The First Christmas by Janice D Green

The First Christmas
Retold by Janice D Green
Illustrated by Violet Vandor
ISBN: 9780983680826
$ 9.95 (paperback)


About the book:
(from Amazon) The First Christmas, by Janice Green and illustrated by Violet Vandor, tells the account of the birth of Jesus Christ. Adults and children alike will enjoy snuggling up to share these thirteen colorful scenes and the engaging discussion questions as this timeless story unfolds. Even older readers may be surprised to learn something new as they read again of the Messiah's birth.

My thoughts:
The First Christmas is more than just the story of Jesus' birth. You will find the whole Nativity story. It includes the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth (John the Baptist's parents & his birth), the story of the Angel telling Mary about her being chosen to be Jesus' mother, Joseph's Dream and visit from the Angel telling him to marry Mary all the way through the birth of Jesus, their trip to Bethlehem, the shepherds and the Wise Men.

I loved that each mini story takes place on 2-4 pages, the pictures are full page, eye catching and very detailed. Another detail that I loved is that there is a short discussion section with each story and you can use these for morning devotions, bedtime talks, children's church, and more. You'll find questions like: "Have you ever been chosen to do a special job? How did it make you feel?" and "Were you ever scolded when you hadn't done anything wrong? How did you feel? How do you think Mary felt when people looked at her and whispered to each other?" The questions are thought provoking and designed to help the children understand what is happening in the story, the feelings and customs of the characters in each story. This little book is ideal for kids 3+. I think it would be a great addition to your advent activities (read a story each day - you'll have enough for 13 days). 

Extensions:
You can also do the First Christmas Bible Quilt activity mentioned in the back of the book. You can download the pictures ($1.50 for the booklet) for coloring @ www.biblequilts.com, trace them onto quilt squares and let the kids color them (or alternatively you could trace them and embroider them for a family heirloom item. There are instructions for a tablecloth, table runner, placemats, a tree skirt, quilt top and wall hanging in 2 sizes (I think these may be on the spoonflower link below). Depending on the ages of the children you may want to use them as color pictures for fun - older children who color nicely should be interested in the quilt projects. =D Alternatively, you can also purchase the printed fabric for your quilt projects @ www.spoonflower.com/profiles/janicedgreen .

You can purchase The First Christmas on Amazon (click here) and you get the other book in this series The Creation which is a hardback book of the Creation story. Watch for my coming review on this book. Thanks!

I received a copy of The First Christmas to read and review on CCB. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. Thanks Janice!