Gift books
Joe’s Bros and the Bus That Goes
Paul Kerensa
Liz and Kate Pope, illustrators
SPCK £5.99 (£5.40)
(978-0-281-08264-3)
Ed Thornton, parent: Jem (6) enjoyed this modern-day retelling of the story of Joseph, choosing to re-read it several times. “Because Joe had so many brothers, they couldn’t all fit in the car,” he says. “So they had to take their dad’s mini-bus. It was fun.” His parents trust that more of the story will sink after a few more reads. Jem’s brother, Reuben (4), also enjoyed listening to it, and was captivated by the striking and colourful illustrations. Paul Kerensa, a popular Christian comedian, clearly has a knack for storytelling.
The Suitcase
Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, author and illustrator
Nosy Crow £6.99 (£6.30)
(978-1-78800448-0)
Sally Aagaard, parent: This stunning picture book for pre-schoolers carries a powerful, poignant message about the importance of tolerance and kindness to others. It is a relevant tale, given the current refugee crisis.
When a strange blue creature arrives in town, weary and dusty from its long travels, the other animals treat him and his battered suitcase with suspicion. To test the creature’s incredible claim that his suitcase carries “tea, a table and a chair”, the other animals break into the suitcase while he sleeps. What they find challenges their thinking about the meaning of home, and their subsequent actions are unexpected and inspiring.
The Frozen Sea
Piers Torday
Quercus £12.99 (£11.70)
(978-1-78654-076-8)
Gabriel Cooper (10): The Frozen Sea is a captivating fantasy story about a girl, Jewel, on the run from bullies with her only friend, her hamster, Fizz. Hiding in a bookshop, she stumbles across a mysterious book that leads her on a thrilling quest which uncovers the dark secrets of her past.
This fascinating book is in love with the power of literature, imagination, and the magic of the story, and it frequently makes reference to other classic stories such as Narnia and Frankenstein. The setting and storytelling in this book are very imaginative and creative, including magic butterflies who carry ideas, and pixies who turn into giants.
Finally, the slowly growing conflict between the two groups, the Reads and the Unreads, provides a compelling backdrop to the dramatic story. I think that this is a wonderful book, and I recommend it to all the other ten-year-olds out there.
Nativity
The Robin’s First Christmas
Susanne T. Schroder
Tilli Publishing £8.99 (£8.10)
(978-1-908053-07-7)
Christine Miles, parent: This sweet book, good for five- to six-year olds, tells the tale of the plain, small, talentless (according to the other birds), and stammering robin. Feeling cold in an unusually crisp December, the robin shelters in the stable where Jesus has been born. Everyone is asleep. Robin drifts off, too, but later wakes to see the stable’s fire dying.
Collecting twigs, then flapping the fire to rewarm the baby “Who’ll one day help us all”, he is given a beautiful red breast as a thank-you from the King, and is encouraged from then on to be bold and sing. A percentage of the profits from the book goes to the charity Stamma, which helps people who stammer (www.stamma.org).
The Story of Christmas
Hayley Down
Authentic £1.99 (£1.80)
(978-1-78893-077-2)
Ed Thornton, parent: This short book is billed as “a simple introduction to Jesus’ birth for young children and adults to read together”. It tells the Christmas story in rhyming text, accompanied by simple, colourful illustrations. It was a big hit with both Jem (6) and Reuben (4). The rhymes seemed to help Jem to memorise key parts of the story (“An angel flew on golden wings, to tell Mary surprising things: My dear, you are God’s chosen one, and you are pregnant with His Son). Reuben asked for it to be read to him several times before bed. I omitted reading the headings on each page (“Finding the Stable”, “Jesus is Born”, etc.) because they interrupted the flow of the rhyming text. But it is, overall, a book to return to.
The Christmas Star
Dawn Machell
Authentic £7.99
(978-1-78893-097-0)
Fiona Vernazza, parent: This board book is bright and simple, with a sentence on each page summarising the nativity in a simple way. Its focus is on how the star relates to each stage of the story, and there is a colourful illustration to accompany it. But its most appealing feature for young readers is the star featured throughout, which flashes brightly when pressed. Lorenzo (2) was very taken with this element of the book, and it has meant that, when reading the story, he has been able to interact by using the star and quoting “Near and far, follow the star!” Given the brevity of the story, this book would probably be best for even younger readers.
© hazel quintanillaOne of Hazel Quintanilla’s illustrations for Hoity Toity Angel
Hoity Toity Angel
Caroline Hoile
Hazel Quintanilla, illustrator
SPCK £5.99 (£5.40)
(9780281077847)
Christine Miles, parent: This story, set around the events of the Christmas story, is more morality tale than pure nativity retelling. It follows the story of the hoity-toity angel, who judges the scruffy shepherds and turns her nose up at the stable full of smelly animals, but is impressed by Herod’s finery and palace. When she encounters the baby Jesus, however, she finally realises that what is valuable is not status, good looks, or smart clothes, but a beautiful heart.
The King and the Gifts of Gold
Georg Dreissig
Maren Briswalter, illustrator
Floris Books £12.99 (£11.70)
(978-1-78250-601-0)
Ed Thornton, parent: This book tells the story of King Melchior, accompanied by detailed illustrations that are really quite impressive. Despite having played Melchior in his first nativity play, however, Jem (6) struggled to get on with the book, which he found “a bit too long”. It might make a better gift for an eight- or nine-year-old, or, for a younger child, it might suit a parent reading it out loud.
Follow the Star
Holly Lansley
Lara Ede, illustrator
Authentic £5.99 (£5.40)
(978-1-78893-098-7)
Olivia Nicholas (9): This vibrant nativity story, perfect for little ones, is full of fun: from the gold sequin star on the cover (that turns silver when you swipe your hand across it), to the colourful illustrations and rhyming narrative. The last page sets the story in its bigger context: That baby grew to be a man Who gave his life for God’s great plan And showed us all the way.” But my four-year-old sister, Imogen, asked (of the characters on the last page): Are these people sick? They look green!
Activity books
Made With Love From Me at Christmas
Dawn Machell
Authentic £6.99 (£6.30)
(978-1-78893-099-4)
Christine Miles, parent: A great Advent gift for creative kids, this will get the children preparing their hearts and minds for Christmas day: it has press-out Christmas cards, gift tags, stickers, spiral tree-decorations, tree ornaments, lantern, paper chains, gift boxes, place names, 3-D stars, and more! It is perfect for six-year-olds and older; although, perhaps, the cutesy motifs are more appealing to girls than boys.
How to Draw Nativity
Steve Smallman
Lion £8.99 (£8.10)
(978-1-7812-8345-5)
Christine Miles, parent: Do you have an aspiring illustrator or animator on your hands? Have they ever thought of drawing/animating the nativity? This original approach to the Christmas story gives step-by-step instructions on how to draw each character (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, kings, shepherds, inn keeper, Angel Gabriel, King Herod, oxen, chickens, sheep, camels — even an owl). It also includes a suitably brief version of the Christmas story, and a sketchpad (ring-bound would have been better). Perfect for ages seven to ten.
Bible and spirituality
Heroes of the Bible
Fiona Boon
Nadine Wickenden, illustrator
Authentic £7.99 (£7.20)
(978-1-78893-117-5)
Ed Thornton, parent: This book features the stories of Noah, Daniel, Joseph, and David, told by the heroes themselves. This first-person narration seemed to help Jem (6) to engage with the story, perhaps more than in the case of third-person narratives. The lively, colloquial language makes the stories accessible and exciting. For example, Noah, after God tells him to build a boat: “I was totally confused. We live nowhere near the sea and it hardly ever rains here.” Or Daniel: “Then, the guards threw me into the lion’s den. I saw the lions’ sharp claws and shiny, white teeth. I could even feel their hot breath on my face!”
God Loves You Just the Way You Are
James Dillon
Authentic Media £7.99 (£7.20)
(978-1-78893-116-8)
Fiona Vernazza, parent: This is a book which is written to deliver the message to children that God’s love is unconditional. This is done in a lovely way, using different animals to support a variety of examples that explain why children could feel that they aren’t as lovable as they might otherwise be: when they are acting prickly like a hedgehog, noisy like an elephant, or timid like a tortoise. But each page reminds them that regardless — or, indeed, because of these things — God loves them, no matter what. With its colourful and clear illustrations to accompany each rhyming message, it is a great way to remind children of this important concept, and Lorenzo (2) thoroughly enjoyed finding similarities in himself and the animals — as a cheeky monkey and a mucky pup! Particularly as it has the tactile element of soft fur on the sloth on the cover of the book, this would be a good gift for toddlers.
