Children's Book Review: 'Twas the Evening of Christmas by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Elena Selivanova

Book Description:

For over 200 years, families have gathered on Christmas Eve to hear the much loved words of Dr. Clement C. Moore’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. This year, families can gather together to share the real Christmas story––the story of Jesus’ birth. ’Twas the Evening of Christmas echoes the familiar language and rhythm of Dr. Clements’ poetry, but instead of focusing on Santa, it focuses on the baby Jesus, who is, after all, the true hero of Christmas. All families will delight in this simple retelling of the most famous story ever told. With a cover that comes alive with foil and sculpted embossing, this book is sure to become a Christmas classic.

My Review:

I am excited about sharing Glenys Nellist's rendition of  this well-loved Christmas classic with my family. For years, our family has read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Bible's story of Jesus birth during the holidays. This year I want to add this new classic, 'Twas the Evening of Christmas.  Glenys did a lovely job rewriting the story to reflect Jesus' birth. Her rhyming is smooth and flows beautifully, the rhythm is consistent with the original story. The colorful illustrations add charm to the story. But, my favorite part of the book is the very end, where we hear sweet words from Mary, Jesus' mother. This would be a sweet book to share on Christmas Eve or morning. I received this free from Zonderkidz.

Children's Book Review: God's Great Love for You by Rick Warren, illustrated by Chris Saunders

Book Description:

God’s Great Love for You, written by #1 New York Times bestselling author and respected pastor Rick Warren, takes children on a whimsical and heartfelt journey that lets them know God’s love is with them wherever they go. With breathtaking illustrations by Chris Saunders, the simple yet poignant text comes alive as a child journeys to places far and near and discovers God’s great love is perfect, and everywhere, and will never end.

My Review:
God's Great Love for You is absolutely beautiful. The spare wording gives a heartfelt reassurance that God loves us. The illustrations made me feel like God's love is huge. So big, he is everywhere. This book is perfect for preschool through Kindergarten. And could be used to teach a class of little ones about God's amazing love. The main character is a little girl. Her expressions create a sense of wonder which adds a layer of delight. This is definitely one I will share with my youngest granddaughter. I received this book for free from Zonderkidz.

October

Listen

Two Ears and a Mouth

James 1:19-20
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

from commons.wikipedia.com

I have a confession. Sometimes—I lose my temper. Unfortunately, that's a true statement. The weird thing is, I am usually at work when this happens. And almost every time, someone has told me something and instead of listening and thinking about their words, I let my mouth fly open. "Why did this happen?" "Why did that happen?" "That's not fair!" The one not being fair might be me, because I don't know the whole story. Yet God does, and he sees my behavior. I have proof—last Friday I was feeling bad about something I'd spouted, so I prayed. The next morning, in my Bible app, the verse of the day was James 1:19.

God knows my thoughts and my heart so well, I'm thinking he knows yours too. That's why I'm sharing this. James is a smart man, the brother of Jesus, and an inspiration to me. I love the book of James. Evidently, I need to read it more to remind myself of God's truth. When I read the verse on my phone, I was reminded of something I used to tell my elementary students at storytime. We have two ears and one mouth. We need to listen more than we talk. Sounds like I need my own advice.

On Monday morning, when I returned to work I taped a copy of James 1:19 on my computer. That little verse has been a great reminder, and practicing the wise words has given me a better week. What's God trying to tell you? Do you need a visual reminder. So far that method has helped me. Consider God's wisdom, it's the most amazing life transformer I know.

Seek Light

Soccer and Sun

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We've spent several Saturdays watching grandsons play soccer. Sitting on the sidelines our view often faces the sun. The bright rays make us squint. We have to lift our hands to block the glare (when we forget our baseball caps.) The sun makes watching the games a bit uncomfortable. But we tolerate the heat and brightness  because we love our grandsons and want to support them.

With Jesus, the opposite happens. In life we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Maybe a loved one has died or we've found out we're ill. Perhaps our hearts break for a sad situation or we've experienced abuse. What happens in this world is sometimes so difficult we don't understand. But then the light of Jesus warms our hearts. His light breaks through the darkness and brings comfort and peace. His light is so brilliant, once you let it in, the radiance of hope outshines the darkest night. But that's just it, we have to choose to let Jesus in. He wants, more than anything, to fill our lives with his light. His offer of comfort, peace and joy is open to everyone. His light is not something to tolerate, instead it's something to cherish. If you need light in your life, seek Jesus. He loves you.