Christmas Book Review and Giveaway- The First Christmas Night

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

OK, maybe not quite yet, because I refuse to decorate until December 1st, BUT I have been known to sneak in a Christmas book or two a few weeks early.  When we began our lives with children I started collecting Christmas books to read to them.  Each year we try to add at least one new one to our basket which sits in the living room.  Our goal is that each night in December we read one of those books together.  Usually we end up reading more than one!  Each one holds sweet memories of Christmases past.

The First Christmas Night is our new book this year and I could not be more pleased!  Written by author Keith Christopher, this 32 page, hardback book is a gem.  Remember the old "Twas the Night Before Christmas?"  Well here is a new twist, centered on the birth of Jesus.  Written in short rhyme, it is easy and enjoyable to read.

"Twas the very first Christmas,

when all through the town

not a creature was stirring- there was not a sound."

From there the author takes you from Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem to the birth of Jesus and the visit of the wise men.  Each page holds a new verse of poetry that is sure to become a favorite for young children.  Who doesn't like a rhyme?  The target ages for The First Christmas Night is 4-8 though I have no doubt older children will enjoy it as well.  The pictures alone will captivate them. That brings me to illustrator Christine Kornacki.  Wow!  The oil paintings she uses are stunning and are one of our favorite parts of this beautiful book.  You can see our favorite picture of the wise men below. Depending on your understanding of the birth of Jesus, some of the pictures may or may not match up to your beliefs.  Questions like did the wise men visit Jesus as a baby or slightly older child, were there only three, and what would people in Bethlehem have looked like, or even what would Jesus have looked like, were raised in our family, but we looked at those as a discussion and learning opportunity and certainly not anything that distracted or displeased us with the book.  On that note, the author ended the book perfectly in my opinion, with the Biblical story of the first Christmas- right from Luke and Matthew!  

We love this book and highly recommend it to you, friends!   It is a keeper!

About the Author

Keith Christopher is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and educator, and he has served as editor and producer for several major music publishers. In addition to writing and studio producing, Keith served on the faculty at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with his wife and two children.

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You can purchase The First Christmas Night for $16.00 or I have one copy to bless someone with!  Just enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

Blessings,

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