Advent Books

Absolutely gorgeous. Stunning illustrations. Magical ... haunting ... I cannot say enough.

I love Christmas books for children and when I discovered this one, I couldn't believe it. It is a definite heirloom and one to be shared with the entire family. This book was not totally set for the younger age group but for everyone. It isn't entirely encompassed with baby words and illustrations like others I've seen. The pictures are also quite beautiful.

This hardbound book is absolutely beautiful, consisting of wonderful illustrations based upon the gospels of Matthew and Luke (KJV).

The illustrator Gennady Spirin, is masterful, brilliant, and elegantly captures the essence of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The construction of the book itself, 33 pages in length, is designed for adults and mature children and is most definitely not a plaything for toddlers.

Purchase this book and establish a new and wonderful Christmas family tradition.

Clopper and the Night Travelers is a picturebook for Christian children, told from the perspective of a friendly donkey who was present for the birth of Jesus Christ. Clopper and the Night Travelers further tells the tale of how Jesus' mother and father followed the guidance of an angel to hide the baby Jesus from the wicked King Herod's dominion. "When we got to Israel, Joseph heard that Herod's cruel son Archelaus ruled the land around Bethlehem. In a dream, God warned Joseph not to go back there. So we kept going north, all the way to Nazareth. That was a long trip and my hooves needed a rest!" Jovial, cartoony illustrations endear this story, which makes the early years of Jesus' family's life accessible to young readers. A welcome addition to Christian children's picturebook shelves. Also highly recommended is the previous picturebook in the Clopper series, "Clopper the Christmas Donkey."

Clopper and the Night Travelers is a well-grounded, child-friendly telling of the first years of Jesus' life. Shared through the eyes (and ears) of a donkey, the readers hear the story from a new voice. Nearly each page set has (on a parchment page) the Biblical words allowing older children to learn not only Clopper's story, but The Story. Illustrated by Ed Olson, the inviting characters add to the tale. Emily King (be sure to read her stories of Mrs. Twiggimbotham) continues in her use of fine language and correct grammar to present a new Christmas book, both pleasing to children and adults.

Clopper is an adorable storyteller. He includes scriptures on many pages as he describes his experiences during his time with Jesus. The pictures also show accurately that Jesus wasn't a newborn when the wise men came to visit the Lord. The story follows a progression of events including the time Mary and Joseph stayed in Egypt with Jesus until they were told it was safe to return. But because of the reputation of Herod's evil son, they took no chances and decided to continue on to Nazareth. A map shows the route their journey took. I enjoyed the detailed illustrations and the story given from the donkey's point of view. This book could be read any time of the year even though it's geared toward Christmas time.

I found spiritual insight in this slim volume by Fr. Raymond E Brown, S.S. "A COMING CHRIST in ADVENT" is a collection of essays on the gospel narratives preparing for the birth of Jesus. As such, it is a commentary of the first chapters of Matthew and Luke. The subjects include the genealogy of the CHRIST, Jesus, as presented in Matthew, the three Annunciations as well as the Benedictus. The subject is given the characteristic thoroughness Fr Brown applies to his larger works. Two themes which I found intriguing are first, that the Lucan Infacy Narratives contain figures from the Hebrew Scriptures (Zechariah and Elizabeth) and Gospel figures (John, the Baptist) encountering each other in order to bridge the two periods of GOD's salvific action. The second theme which was presented in a new light for me is the role of Mary as a disciple of the CHRIST. Fr Brown writes, "In all of this Luke has anticipated a christological terminology that is appropriate to Jesus' ministry and beyond." Jesus defines 'family' in terms of accepting his gospel about the LORD (Mark 3:35; Luke 8:21). Mary's answer in the Annunciation is "Let it be done to me according to your word." Again, from Fr Brown, "The evangelist is descrbing not only one who is consenting to be the physical mother of Jesus but also and very importantly one who meets Jesus' criterion for his family of disciples -- indeed the first one." If you are interested in understanding the Gospel message in the Infancy Narratives, this book will be interesting to you.

Raymond E. Brown is best known for his large The Birth of the Messiah and the two volumes on the death of Christ. Those are readable texts aimed at a more scholarly crowd. A Coming of Christ in Advent is one of a group of slim volumes that collect his essays for magazines. In these essays he shows the same skill for scholarly work and equal skill at making it meaningful to today's Christian - not as Biblical study but as meaningful to one's life.

My favorite section in this particular volume is the study of the genealogy in Matthew's Gospel - the points regarding the women mentioned as all being "outsiders" was one of several provocative points. I'm sure other readers would pick out different highlights depending upon the conditions under which they read the book - there are many possible highlights to chose between.

One of Raymond Brown's most enduring and significant works is THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH. It is without a doubt the most helpful work for preparing Advent and Christmas homilies as well as Bible studies based on the Advent and Christmas seasons. Though it's filled with great information, it's not quick reading by any stretch of the imagination. A quick reference guide would be more than appreciated by most readers and A COMING CHRIST IN ADVENT and its companion volume AN ADULT CHRIST AT CHRISTMAS, both published by Liturgical Press, serve this purpose.

A COMING CHRIST IN ADVENT looks at the major stories in Matthew and Luke associated with Advent: The Annunciation to Mary, the Visitation, and Magnificat; The Annunciation to Zechariah, birth of John the Baptist, and Benedictus; Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ and Joseph's encounter with the angel. He treats each story separately and encourages readers to do the same, believing that combining the stories can take away from the overall message. He also warns about worrying too much about historical accuracy, believing that doing so can away from the beauty and message of the texts. Readers familiar with Brown's writings know that when he states this, he's not arguing against a scholarly study of the Infancy Narratives, but rather is encouraging readers not to get so boggled down in details that the message is either missed or ignored.

Because it's a slender volume, it's perfect for an Advent Bible Study series or spiritual reading for people who combine scripture study and prayer. At such a busy time of the year, people want substance but often don't have time for lengthier works. This volume is perfect for that purpose. It's also great for preparing a homily, since it has major themes specifically for Advent. It also has footnotes with references for THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH which makes it a great beginning for further research.

What a fun and sweet way to teach the true meaning of Christmas. The artwork is wonderfully joyous and vivid. This will be a yearly Christmas Eve tradition in my family.

Enjoyed the book very much. It reminded me of the way things can get out-of hand during the busy holiday season. Reading this book with your children is a good way to remind the children in our lives (and some of the grown-ups!) of what really matters in life. Thank you for another wonderful book.

This book is sure to become a classic! It captures all the fun and chaos of the holidays as it reminds us of what Christmas is really about. Beautifully written and illustrated, The Conifer Court Competition will instantly put you in the Christmas spirit. I will be giving this book to everyone I know!

I purchased this book for my children this Christmas, and was just blown away by the illustrations. The detail is amazingly beautiful, and the story is very well written and developed. A definite must read each year now for our family.

My sister sent this beautiful book to my children for Christmas. It's a stunner with complex, rich sentences, lush illustrations, and a storyline that includes flashbacks, foreshadowing, frame tales, and developed characters. My children, ages 3 and 6, love it, too. My daughter noticed that the cover of the book resembles worn leather--she's right, and the effect is wonderful. We read the note from the author and learned new things about cowboys and settlers (which I won't give away here). Suffice it to say that from now on, we're sleeping with horse hair ropes around our bedding!

This is a touching story of perseverance and hope. I was looking for books to give as Christmas presents this year, and this really impressed me.

This is a great book. I have now purchased it for my grands. My daughter used to take it to school with the baked cookies from the recipe at the back of the book. The teacher would read the story then pass out the Cranberry Cookies and my daughter and the teacher thought it was GREAT!

I remember this book from my childhood. I took it to class in Grade 2 for the teacher to read to the class. Everyone loved it so much that the other Grade 2 teacher asked to borrow it for her class. This is a heartwarming tale that young and old alike adore. I'm so glad I found it again so I can read it to my own son.

I grew up reading this book every Christmas and it holds a very special place in my heart. The recipe for the cookies is amazing as well!

I agree 100% with the other reviewers here. This is a post-apocalyptic novel in a league with the Stand, Swan Song, and Lucifer's Hammer. The writing was good and the story seemed very realistic.

What really puzzles me is that there is so little mention of this novel anywhere. Why is this novel so underappreciated? I wonder if the cover art has anything to do with it? The cheesy picture on the front really made me hesitate to pick this book up at all--a demon with its mouth open with horrified children wading through fire inside...W..T..F??? As I read the book and was drawn into it, I kept wondering when this demonic being would come into the picture and hoping it wouldn't ruin what was turning out to be an excellent story. Thankfully, there was no such supernatural being, just good gritty drama and a story that seems all too possible.

If you liked "The Stand", "Lucifer's Hammer", "Swan Song", "Black Sun", or any other after-the-world-ends novella, you will LOVE "Dark Advent".

without going into too much spoiler details, this book does a very admirable and believable job of covering the Apocalypse and what happens to the few unlucky survivors of the End.

Hodge does a magnifient job with the characters in this book. I found myself genuinely caring what happens to everyone, whether I wanted the character to live or die. Hodge explores the depths of human depravity in a world where there are suddenly no morals or laws (or at least no way to enforce them!). It is an interesting observation on how society probably would behave in this situation.

It doesn't have the mystical/spiritual element of "The Stand" and doesn't just end with a mysterious Godlike intervention, the way other Apocalyptic novels do. There are no mystical dream sequences, nor is there a clear-cut Good & Evil presence after the End. Hodge lets the characters seemingly become who they REALLY are, underneath the makeup of civilization, which is removed in a most-forceful way (civilization, not the makeup!).

The ending is believable, realistic - given the scenario, and this book is an AWESOME read. If you are a fan of post-Apocalyptic literature, this book is a must-have.

Then you you MUST read this book.
I look at all the lists I can about "end of the world" fiction
and I am amazed at how this book is over-looked.
I've read "The Stand", "Swan Song", "Alas, Babylon","Lucifer's Hammer", and "On the beach" and this is one of the better ones.

My son has enjoyed this book for two years now. We like it so much that I bought it for every child we know. I wouldn't recommend it for under 4 though. There are a lot of cards and papers to keep together.

My children absolutely love this book. Pulling out the letters from the attached envelopes is so clever. We couldn't live without this book during Christmas.

Holly and her brother meet Santa at the big store and when they get home; her mother helps her brother write his Christmas list. Holly decides to write a letter. To her surprise, she gets a reply from Santa.

They correspond and eventually she gets to go for a ride in the sleigh.

I would say more but I don't want to spoil it.

The artwork is good and what makes the book fun is the fact you get to open envelopes and read Santa's letters. The envelopes and letters use a heavy bond paper so they will stand up to general wear and tear.

I feel that Mrs. Allen has captured the essisance and eligance that is Christmas. Through her time and effort, and excellent book has been produced that should survive for generations to come. Through the information found in this wonderful publication, readers will find a deeper meaning to the plants and traditions associated with the season. Good Reading to All.

Decking the Halls provides a fine reflection on the folklore and traditions of Christmas plants, considering the legends and symbolism which surrounds them and the seasonal customs which have accompanied popular Christmas blooming plants. Decking the Halls could have been featured in our gardening column, but is recommended here for its historical and social reflection, crossing different cultures in its analysis of plant meaning.

Decking the Hall successfully takes on the most important task of enlightening us about the plants mankind has chosen to celebrate his favorite holiday of Christmas.

Did you know that the color green symbolizes eternal life or that many of our Christmas traditions involving plants come from the Ancient cultures of Druids, Celt, Norse, and Roman? The first chapter tells the basics of the Christmas plants heritage and where our traditions first started. In the second chapter, we learn the history at the mistletoe and how it became Oklahoma's state flower. In the next chapter, the story of the Christmas tree, how it was used in ancient traditions. The fourth chapter explains the circle of life, or as we know it, the wreath and what it symbolizes. The next two chapters tell us about the European tradition of the Yule log and the holy holly. I found it interesting that again the Christian church condemned a plant because it was used in pagan rituals, only to later lift the ban. This little package with a big story to tell also mentions the poinsettia and it's heritage from Mexico, the rosemary and how it was used in the middle ages, the Christmas Rose, which isn't really a rose at all, cinnamon, which was native to India, Peppermint, the universal symbol of Christmas, and of course the cranberry and it's functional history.

What a delightful read! I came away filled with the knowledge of ancient cultures, history, and beliefs that surround the plants I put out every Christmas. Some of the Information Linda Allen provides I am aware of, but the largest percentage I was not. I will not only look at this season's plant differently, I will also share their stories with those who will listen and tell them where I learned it all.

Well once again Dewey Doo It, does it again. This book really brings out the fun and love that the christmas season is supposed to have and helping kids understand that. I love the dewey doo it books and look forward to more!!! These are awesome!!!!

This charming Christmas tale is my great-grandchildren's favorite and I love that it benefits Hurricane Relief and the charity, Feed The Children. It's one of the best books in the award winning Dewey Doo-it series and I highly recommend it.

This 'Dewey The Helpful Doo-it' series of books are my grand-daughter's favorites. But I think I like them more than her because of the important lessons she learns about being kind and compassionate toward others. Each story is patterned after good work of real life heroes - people who saw a problem and chose to devote their life to making it better. The illustrations are like beautiful paintings and the included CD with narration by John Goodman is absolutely charming. I highly recommend it.