Friday, November 14, 2008

OFFICIAL REVIEW OF KAREN KINGSBURY'S "WE BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS"



Karen Kingsbury has tapped into the simple beauty and complete joy of Christmas in her new book “ We believe in Christmas”.

Her beautiful poem touched down deep into time, past and present, where family is always the fulcrum of the blessed event of Christ’s birth! Illustrator…. Emphasized this truth emphatically and with such finesse that the scene could be anywhere from small town America, to suburbia to the outskirts of any major urban area where God’s people gather.

The countenances on the wonderful children in this book reflect the joy of the actual Kingsbury family, with its wonderful diversity. Just as Christ adopted us as sons and daughters, the children in …..reflect that reality about what heaven can be truly like!

The poem and illustrations speak to us of children, community, church and Christ. Every MOP (mother of preschoolers) and those of Karen’s many, many readers, who were once MOPS, can identify with this book. Those of us were are, were and will be parents have all gone through the annual church Christmas pageant with our own 4 year olds as little sheep or our 8 year olds as shepherds with fake beards from Wal-Mart. We identify with driving our minivans through the snow for rehearsals, past smiling faces on the street as some kid tries to get her dad to buy her a puppy against his will! We recognize ourselves in the adoring congregation as we watch our little ones ham it up on the stage, or forget their lines or just burst out in tears from being worn out by all the Christmas activities! But we love it.

“We believe in Christmas” also brings back my own pre-teen years in the early 1960’s when times were simpler; when memories of Christmas were Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams singing about ‘walking in a winter wonderland’ and ‘Silver Bells’ we never really saw! But what really makes this book special is the final phrase – “if it’s Jesus that we keep”!

There is no better time to speak to kids of Jesus than why He was born like this! There is nothing more special than leading a little child to the Lord, so that he/she can have Jesus to keep forever. There is something special about author Karen Kingsbury, taking a detour from her many popular novels, to bless us with this encouragement – the encouragement to “suffer little children to come unto Me”….at an age where the only suffering is wearing a sheep costume! Moms and dads of every age will find joy and a great big, warm smile with this book.
RECOMMENDED: *****

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