Thursday, December 3, 2015

Heartwarming Christmas Children's Books

As I've been reading with my children in this and in past Christmas seasons, these books have warmed my heart.  I  highly recommend them for children and families:





This is the sweet, sweet story of a little mouse who "makes room" for the Lord Jesus. Little Mortimer lives in a "cold, cramped, creepy (though I omit the last word for very young children) hole." One night, after the family whose house he lives in goes to bed, he discovers something "wonderful" --a nativity with a little statue of baby Jesus that Mortimer promptly removes to make room for himself in the cozy, straw-filled manger. One evening when he happens to hear the family reading the Christmas story and realizes Who the manger belongs to, the little mouse is shaken up. Mortimer painstakingly pulls the nativity statues back into their rightful places, resolved to return to his "cold, cramped, creepy" hole. But on the way, he asks the Lord Jesus to provide him with a home. The answer to little Mortimer's prayer is simply delightful. :-)



I remember watching the animated Disney movie of this story as a child. It made a tremendous impression upon me then, as it still does. This endearing tale of a little boy's love for his donkey and his subsequent quest to find another owner for his beloved pet after his father requires him to sell the animal, is deeply touching. The story still brings tears to my eyes when I read it! The little boy, unable to find a suitable owner, faces having to sell his aged pet to a tanner. Unwilling to do this, the boy sits head down, contemplating how to fulfill his father's command. I don't want to give the entire story away, but the donkey ends up playing a key fictitious role in the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. This is a beautiful story of love, devotion, gentleness, and mercy.



This is a relatively new one to me. I love the rich pictures in this book and the lyrical, rhythmic telling of Jesus' birth in a stable. This is a wonderful one for little children in introducing them to the Christmas story or to read as a family on Christmas Eve.


Another recommendation for family reading, though not a Christmas book, is a sweet, creative children's book recently written by my sister. You can read my blog post about Mr. Portly Finds His Purpose HERE. This book would make a wonderful Christmas present and is great for families. 


Some Other Christmas/Winter-themed Books We've Been Enjoying:



These wonderful books have made our Christmas reading more enjoyable. May the Lord bless you and your family as you prepare your hearts for Christmas. He is the greatest Gift. 








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43 comments:

  1. The books look amazing. I used to pick a different Christmas book to read with my kids each night of our Advent journey. I know I enjoyed it as much as they did. One Wintry Night was one of my very favorites along with the "The Legend of the Candy Cane" ( and the rest of that series). We would also make crafts to go along with the each book. Now they are older we don't do that as much but they grab the books off the shelf and we read them together still.

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    1. Dawn, now I need to look up the two books that you mentioned! I think that I may have read them awhile ago before I had children; they sound wonderful. The Lord'd blessings to you. :-)

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    2. These books look great! We are always looking for good book recommendations. Do you mind if I share your post at some point this month? I'm also planning on sharing some Christian children's Christmas book recommendations and would love to include a link to your blog for these as well. Thanks either way! Merry Christmas. :)

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    3. Kristi, I'm glad that you enjoyed the recommendations! I wouldn't mind at all if you shared them. :-) Merry Christmas to you as well; the Lord bless you!

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  2. I always love book recommendations! We've read several Karma Wilson books around here, but never Mortimer's Christmas Manger. And we've read Small One dozens of times but I had no idea there was a movie version. So thanks for those insights!

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    1. You're welcome, Katie! I'm glad that you stopped by! :-)

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  3. Bekki, Thanks so much for sharing! It is so wonderful that I have a granddaughter now to enjoy reading wonderful books like these to.

    I will write soon. :-)

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    1. You're welcome, Karen! Yes; that is such a great blessing . . . the little one;s hearts are so "new" and fresh and enraptured with the stories. It is so sweet to see. The Lord bless you, Karen. :-)

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  4. The Stable Where Jesus Was Born is one of my favorites! I love Christmas stories. I read The Holly and the Ivy each year. It is a longer one, but I cry every single time I read it! Ha!
    Blessings and smiles,
    Lori

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    1. Lori, I've never read the Holly and the Ivy; I will have to look it up! Blessings to you, too, Lori; have a blessed Christmas!

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  5. I am missing our Christmas books, which are still in storage from our house move. Thank you for sharing these- we have had the Mortimer from the library before, but the others are completely new to me :-)

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    1. You're welcome, Gwen; I'm glad that you enjoyed the recommendations! The Lord bless you; have a blessed Christmas!

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  6. These look fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing them with us at Grace & Truth. :)

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    1. You're welcome, Jennifer! A very blessed Christmas to you and your family! :-)

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  7. Awe, those look like sweet books. Thanks for sharing. I remember the days when we'd pull out the holiday books for each season (whether it be Valentines Day, Christmas, Halloween...) and read them anew. Little ones turn into Big Ones so very quickly. ((Merry Christmas to you and yours)) ~ Happy to be neighboring you at the Rara linkup today. :)

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    1. You're welcome, Brenda! You are right; these are such precious times . . . Merry Christmas to you and your family, also! :-)

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  8. Every single one of these is new to me! Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. You're welcome, Michele! I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas! :-)

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  9. I am familiar with the first two (the second one from the movie) but I hadn't heard about the third one. I'll have to see if my library has it. Thank you for the recommendations! Stopping by from Wise Woman.

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    1. You're welcome! I'm glad that you stopped by! :-)

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  10. These look great! My favorite Christmas story is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. Great pictures and wonderful story! :)

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    1. Sarah, I have heard that that one is good; I am going to have to check it out! Blessings to you and your family! :-)

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  11. I have never heard of any of these books. I love them! We don't do Santa or elves so so many books are out of the question for us. I love the stable one! Thanks for the ideas!

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    1. You're welcome, Ana; I'm glad that you stopped over! Have a blessed Christmas! :-)

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  12. Thank you for sharing these, Rebekah! I'm always searching for a variety of books to read my 2 year old this season, and these choices are absolutely perfect :)

    It was lovely to see you on #SHINEbloghop this week. Thanks for sharing this with us :)

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    1. You're welcome, Maria! Yes; I have a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old and these are great for that age :-). I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas :-).

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  13. Thanks for sharing these on Titus 2 Tuesday. They look great. I also love The Story of Jesus by Patricia Pingry for younger kids. I hope you'll link up your literacy-related posts at Literacy Musing Mondays http://www.foreverjoyful.net/?p=636

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    1. You're welcome; I will have to check out the Story of Jesus--I don't think I've ever read that one!

      Thank you for sharing the link-up with me; I will stop over!

      Blessings to you and your family :-).

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  14. Hi Rebekah! Visiting as your neighbor from Thoughtful Thursday. These are great selections!! I am a grandmother now and my grandchildren are a bit older, but I reminisced as I looked at them and wished that my grandchildren were a little younger. Thanks for this! Christmas blessings to you and your family!

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    1. You're welcome, Pam! Merry Christmas to you and your family also as you enjoy the beautiful gift of your grandchildren :-).

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  15. Thank you for the recommendations, I always love a good book to read to my little ones. Be blessed! Misty

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    1. You're welcome, Misty! Have a blessed Christmas! :-)

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  16. Ah, yes! Mortimer! As a performance storyteller, I have loved sharing this tale with children of all ages using props! Works from preschool to nursing homes. Great selections!
    Joy!
    Miss Kathy

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    1. That is so neat! Yes; Mortimer is a wonderful story! The Lord bless you!

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  17. I hadn't heard of any of those before but am always on the look out for good Christmas books that aren't about Santa. Thanks for the recommendations.

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  18. These are all new to me...what fun! Saving for future reference! Stopping by from Mommy Moments...Merry Christmas! :)

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  19. I love the illustration style of Mr. Portly. I’m sure all these books are terrific! Thanks for sharing them.

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  20. I've never heard of Mortimer before, now I must go find it!
    And The Stable sounds like exactly what I need for my 3 yo grandbaby!
    Living Prov. 31

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  21. We have a collection of Santa-type books, but these would be a great addition to our holiday collection. We aren't church goers and without that I think it's hard for them to understand that there is more to the season than just Santa and presents. Thanks for posting this at the #coffeewithpatandcandy

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  22. Thanks for pointing out these books!
    #FreshMarketFriday
    Julie

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  23. What beautiful books. My kids are much older now, but I enjoy reading to my year old grandson. Thanks for linking up to Glimpses this week.

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  24. I'm ALWAYS looking for books - love kids books! Thanks!

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