Advent Books

I own serveral dictionaries and thesauri. Despite my wonderful sources of words, I cannot find enough adjectives and exciting verbs to adequately describe Sing Glory, Glory! Jesus is Born! This board book has beautiful pictures, quality construction, and memorable rhymes.

The outstanding feature is the way the rhymes fit the music to "Jesus Loves Me." Yes, you can sing all of the words to the verse and chorus of this favorite song for children! A further plus is a fact that is often overlooked in children's books---the rhymes mesh perfectly with biblical sources. Thankfully, the author did not add personal opinion.

I bought 16 copies of this book, for babies at church and for little ones in my family. In an age when secular decorations at Christmas may overshadow the Babe in the manger, Sing Glory, Glory! Jesus is Born is a neat way to remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas!

I just purchased it. It's not only very biblical, but also very aesthetic. It looks like the illustrator "sehee" used two different techniques to express the feeling of glorious moment when Jesus was born. One tech seems wood-cut printing for background, which is not only simple but very tranquil. The second might be pastel-tone coloring. Those works really remind me of "Ezra Jack Keats" works. It's definitely very good book for parents who want their children to learn about why Jesus was born with beautifully illustrated pictures.

My 3 year old absolutely loooooves this book. Each page has about 3 or 4 pieces of packing tape on it because it has been read, re-read, over and over again and it's only 6 months old. It's the MUST book for reading at night, and she carries it around the house non-stop. She's memorized every song and poem, recognizes which song goes with which picture. She's going to learn to read with this one I'm sure. For the parent, it's pretty enjoyable and contains quite a few familiar "mature" holiday songs. There are quite a few I don't recognize but it doesn't keep us from making tunes up. There are one or two blaring Christian poems/songs, but if you don't mind it, it's a great book.

Geared for youngsters ages 4 and up "Sleigh Bells and Snowflakes" is a happy collection of holiday poems and songs.

Young eyes and ears will joyfully respond to the perceptive and perky words of the beloved Ogden Nash: "Smooth clean and frost white The world looks good enough to bite. That's the season to be young, Catching snowflakes on your tongue," and learn to hum along to the familiar lyrics of "Silver Bells."

Whether witty or moving there is something for everyone to be found in this treasury of the familiar and the new.

Linda Bronson used clay, collage and paint to artfully bring these selections to life.

This book ia a good read-aloud book to create some magic for your children around the Christmas story and the wisemen from a camel's point of view. Illustrations add to the soft warm feeling.

In the new book by Rachel W. N. Brown, Small Camel Follows the Star, the author has related the simple, beautiful story of the wise men visiting Jesus. Told from an unusual perspective, that of the young offspring of one of the camels of the Magi, the story line is descriptive, spare and precise. Illustrator Guiliano Ferri adds life to the narrative through his skillful interplay of light and shadow and delightful expressions that shine in the eyes of the characters. Based on the scriptural account, author and illustrator portray the Magi arriving at the house of Mary, not the stable. I appreciate the author's attention to historical detail, rather than the usual sentimental baby-in-the-manger retelling.

My baby was given this for her first birthday (in June). She absolutely loves it and it was the first music to which she swayed and danced. She laughs whenever we open it. Her smiles are worth listening to tinny Christmas music all summer...

I gave the Santa book to him last Christmas and to this day it's his "go to" book. I just gave him the Halloween one and the owl scares him a little but the sounds are great.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I bought this book for my little goddaughter, but I couldn't bear to part with it and so had to order a second copy. It's the type of story that casts a spell with its rhythms and rhymes, and wears its heart on its sleeve. I love the unabashed spirituality of its message--it's one of the few Christmas books I've seen whose author remembers the reason for the season. But I can't imagine anyone of any faith, child or adult, who wouldn't be taken with this, by the sheer gorgeousness of its words and illustrations. Buy it for the kids in your life to encourage them to find their own voices and sing their own songs, but don't forget one for yourself. After all, everyone is a child, or wants to be, at Christmastime!

Funny and poignant, the book is sure to delight children and their parents, all while sharing a valuable lesson.

In a stable in Bethlehem, Something Wonderful was about to happen. The animals could hardly wait. Donkey took the lead as "Project Manager." He delegated responsibilties of organizing the parade and the party to various barn residents. Everyone got to work. With so much activity and so much to do, it wasn't long until something went wrong. Arguments sprung up between this animal and that. Then something else went wrong. The parade route hit a glitch and no one could agree on the buffet.

Finally, Lamb asked a question: Did anyone know what The Something Wonderful was? No one did. "How can we make all these plans when we don't even know what The Something Wonderful will be?" Donkey balked, insisting they must be prepared, but Lamb persuaded the other animals to "watch and wait." He also encouraged them to be nicer to each other and try to get along. "Mr. Donkey, I don't think we have to make a fancy celebration. I think God will give us The Something Wonderful just because He loves us." Rooster added: "We can show God we love Him by being kind to each other." All the animals agreed.

"And then one night something did happen at the little stable in Bethlehem.
A special baby was born there.
A little baby boy named Jesus
... it was wonderful."

Luke 2:1-20 is quoted at the back of the book.

Susan Reagan, illustrator, fills this book with warm colors and delightful characters children will love.

What I Like: Everything! It offers a gentle reminder to children and adults that the holiday is not about the hub-bub surrounding it; Christmas is about Something much more wonderful.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Special Note: The recommended age is 4-8, but younger children will also enjoy it. My 2-year-old loves it!

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

In a brilliant tale that reads like telephone tag, the rooster tells the cow who tells the camel who tells the donkey who tells the lamb, important news that "something wonderful" is coming. This fanciful beginning of The Something Wonderful by Karen Hill immediately captures the attention of young readers and young-at-heart adults.

All the animals prepare in their own ways for the event, and begin to get annoyed with one another in the process. The lamb wisely suggests that they wait patiently for God to show them "the something wonderful," and in the meantime be kind to one another. And as they do so, they are amazed one starry night to see a special baby born in their stable-which was a truly wonderful something to behold.

Written in lilting, yet prudent prose, children will be eager for every page turn. The lovely illustrations by Susan Reagan not only convey the emotions of the animals cozily, but they are also artwork worthy of framing. This timeless message combined with delightful pictures destines The Something Wonderful to become a children's classic. - Anne Walker, Christian Book Previews.com

I loved the title song the first time I heard it! This is a great CD! Arrived promptly, carefully packaged and sounds great. Thank you......

From the inviting hearth on the cover to the warm stories on the inside, this is a holiday keepsake. A collection of some of my very favorite authors - including Jan Karon, Liz Higgs and Max Lucado - coupled with some yummy recipes...wow! A must have for any Southern home or would-be Southern family!!

This is a delightful book for all ages. It covers the details of the first Christmas in a fun poem that repeats and builds. The illustrations are "Veggie" all the way and bring a smile to the faces of even toddlers.

This book is very cute. In rhyming, singsong text, this book tells the real story of Christmas. The illustrations are absolutely adorable. My kids (three and one), as well as myself, are fans of VeggieTales so I knew I had to get them this book. I really wish they would make this into a movie. I think it would be a success, as it is hard these days to find really good children's Christmas movies. I would think this would be a nice addition to the classroom or Sunday school, or anywhere there are small children who enjoy reading and being read to.

My children (ages 1 1/2 and 3) and I love this book. There is some predictability, which the kids like, but not too much, which I like. The pictures are beautiful. It was a favorite at Christmas time--we read it nearly every night at their request.

This is a beautiful story of Christ's birth told in a repeating rhyme. The story tells of the animals who were present in the stable, Mary and Joseph, and all the people who came to rejoice as the light shone on the big round world. I was looking for a simplified version of the story with beautiful pictures - one that is not too advanced for the preschool set but still appealing for the parent that gets to read it over and over and over - I highly recommend this one.

If you haven't read any of the 'Alice in Bibleland' stories before then you are in for a treat! My 2 youngest sisters had them when they were growing up & loved them. I have used them in my children's group at church & they were very popular there - I had a large number of boys in my class & even they, when I pulled out the book at story time would say "Yes! It's Alice again!" - I enjoyed reading them too! It is cleverly written in rhyme, keeping the story simple.
Alice is an everyday little girl who likes to read her Bible. While she is reading an airmail bird flies in and drops a letter in her lap that tells her reading is the magic key to take her where she wants to be. Her Bible becomes big enough for her to walk through & she enters the scene she has been reading about. In this book Alice sees the Christmas story unfold.
I think these are so popular with children because they get transported to Bibleland with Alice and the story becomes alive for them.
Highly recommended!!!

One Starry Night: Stop and Smell the Roses Series (Stop and Smell the Roses)
God Gave Us Christmas (God Gave Us...)
The Little Lamb of Bethlehem

Alice is always going on little trips from the Boble. I think that if I was Alice I would always be busy going back in time. A great book for ages 5-1,000,000,000,000! I'm 11 now and I still love these books.