3 little Miracles

3 little Miracles

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

26 Children's Christmas Books in 25 Days - Day #2

Today in Day #2 of 26 Children's Christmas Books in 25 Days my 2 little Boys are reading On this Special Night by Claire Freedman and Simon Mendez.  My MoG and I make every effort during the Christmas season to explain, show, and celebrate with our 2 little Boys the true meaning and reason of Christmas.  So in that effort, during the days leading up to Christmas we also honor Christ's birth through the stories we read, the books on our tour of Children's Christmas books over the next 25 days will include several that bring us to the manger. 

So, in the spirit of honoring Christ's birth today's story is the beautifully illustrated On this Special Night.  I picked up this sweet little journey to the manger through my 2 little Boys preschool Scholastic Book Club.  This beautiful story begins in an old barn where a curious kitten discovers one star in the cool night sky is brighter then any other and as it sparkles it seems to be watching, waiting . . . . .  Mother cat tries to get little kitten to settle down for the night, but the curious little kitten wants to know why the star shines so bright and all mother cat can say is "it must be a special star".  As the story unfolds a thirsty Donkey, tired Lamb, three cold Mice, and hungry Calf come to visit the barn, and with each vistor the kitten learns a little more about the bright star that seems to be watching, waiting . . . . .

What I love about this book is that it brings to mind the scripture "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,"  Mathew 25:34-35.  As parents it is so wonderful how God equips us with His Word and with writters like Freedman and Mendez to help illustrate to small children the GIFT He gave us that first Christmas night through the birth of Christ Jesus.

The kitten and the mother cat soon follow all the visitors to a small stable and there they find a sleeping baby and recognize that this is indeed a special baby.  The star continued to blaze brightly, shinging with peace, joy, and love onto the new baby and the animals that came to admire the new arrival.  This story never mentions Mary, Joseph, or Jesus by name, but leaves the reader open to discover the great gift and the opportunity for childrens curious minds to ask questions and conversations to happen.

This is a great book to share with your children during the Christmas season, what I love the most is how the curious kitten went to his mother for the answers to his questions and how the story leaves open the opportunity for children to ask more about who the baby is.  As I said before this little book demostrates so well the scriptures found in Mathew 25.  I hope you will take time to check this book out from your local library, or pick up a copy of your own through Amazon or Scholastic Books.

2 comments: