The Christmas Story for Children

I bought this for my 8 year old granddaughter, but I'm not going to give it to her. For a Christian book written by Christian authors, it seems to me to miss a very important detail. Jesus is God. God came down from heaven to save us because of His great love for us. God is a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus isn't only the Son of God, He is God. The book ends by saying, "To the people he became a prophet, a healer, a preacher, a friend - the Messiah they had waited for, for so long." It is true that most people saw Jesus as only these things, but those that "believed" him to be God, come to earth in human form, those are the ones that were saved.
Another irritation with this book, which I would have just overlooked had they presented Jesus correctly, was the part of the story of looking for a room to stay in at multiple inns, to no avail. That just didn't happen. There weren't a bunch of hotels in Bethlehem. "Inn" is a home. Travelers in that day stayed in homes. Mary and Joseph had traveled to Bethlehem because Joseph's lineage was from King David. So he traveled to the city of David to register as such. He had family there - people also of the lineage of King David. In those days, if family came to town, no matter how distant or unknown, they stayed with family. Homes had a guest room. That room was already full with other "family" that had come to register. So they stayed in the main room of the home. The stable was next to this room and partially open to it . When Jesus was born the manger, aka feed trough, was used as a make shift bed.
I understand that the Christmas story has been corrupted and is continually told incorrectly, but I would think that Christian authors would go by the Biblical story rather than the story corrupted by secularism.
The Christmas story of Jesus's birth has been told incorrectly for so long, that most Christians don't even know the truth. Very sad.

The title of the book is self-explanatory, as it tells the true story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus was no ordinary baby. He was the Son of God, the Messiah whom God had promised long, long ago.”

The pages were drawn beautifully, with many different colors and easy on the eyes, as they seem to fit perfectly with what was happening with the reading. It pretty well follows the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ, not taking many liberties with the event of His birth. It starts out before his birth with Mary and Joseph, and ends with Jesus about to enter his earthly ministry. It took me about 10 minutes to read to myself. The age group is four to eight, but I say up to 12 years old would be fine too. I would like to see a second book written about Jesus’ ministry on earth, and then a third for His death, burial, and resurrection.

"The Christmas Story for Children" by Max Lucado, Randy Frazee, and Karen Davis Hill is a nice version of the Christmas story. I like how it starts out telling about the promised Messiah that the Jews were waiting for and how when the time was right, God provided special people to welcome His Son. The subject of the virgin birth is covered in a way that young children will understand ("How can this be, I'm not married yet.") This story covers how an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him that the Holy Spirit caused Mary to be pregnant. There was the usual trip to Bethlehem on a donkey and the inn keepers telling them there is no room in the inn. As is also usual, Mary gave birth the night they arrived in Bethlehem (see my pet peeves about Nativity stories here) I liked the angels that appeared to the shepherds and how their wings were almost invisible (and were clearly male). This book doesn't cover the wise men coming at all. One thing I really liked about "The Christmas Story for Children" was that it covered Jesus' baptism and the beginning of his earthly ministry. The artwork in the book is very colorful and clear. They look like watercolor paintings. ;One picture that I did not like was when Jesus was being baptized, it has him only mostly submerged with John pouring water on His face. There is also a LOT of curlicues. It made the sheep look more like goats with the long curly fur.

I received a free paperback copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own..

The Christmas Story for Children is a book written by Max Lucado, Randy Frazee, and Karen Davis Hill and illustrated by Fausto Bianchi that is geared toward the 4-8 age range. The cover and the list of authors gave me high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, my expectations weren't fully met.

The illustrations by Fausto Bianchi in The Christmas Story for Children are interesting, but some are odd at times. (For example: the angel named Gabriel very much appears to have the face of a female. My kids pointed this out to me, confused, as I was reading.) Overall, though, the illustrations are well done.

The storyline in The Christmas Story for Children was where I wished for more (or maybe...less?). There was literary liberty taken in the telling of the story, but I wish it had stuck more to the biblical facts. There was a portion of the book, for example, where Joseph and Mary are complaining about going to Bethlehem for the census. I felt that was unnecessary and could taint my kids' views of the God-fearing people that Mary & Joseph were.

I did appreciate that The Christmas Story for Children not only included the birth of Jesus, but also his baptism and the beginning of his ministry.

I think that The Christmas Story for Children is a fine book to read and discuss with your kids, but if you only are able to choose one Christmas story book, I personally wouldn't choose this one.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

There was no mention of Christmas being The day Jesus was born. Which was the only reason I bought this book.

About the Book:

Follow the events of Jesus birth as you read this lovely picture book written by Max Lucado with Randy Frazee and Karen Hill and illustrated by Fausto. The Christmas Story for Children tells readers about the birth of a special baby whose story is filled with love for us all. Young readers as well as their parents will appreciate the beautiful words and artwork that convey the message that we are loved and cherished.

A holiday companion book to the award-winning and bestselling The Story for Children."

My Review:

There is nothing more touching in the entire world, whether it's during the holidays or not as the life of our Saviour. I love reading these type of books whether they are a children's version or not. It is just touching and heart-warming and to be reminded of what Jesus has done for all mankind is an awesome feeling better than anything else we could ever feel.

The various authors that worked on this retelling of the very famous story that resounds so loudly at Christmas time and all days of the year but together the story we all know and love and added a little bit of what they may have thought some of the conversations were like among the different characters. It was a delightful story and I loved reading it to my youngest.

The illustrations by Fausto Bianchi, were so beautiful. They look like paintings and they were so lifelike. This story begins shortly before His birth and goes on to tell about different parts of His ministry. A man sent to save mankind from destruction! He was no ordinary baby!

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the Z Blog Squad.

Author: Max Lucado, Randy Frazee, and Karen Davis Hill
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Reading Level: Leisure

Advent is an important time of year in our house. It was during advent that we started family worship and we still retain some of the symbolism that goes along with the activity (e.q. light a candle nightly). Max Lucado’s The Christmas Story for Children (henceforth The Christmas Story) is the latest in advent materials that we have read through as part of our nightly ritual.

The illustrations from Fausto Bianchi are phenomenal. The illustrations have an attractive and bright watercolor look to them. Reformed individuals should be aware that there are many depictions of Jesus and thus should respond according to their conscience. The basis of The Christmas Story covers Christ’s conception, birth, and baptism. With an early page dedicated to Jesus being the “greater David” it would seem that The Christmas Story provides the early echoes of Christ fulfillment of Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. Both psalms contain Messianic/Sonship themes that could be described as the primary theme of this advent reflection. The wording of The Christmas Story is basic and easy for children to understand. There are no natural stopping points for daily reading but each household can determine at what speed they wish to read it.

Our daughter absolutely loved the book and our reading it during family worship. On one particular night our schedule was rather off and family worship was truncated to simply reading The Christmas Story. Our daughter asked for the book during the day and even sat down to “read” it to herself on multiple occasions. In conclusion, The Christmas Story for Children is an excellent little book for the advent season.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Nice pictures, average material. Was looking for a book to read out loud to elementary aged kids with the full story that could be read in one setting. Not as full of the story as I'd hoped.

I love this book!

Beautiful pictures but not exactly the introductive story I was expecting for children.