New Advent and Christmas Picture Books in Our House

I have an obsession and it is Christmas picture books.

It's becoming a bit of a problem since I pull out a whole Christmas bin devoted to books we read for a glorious month a year, but I just can't help myself. I just love collecting them, and there are so many great children's books about Christmas.

Don't pull out your sleeping bag just yet though, I'm not going to go through our whole collection, but I will share the books we added this year. For the last couple years I've decided that giving Christmas books is the perfect gift for St. Nick to bring because the kids get to enjoy them before Christmas, and it seemed when I gave them for Christmas gifts they weren't enjoyed too much.

All that aside, don't get any fantasies in your head that my kids drool over books as much as I do. They'll probably all grow up into adulthood with a phobia of seasonal fiction, but what are moms for right?

Onto the show!

Ishmael: The Shepherd Boy of Bethlehem

This sweet and thoughtful story is the tale of a shepherd boy who journeys to Bethlehem and witnesses the angel's message of Christ's birth. The story also explores friendship, forgiveness, and Christ's mission of peace. This well written story is probably best for the older elementary aged kids, but Gemma enjoys it already and the detailed illustrations help bring the story to life. Ignatius Press is the publisher and I continue to enjoy their children's section, they're doing a great job publishing quality children's books that are neither trite, nor boring.

The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie de Paola

Tomie de Paola. Need I say more? We already have The Friendly Beasts which was a big hit last year, but this tale is equally enjoyable and so far everyone has asked for multiple readings. The pictures are lush and colourful as always, and I think this one is a good one to own for all ages. Also; I purchased the hardcover and it's beautiful and big. I cannot emphasize the importance of always buying hardcover. They last 100 times longer than paperback and are usually so much better quality. I know...I'm a book snob.

Home for Christmas by Jan Brett

Just like Tomie de Paola you cannot go wrong buying any and all books by Jan Brett. This one is about trolls and it's wonderful. Not inherently religious, but I'm ok with that, it has all the brilliant animals Brett is famous for illustrating and I love her troll characters. Again, I bought it in hardcover and it. is. awesome.










Merry Christmas, Curious George

This isn't an original Curious George, but I bought it thinking it was, and I'm a little disappointed. I am not a fan of rip-off Curious George because the originals are so wacky and bizarre that the generic modern rip-offs pale in comparison. But I'm making this one time allowance because Max is a huge Curious George fan and he is in love with this book this year. That sound you hear is my lowering standards.

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas! and Richard Scarry's Best Christmas Book Ever!

My boys are addicted to Richard Scarry. So I thought I should jump on that fad and just buy them all the Richard Scarry Christmas books ever made. The boys will honestly sit on the couch and just look at them for whole tens of minutes on end and, well, there's just no price you can put on that kinda attention getting. Also, beautiful and durable hardcover all the way.

Christmas in the Manger

Could Christmas board books be any cuter? I swear I own all of them, because...five babies...but even with my bias to both babies and Christmas books I think Christmas board books are in a category of cuteness by themselves. Nora kisses baby Jesus at the end of this one, so it's a memory maker. It can retire in the board book hall of fame practically!





And that's this year's contributions, but doesn't it add up quickly when you're just buying each child a book? It's a definite perk of having a lot of kids - you build collections quicker than you can say "up on the rooftop..." You can gift any of these books for Christmas, there's still time with the wonder that is Amazon, a mom's best friend this time of year!




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