Age 04-08. 5 Stars. This lovely tale illustrates the truth that although God’s decisions regarding the lives of His creations may seem inscrutable, He is always working for good purposes…. While the book does not present the full story of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection to restore humanity to God (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18), it is an excellent complement to the story. This would make a good addition both to your Christmas and Easter reading basket.

Age 04-08. 2 Stars. This story is one of several Swedish legends explaining why the Christmas Rose blooms in winter…. The story hinges on whether Robber Father can be forgiven, and in the end he is pardoned on the basis of the miracle, with no expression of contrition for his theft. The lay brother, in contrast, having realized his error in judging Robber Father, spends the rest of his life in penitence. Robber Father is met with warm acceptance, the lay brother with clinging guilt. This leads me to conclude that this is not so much a story about forgiveness, but is more of a moralistic story about religious self-righteousness.

Age 04-08. 3 Stars. This is a storybook version of the popular Christmas opera by the same author…. The story touchingly evokes the longing endured by our world until the advent of Christ. The illustrations are very nice, but the writing reads more like a screenplay than a book. Those who have enjoyed the opera will be able to relive it through the book, but the book alone may not bring the same pleasure.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. The Clown of God is beautifully-illustrated, well-written retelling of a French legend. The orphan Giovanni achieves great heights of fame through a juggling act… At the height of his fame, some monks tell him his juggling “sings of the glory of God,” to which he laughingly retorts, “I only juggle to make people laugh and applaud.”… at the end of his life he devotes his talents to an act of worship toward God…. The main element biblically-centered Christians may want to supply when they read this story is to make it explicit that God will only accept our gifts when we trust in Jesus’ death, which opens the way for us to come to God…. This qualification aside, The Clown of God is a beautiful story for your Christmas basket or any time of the year.

Age 04-08. 4 Stars. This is a compelling story about courage and forgiveness told within a Native American perspective. On Christmas Eve a young child and his grandmother are robbed of both their coats and Grandmother’s moccasins by three drunken youths, and walking home barefoot in the snow Grandmother loses two toes to frostbite. She spends the final quarter of the following year preparing extraordinarily beautiful beaded moccasins to give to her assailants at Christmas…. Because this story illustrates so beautifully the power of faith-filled forgiveness, I recommend it despite its inclusion of symbols which have traditionally been associated with tribal religion.

Age 04-08. 3 Stars. This story introduces the Incarnation of Jesus, beginning from the animistic worldview of many tribal peoples…. What Buckley is attempting in this story is to portray an animistic religious teaching, established in the culture but incomplete in its ability to restore, which may be fulfilled and redeemed through Christ…. In his preface…. Buckley [makes] an explicit claim that the Christian Gospel answers questions left unanswered by American Indian religious tradition. Since he does not address the biblical admonition for humans to rule over creation, and since he plays off of traditional animism rather than confronting it head-on, some may feel he skirts too close to the line between cultural contextualization and syncretism. However, I believe the story succeeds in its goal of introducing the Gospel in a culturally understandable way. This is a very beautiful and unique Christmas book, which should be presented with careful discussion of its deep spiritual themes.

Age 00+. 5 Stars. A beautiful wordless picture book following the story of a young family’s Christian celebration of Christmas, lavishly illustrated with fill-up the page detail…. This makes a nearly indispensable addition to our Christmas reading basket.