The Nativity

Even after all these years, my favorite Christmas book is still The Nativity by illustrator Julie Vivas. I remember clearly picking it up for the first time in Narnia Bookstore in Richmond while I was working on my Masters degrees. The illustrations captivated me as I stood in the small Carytown store in Richmond, VA and through the years I must have given this simple yet profound book as a gift well over a hundred times. The text is straight biblical narrative beginning with the familiar, “In the days of Herod the King, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Nazareth…”

While the words evoke memories of story told in worship, church school and around family suppers it is the illustrations, in this case, that open possibilities of new insights for young and old alike. You know immediately that something is different as the first page introduces you to a Gabriel you may not have considered before – an angel wearing combat boots. It makes sense, really.  They are quite busy in the infancy narrative, appearing to Mary, the shepherds and singing with the choir of heavenly hosts, and though they bring “good tidings” they find themselves in uncharted territory announcing the birth of the Messiah.

Vivas continues to fascinate –  tattered wings, angels in trees, an unsuspecting Mary hanging laundry and an annunciation over a cup of tea at the kitchen table. Many pages have no words but the message is quite clear as she shares the news with Joseph and grows great with child. This Mary is real, and really pregnant, as she and her betrothed figure out how to get her up on the donkey to head to Bethlehem, join those who head home for census and encounter “no room in the inn.” Each page is a delight to the eye but I think my favorite is the one where Joseph is holding the “new born babe” while he provides back support for an exhausted Mary.

There are so ways in which this book can be used beyond a simple and straightforward reading. Readers and non-readers alike can “tell the story” in their own words using only the illustrations as prompts. This can be done in small groups with the book or in large groups projected on a screen. Music, from the “Messiah” to “Mary, Did You Know?” can be added to a timed projection or reflection questions created for each illustration that probes the deeper meaning and personal engagement….Why do you think the angel wore combat boots? What do you think about tattered wings on angels? Why would they be tattered? Why do we rarely see Joseph holding the baby? In what ways might your own expression been similar or dissimilar to those of the shepherds? In what ways do these illustrations help you think differently about the Christmas story?

However you choose to use it, I commend its use to you. It is a beautiful and startling rendering of the coming of Jesus.

Dr. Rebecca Davis, who was part of the original teaching team for the course that was the impetus for this blog, offers this summary of one of her favorite Christmas books.  Becky is a graduate of the Seminary and now teaches at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.

Christmas!

One of my favorite Christmas books is the aptly titled Peter Spier’s Christmas!. This book doesn’t have any text at all—which might seem like a challenge at first glance, but once you look at gloriously detailed, colorful and lively artwork, you realize that truly a picture is worth 1,000 words!

The book goes through the holiday season with one family in the town they live in, and begins with them shopping under a sign that reads “12 days til Christmas”. The pictures go on through all of the usual preparation for Christmas: gift-buying, decorating, cooking meals.  But the book contains more than the typical preparation for Christmas: it also shows the family visiting and bringing gifts to elderly neighbors, donating to a toy drive, making and sending Christmas cards (that might be a novel idea to some children today!), setting up the nativity scene, and going to worship services. It goes on to show the joy and excitement of Christmas Day: presents, meals with family, being together in celebration. This book is also unique in its portrayal of what happens after Christmas: it shows the reality of cleaning up the house, putting away decorations, and even some sad pictures of discarded wreaths and Christmas trees. But the book ends on a hopeful note, as the town returns to normal: the image of new trees growing and a sign reading “353 days left before Christmas”.

Up until I was in middle school (seriously!), my mother read to my siblings and me every night. Usually it was just a chapter of a book, but if we picked a shorter book, she’d read the whole thing. You’d think a book without words would be challenging, but this was always one of my mother’s favorites for us to pick, and we enjoyed it, too, because she would describe every picture, making a story out of it. She’d also compare what was going on in the pictures to what we did to celebrate our Christmas (“look, there they are setting up the manger scene, just like we did”). And she saw the detail in every little picture (in the pictures of the church service, there are owls up in the bell tower, which she always pointed out, to our delight!). Sitting next to my mother and siblings, looking at these beautiful pictures in the light of our own Christmas tree is one of my fondest memories.

I can’t even begin to describe how vibrant and detailed these pictures are—you will not miss the text, because the pictures will be telling you a story as you look at them. If I was using it in a church setting, I might use it in a small Sunday school class, so the children could see all the pictures up close and talk about all the details. You could also get the children to tell you about each picture and see if they make connections to your church or their family’s Christmas celebrations. In a worship setting, you might display one or two of the images to talk about during the service. This book has Christian elements, without overtly telling the story of Jesus. But one picture shows the town asleep, under snow, as one star shines brilliantly in the sky, and we are reminded that the story of joy and redemption and Jesus coming into the world is told in all kinds of places:  little towns called Bethlehem, sleepy towns covered in snow, and in the all the big and small places we call home.

Sara Anne Berger, a Union Presbyterian Seminary graduate who wrote a quarter of Lectionary Links for us, was happy to share this memory of one of her favorite childhood Christmas books.  It’s another that is out of print, but check out the usual places to find good used copies.

The First Noel: A Holiday Pop-up Book

During this season of Advent, I asked several of our previous writers to share some of their favorite Christmas books either from childhood or now!  Elizabeth Boulware Landes, a graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary who wrote a quarter of Lectionary Links, starts us off with one of her favorites.

Name of Book:  The First Noel: A Holiday Pop-up Book

Author/Illustrator:   Pat Paris

Publisher: Broadman & Holman Publishers (October 1998)

ISBN: 9780805417937

Growing up I was always excited when the Christmas boxes would come down from the attic because that meant the Christmas books were out. My brothers and I had two pop-up books that we would read all the time. We read them so much that one of them is barely holding together. I am looking forward to the day that I can share these books with my children. One of these books is The First Noel. It is a beautiful illustration of the first verse of this well-known and well-loved Christmas hymn. While the words are familiar, the illustrations are what make the book worth reading. The background of each page is a vivid color while the scenes of the text dance before your eyes as paper pop-ups in white and gold. The simplicity of the text and illustrations allow for a new hearing and deeper reflection of the Christmas story. It is easy to forget that Christmas extends to Epiphany because life calms down during the days following Christmas, and using this book the Sunday after Christmas in worship would help us acknowledge the sustained excitement felt the world round immediately following the birth of Jesus. It brings to life the elation brought to so many, and the journeys taken to meet the newborn king.

(Ed. Note:  Since this book is out of print, it could be hard to find.  The book link above shows some places you can buy used copies.  We also love ALibris and AbeBooks as good sources of out of print books.

And since Elizabeth has pointed out a book that uses a unique form of  paper manipulation as illustration, we’d like to recommend another lovely title that uses a paper cutting technique to illustrate the Christmas story.  The First Noel: A Christmas Carousel opens up into the shape of a star, with each panel telling a portion of the Christmas story through unique paper cuts.  You can see a picture of this book opened on the Smithsonian Libraries’ Flickr Photostream.)

Night Tree

Name of Book:  Night Tree

Author:  Eve Bunting

Illustrator: Ted Rand

Publisher: Voyager Books Harcourt Brace & Company

ISBN: 978-0152001216

Audience:  Ages4-8

Summary:  On Christmas Eve, a family treks into the woods to trim an evergreen with edible decorations for the forest animals.

Literary elements at work in the story:  A fictional telling of a family Christmas Eve ritual told from the point of view of the about 10 year old son. The text has a quiet, reverential tone and the illustrations are in Ted Rand’s characteristic glowing style. Father, Mother, son and young daughter smile, sing and take care of the natural world and each other in this sweet picture book.

Theological conversation partners:  The endearing text and beautiful illustrations are reason enough to have this book in a family library but its link to the observance of Advent makes it a faithful choice as well. Anticipating the yearly event, preparing (“For weeks we’ve been making balls of sunflower seeds and pressed millet and honey.”) and showing light in the dark night are qualities of the Advent season. There is a contemplative feel of the next to last page’s wording and painting of the boy tucked in bed looking out the window. The boy’s face turned to and illuminated by the full moon conveys peace and wondering.

Faith Talk Questions: 

1. What rituals do you remember from your childhood Advent seasons?  
2. What rituals are a part of your family’s Advent observance?
3. How is light portrayed in Night Tree?
4. What was the boy thinking about in bed after the family’s pilgrimage to the woods? When you are feeling reflective, to where do you “let your mind go back”?
5. The family extends generosity to each other in their interactions and to the woodland animals in their tree decorating. What are examples of generous acts given during holiday celebrations?

This faith review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Robin Crawford.

The Pine Tree Parable

Name of Book:  The Pine Tree Parable

Author:  Liz Curtis Higgs

Illustrator:  Nancy Munger

Publisher:  Tommy Nelson, Inc.

ISBN:  9781400308477

Audience:  Although this book is recommended for children ages 3-7, I believe that this would be a great book for older children and adults about stewardship and tithing.

Summary:  A farmer and his family nurture tiny seedlings for many years until they grow to be fragrant Christmas trees that they can sell to their neighbors.  The farmer’s wfe puts a gold star at the top of the tallest and most beautiful tree and she decides that it is not for sale for she intends to keep it for her family.  On Christmas eve, a poor family comes to the farm to cut down a ragged, drooping tree because it is the only one that they can afford.  Then their young daughter notices the tallest, most beautiful tree with the gold star and asks her parents if they can buy it.  Knowing that the family cannot afford the tree, the farmer’s wife tells the little girl that it is not for sale, but she can have it as a gift.

Literary elements at work in the story (Genre/setting/characterization/plot/theme/point of view/style): This book is the fourth book in a seasonal seriesthat all feature the farmer and his wife and kids.  Each book in the series is brimming with vibrant, colorful watercolor illustrations that warm the heart.  It is about giving out of generosity and the joy and love that comes each Christmas season.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Although the farmers give their best Christmas tree to a poor family that visits their farm, they are not perceived as being financially wealthy either.  But out of generous hearts, they give their most prized possession to another family in need.  If the farmers were a wealthy family, then it would be easy not to relate to their generouse gift, but when the reader recognizes that they are just simple farmers, then the reader can appreciate the price of their gift even more.

Theological conversation partners: This story is about so much more than the gift of a Christmas tree.  The farmers could have given any tree from their lot, but they chose to give the tallest, most beautiful tree of all to the poor family.  When we are called to give of our time, talents, and treasures to the ministry of the church, we are not called to give whatever we have leftover.  We are called to give our best.  The author cites 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one should give, then, what he has decided in his heart to give…God loves the person who gives happily.”

Faith Talk Questions

1. Think about something that is very special to you, maybe it is your favorite toy or book.  How would you feel about giving it away to someone in need?  How would the person in need feel about receiving it?
2. What are some things that you are willing to give generously?  What are some things that you are trying to keep for yourself? Why?  What keeps you from giving generously?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Amanda North.

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect

Name of Book:  Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect

Author:  Richard H. Schneider

Illustrator:  Elizabeth J. Miles

Publisher:  Abingdon Press

ISBN:  9780687453634

Audience:  Ages 5+

Summary:  Long, long ago in a land far away, lived a perfect little tree named Small Pine.  Small Pine hoped to maintain its perfect form and be selected by the Queen as her Christmas tree.  But as the warm-hearted little tree gave shelter to rabbits, birds, and deer in the forest, its branches became damaged.  The other pines mocked Small Pine, and it never thought that it would be eligible to be the Queen’s Christmas tree.  However, on the first Saturday of Advent when the Queen came into the forest with her woodsmen, she noticed Small Pine and all the animal tracks leading to and from the tree and she had compassion on it.  She claimed it to be the most beautiful tree of all and presented it as her Christmas tree to the rest of the kingdom.

Literary elements at work in the story (Genre/setting/characterization/plot/theme/point of view/style): This story is written in the third person and reads like a fairy tale of long ago with all the magic and wonder of far off places of kings and queens, and the main character is a simple small pine tree that offers love, warmth and compassion to all the wildlife in the forest.  It is through this love and compassion that the Queen offers the pine tree the most prominent place in the kingdom as her Christmas tree.  Each illustration consumes the page and invites you into the story of Small Pine.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  This story is not about a boy or a girl, black or white.  It is about a pine tree that offers support and shelter to the meek and lowly wildlife, even in the midst of ridicule from its friends, the other pine trees.  The perspective of the pine tree, then, is not tainted by one’s cultural biases.  Every reader can enter the story with their own experience and relate to the pine tree’s choices of helping others.

Theological conversation partners (scripture, confessions, doctrines, theologians, etc): The theology of this book comes explicitly from the author in the closing sentences: “living for the sake of others makes us most beautiful in the eyes of God.”  As the body of Christ, we are called to do the work of Christ, to get our hands dirty and reach out with compassion to help those in need with the gifts and talents that we have.  At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)  To be perfect does not mean to be without blemishes or faults, rather it is to be complete and whole and to live  whole-heartedly for God and others.

Faith Talk Questions

1. The Small Pine made very difficult choices in this book.  It would have been very easy for it to turn away from the rabbits, the birds, and the deer, just like the other pine trees.  Have you ever needed to make a tough decision?  Did you talk to anybody to help you make the right decision?  Where can you go for advice on making good decisions?
2. The other pine trees made fun of Small Pine when its branches started to droop from helping the animals in the forest.  How do you think Small Pine felt?  What do you think of Small Pine for continuing to help the forsest animals, even though it meant that it would no longer have perfect branches?
3. What are some ways that you can live for the sake of others?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Amanda North.

If You’re Missing Baby Jesus

Name of Book:  If You’re Missing Baby Jesus

Author:  Jean Gietzen

Illustrator:  Lila Rose Kennedy

Publisher:  Blue Cottage Gifts, a division of Multnomah Books

ISBN:  1-58860-024-6

Audience:  Ages 7—9

Summary:  In 1943, a young family of four in North Dakota buys a nativity set to decorate their house for Christmas. When they unpack the nativity set, they find that there are two figurines of the baby Jesus. Mom, (whose name is Ethel), asks her young son and daughter to go down to the five-and-dime store where the set was purchased, and tell the store owner about their two figurines of the baby Jesus. Mom is worried that some one will buy a nativity set that has no baby Jesus in it. The children go down to the store, and the store owner puts this sign in his window:  “If You’re Missing Baby Jesus, Call 7162.” Mom finally gets a call from a young mother who has no heat, no sufficient supply of food or clothing, and few Christmas presents for her young children. Mom hurries over to 205 Chestnut Street, and involves her husband and children in the process of giving the family in need a truly meaningful Christmas.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The author uses a first person narrative; the daughter of the family tells a true story which took place when she was a child during World War II. The title, If You’re Missing Baby Jesus, has a dual meaning. The first meaning relates to the possibility of someone buying a nativity set from the store with a missing figurine of the baby Jesus. The second meaning is explained by the author’s family acting as Jesus lived and taught–by ministering to the needs of the young family without heat. The young woman with cold and hungry children says it best when she says, “That nice lady (Ethel) is singin’ ‘bout the Lord Jesus. He ain’t ever gonna walk out on us. Why, He sent these people to us just to fix our furnace. And blankets—now we got blankets, too! Oh, we’ll be warm tonight. Jesus saves, that’s what He does.”       

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  The story takes place in war time during the year of 1943.  Winters were extremely cold in North Dakota. War times were times of deprivation.  Not everyone had the basic necessities of life. The war separated families, and left many families without bread winners. The book does not tell us why—but the young family without heat has been deserted by the husband and father of the family.

Theological conversation partners:  In Matthew 25, Jesus says that when we give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, when we welcome the stranger, give clothing to the naked, when we visit the sick, and the imprisoned, we are doing these things for him.  This scripture illustrates the concept of giving to others, caring for others, and loving others, because that was what Christ did, and it is what Christ wants us to do. This story changes the focus of Christmas from being a time of receiving, to a time of giving. The story shows how parents can model—for their children—a giving spirit.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. When does Dad begin to understand the meaning of the concept – missing baby Jesus?
2. What kind of things besides material things did Mom, Dad, and the children give this family in need?
3. How is the faith of the young mother living at 205 Chestnut Street affected by the gifts given her and her children?
4. How is the baby Jesus figurine important to each of the characters in this story?
5. Why is the location of the baby Jesus figurine so important?
6. What do the narrator and her family do with the “extra” baby Jesus figurine?
7. How does this story show the real meaning of Christmas?

This review was prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Chris Feno.

What’s Your Favorite Christmas Book?

Dr. Pamela Mitchell-Legg, professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, teaches a course on using children’s and adolescent literature in the church.  (It was her students’ work that provided the push to get this blog going!)  She offers a gift of a bibliography of her favorite Christmas and Advent books.  Click on the link below to download it and head to your favorite bookstore or library!

Christmas and Advent Favorites

Christmas Books for Elementary Children

Librarian and regular reviewer Janet Lloyd offers a collection of suggestions for Christmas reading with elementary students.

Click on the link below to print these bibliographies.  And don’t forget, we would love to hear your suggestions for books to use with this age group.  Please leave your comments below!

Christmas Books for Grades 1-3

Christmas Bibliography Grades 3_5

Christmas Books for the Very Young

Librarian and regular reviewer Janet Lloyd offers a collection of suggestions for Christmas reading with young children through preschoolers.

Click on the link below to print this bibliography.  And don’t forget, we would love to hear your suggestions for books to use with this age group.  Please leave your comments below!

Christmas Books for the Very Young

We wish you all a blessed Thanksigiving.