Top Ten of 2015!

It was another great year of reading!  In fact, my top ten listing actually includes eleven books this year.  I just couldn’t get the list down to only ten books!

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Blogging Vacation

Our family is looking forward to making our gingerbread house and  LOTS of homemade Christmas cookies in the coming weeks.  I will be taking a blogging vacation until December 30th.  The post on the 30th will feature favorite books from 2015, and a favorite new book will be featured on January 4, 2016.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season with your family.!

Christmas Favorite – Flashback #4

God Gave Us Christmas begins with Little Cub asking his Mama about who “invented” Christmas.  The Little Cub wonders if it might be Santa.  Mama Bear explains that God invented Christmas and ultimately takes a journey with Little Cub in order to let him see that God is everywhere and how He gave us Christmas.

I really appreciate how this book directly addresses why we celebrate Christmas but also includes an explanation about Santa:

“Did God give us Santa?”

“Santa Claus reminds us about many good things like generosity and care.  But it is God and Jesus that we celebrate most come Christmas.”

God Gave Us Christmas is a sweet and wonderful Christmas book which includes beautiful illustrations.

Christmas Favorite – Flashback #3

A Magical Christmas is a lovely story written in rhyme.  Little Mouse wants to know what exactly is the magic of Christmas.  In order to find the answer he goes and asks each member of his family, but each family member has a different answer.  Finally on Christmas Day Mommy Mouse shares with Little Mouse that all the answers were correct because…”The magic is love, Little Mouse.”

The illustrations in this book are particularly noteworthy.  They are simply beautiful.  Each page includes sections that are gently enhanced with glitter which truly bring the illustrations to life.

Christmas Favorite – Flashback #2

Mary, Did You Know? is a picture book version of the popular Christmas song with the same name.  The illustrations are stunning, and the scriptural references on each page along with song lyrics are a thought provoking combination.  This is a new favorite for our family!

Christmas Favorite – Flashback #1

Throughout the month of December, I will be re-sharing some of our family’s favorite Christmas books that have previously been featured on the blog.

Today I am happy to re-introduce Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh.

Olive, the Other Reindeer is a delight.  Olive is really a dog, but she becomes confused while listening to Christmas music as she is wrapping presents.  Rather than hearing about: “…all of the other reindeer…”, Olive hears her own version of the lyrics: “Olive, the other reindeer…”.  Although she was certain she was a dog, Olive doesn’t want to disappoint Santa, and she immediately heads to the North Pole.  Before long, it is clear that Santa really does need the special skills that only Olive can provide.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas – Peter H. Reynolds

Our family loves the work of Peter H. Reynolds!  We were excited to add his Christmas book to our collection.  The Smallest Gift of Christmas is a sweet story that helps to refocus away from the materialism that can overwhelm the celebration of Christmas. A great tale to help set the tone this holiday season.