces to all of the creatures they have grown to love from reading the Redwall series.

Illustrator Christopher Denise does a superb job of bringing a visual feast of animal characters to life in Brian Jacques' "A Redwall Winter's Tale." Amazingly talented artist.

A traveling group of entertainers arrives at the Redwall Abbey on the last day of Autumn. The travellers put on a big show, and the Redwallers provide a huge feast. When it is time to put the Dibbuns (youngsters) to bed, Mighty Bulbrock Badger tells a bedtime story. Who brings the wintertime snows? Why, the Snow Badger, of course! But is the Snow Badger real, or just a fairy tale told to the Dibbuns? You'll have to read the book to find out. The pictures are wonderful, perfectly complementing the story. Like Brian Jacques' previous picture book The Great Redwall Feast, also illustrated by Christopher Denise, this is a perfect introduction to the Redwall series for younger readers and a great book for all ages.

This short tale is illustrated by Christopher Denise, who also illustrated The Great Redwall Feast. Denise does a wonderful job of capturing the characters and mood of the Redwall
world. In this tale, traveling players visit the abbey and perform at a feast marking the last day of autumn. The dibbuns hear a bedtime tale of the Snow Badger, the lord of winter. Later the Snow Badger visits the abbey grounds with his army of snow hares to bring the first winter's snow. This is a "winter's tale," the kind of tale that might be told around a fireplace on a cold winter's night, and it includes an example of a winter's tale, the tale of the Snow Badger. A winter's tale typically involves some supernatural elements (See Shakespeare's Winter's Tale for another variation on this genre or Isak Dinesen's 7 Gothic Tales.)

I got this book during the christmas season thinking it would be a regular chapter book. This is not a Chapter Book!!!! This only has a few words per page but the illustrations make up for everything. Don't get me wrong though, the story is written very well, very poetically in fact. This is great read, especially for younger people who may have a hard time reading some of Jacques other longer books. Definitely worth it!

I always get a kick out of reading the Santa Paws series. And this particular book about Santa Paws ranks among my all-time favorites. I love how the author is so descriptive, and I love how the characters, especially Santa Paws, are portrayed. This book isn't too intense for young children, and at the same time it's not a baby book. I'd say this kind of book applies to all ages. If you haven't read this book yet, then you have no idea what you're missing.

It was close to Christmas and with Santa Paws at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Nobody could have known that they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas.
When a huge ice storm takes Oceanport by surprise, an amazing number of accidents happen. Is this storm a disaster not even Santa Paws can face?
But Santa Paws sets out with his new sidekick, mischievous Abigail the cat, to save Christmas once again. He braves everything from falling trees and car crashes to loose cows and a cat stuck in a slippery tree, to make sure everybody has a happy holiday.

It was close to Christmas and with Santa Paws at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Nobody could have known that they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas.
When a huge ice storm takes Oceanport by surprise, an amazing number of accidents happen. Is this storm a disaster not even Santa Paws can face?
But Santa Paws sets out with his new sidekick, mischievous Abigail the cat, to save Christmas once again. He braves everything from falling trees and car crashes to loose cows and a cat stuck in a slippery tree, to make sure everybody has a happy holiday.

The protagonist is Santa Paws.The conflict is there is an ice storm and Santa Paws's family is at stake.Most of Santa Paws family are trapped in an ice storm, can Santa Paws save them? What I like best are the characters because they are funny and weird, because they are animals and talk.

It was almost Christmas, and with Santa Paws safe at home it was going to be the first relaxing holiday the Callahans had had in years. Who could have known they were going to have much more than just a white Christmas? When a huge ice storm takes the little town of Oceanport by surprise, countless accidents occur. Too many for even Santa Paws? But the hero dog escapes into the storm with his new sidekick, Abigail the cat, to face his biggest disaster ever. With a number of amazing (and a couple funny) rescues, Santa Paws is saving Christmas again!

Abigail is great, and Santa Paws is as good as ever! But why aren't Gregory and Patricia involved in any of these books anymore? It's really cool to read about Santa Paws and his rescues--especially about Abigail tagging along behind him. But if sometime there could be a book that was a little more like "The Return of Santa Paws" again... Still--a really great book!

This is a beautifully illustrated book which tells the fascinating story of Santa's Reindeer! My 7 year olds just love these books! Get the one about Santa Claus too.

This was all I had hoped it would be. The art work is excellent and the text is such that as the child grows, more and more of the text will be enjoyed. Myth and fact are included, allowing for the enjoyment of the magic of Christmas Myth as well as interesting facts about reindeer. This will be enjoyed with grandchildren at Christmas time for years to come.

Such a sweet book. A delight to all children and adults. It's so much fun to learn about Santa's reindeer! As good as the Santa Claus one!

THESE BOOKS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. I BOUGHT 2 FOR MY GRANDSONS. THEY ARE REALLY NICE COLLECTIBLES AND WILL MEAN A LOT TO SOMEONE AS THE YEARS GO ON. LAST YEAR I BOUGHT THEM BOOKS ABOUT SANTA AND THIS YEAR THE REINDEER. THESE ARE STURDY BOOKS MEANT TO LAST FOR YEARS WITH CARE.Santa's Reindeer

This book is just what I was looking for its very informative yet child like cute.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RC70JZBKPV6B
Cullen of CullensAbcs.com reviews this book and gives you ideas on how to use to use it interactively with your child. For you I have more video book reviews, free children videos and free activity idea videos at the CullensAbcs.com website. If you have a children's book you would like me to review and offer ideas on how to use it interactively with children please send an email to CullensAbcs@gmail.com. Also, feel free to to add me, Cullen Wood, as a Facebook friend.

Santa's Stuck was used at a recent school board sponsored workshop for teachers. It is an excellent resource for the classroom or library.

We bought this at a book fair at my sons school in October and have been reading it ever since (it's February!) It's adorable & funny and my son loves to yell out the "Puuuull, puuush ... whooooosh! Santa's out!" every time. Very sweet illustrations as well. A winner.

THIS IS A FAST FUN FINE LITTLE BOOK THAT THE KIDS COULD READ TO ME! WE WOULD JUST LOVE TO HAVE A FIREPLACE FOR SANTA TO GET STUCK IN & HAVE ALL KINDS OF CRITTERS TRYING TO HELP OUT!!! I ALWAYS MAKE THE STORY READING TIME AN ALL OUT ONE TWO THREE EVERYONE GETS INVOVLED KINDA TRIP!

This is an excellent book. Fun, cute story. Really nice pictures. Our daughter loves this book and we enjoy reading it to her.

Each verse of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is depicted on its own page along with a large, gloriously-hued watercolor illustration of the verse. Even cooler is the two-page spread at the end of the book, which brings all of the pictures together and shows how they flow into one another like a mural. The art in the book makes it a wonderful gift idea for the holidays. I actually ordered 3 copies of this book, one for our family and two to give as gifts to other family members.

I love the artwork in this book--it's amazing to see how well the two artists work together and compliment each other. I already have this book displayed among my other Christmas books for the season.

The drawings are simply wonderful to share with people, and a great read over tea on a cozy Christmas eve.

As a huge fan of the work of these two wonderful artists, I highly recommend this book. Their gorgeous illustrations for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" make this a treasure for all time, and a highly recommended purchase for anyone, whatever their age, as a keepsake of the magical Christmas season.

This book is wonderfully illustrated and showcases the talents of these two artists. Each page could stand alone. I'm looking forward to more tales of Christmas from them in the future. You won't regret buying this one!

This is as great a satire as Catch 22. As in Catch 22, underlining the satire is a passion for humanity and a merciless assault on those who abuse it and profit from preying on it. It is far superior to The King David Report which is not at all funny -- as Voltaire has shown in Candide, ridicule is the most potent weapon in social criticism.

"The Wandering Jew" is based on an old legend which narrates the tragic life of Ahasverus, condemned to an ever-lasting life of misery, until the second coming of Christ, for having refused his master Reb Joshua (Jesus) a resting place when on his way to the Golgotha. It is a personification of exile and Christian condemnation of the Jewish people. Stefan Heym has elaborated on this legend giving it a broad philosophical dimension, with deep moral passion. Ahasverus is a moral character, standing between evil and good, with a revolutionary mind and wishing to understand and improve human condition. Thre are three parallel, interlock plots, the main one taking place in Luther's Germany where the Minister Paul von Eitzen strives holiness through his ministry (disguising his ambition, greed, and sexual impulses), and at the same time fascinated by the power of evil. Although the moral issues brought up are not a novelty, S. Hyem shows courage and passion in his convictions and invites the reader to thoughtfully participate in a dramatic show of human nature. A most wonderful book!

there are only numerous books can be said that are as good as this one (one of them is also by stefan heym - king david report). layer upon layer of plots all conected and interconected. challanges the free mind as only a "prisoner" by choice in e. germany (Mr. Heym) can invent. walks on thin lines between christianity and judeism leaving no mythical stone unturned. if u were lucky enough to hear about this book, BUY IT, READ IT and tell your friends. p.s : for true lovers of literature

Based on the last words of Christ (John 21:22), this "resurrected" story is similar to Nobel laureate Par Lagerkvist's "The Death of Ahasuerus" (1958) in the sense that it is also poetic prose, and verging on its dream-like and imaginative qualities. Personally, I find Lagerkvist made a better description in his "The Sybil" (1951), but there is historical accuracy in honoring Heym and his fellow German literary figures for the most prolific treatment of the Wandering Jew in words. By the way, the address for the central character is also entirely fictious!

I came to this book after reading The King David Report, and found it stylistically similar but considerably more subtle in its subject matter. Through three interconnected narratives Heym poses a number of questions, chief among them being in what way and to what extent an individual is responsible for their own actions. The characterisation is beautifully observed; his Jesus is indecisive and pathetic, his Lucifer intelligent, sympathetic, generous and even moral. As with The King David Report, his ability to highlight human weaknesses is employed to great effect. Few writers place you so effectively inside the minds of their anti-heroes. It is a wonderful book, by virtue both of the story itself and of the ideas that underlie it.