Introduction
As I do each year, I received a lot of review copies of children's Christmas books, visited numerous bookstores and libraries, and read many children's Christmas picture books, Christmas pop-up books, and Christmas board books to bring you a guide to the best children's Christmas books of 2008. Here you'll find cover art and information about each of the children's Christmas books, all of which were published in 2008.The Story of Christmas: Storybook Set & Advent Calendar
The Story of Christmas: Storybook Set & Advent Calendar is an unusual Advent calendar. For each day of Advent, it includes a miniature illustrated board book. Each board book contains a retelling of a portion of the story of the Nativity, ending on Christmas Eve with the story of how Jesus was born in a manger.The covers of The Story of Christmas depict the Nativity scene when closed. When you open them, you see all of the miniature books, a simple map showing Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, plus three Bible verses about Jesus: one from Isaiah, one from Micah, and one from John.
Each board book has a gold-thread loop attached so it can be hung on your Christmas tree. The miniature books vary in size, from about 1½ " x 2" to 2" x 4," except for the final book, which has an illustration of baby Jesus in the manger on the cover and is about 3" by 5." Each story includes four pages of text and illustrations.
I recommend The Story of Christmas: Storybook Set & Advent Calendar for all ages. I think the books would be nice to share as a family. Each miniature book provides a small piece of the Christmas story through the retellings by Mary Packard. Even small children who may not be able to thoroughly comprehend the stories will enjoy the artwork by Carolyn Croll and the novelty of miniature books. (Workman Publishing, 2008. ISBN: 9780761152507)
