Customer Reviews

The Best Thing About Christmas (Happy Day Books: Holiday & Seasonal)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is July and my 2 1/2 year old son still loves this book. He has it memorized. I think the illustrations are exceptional and geared for small children. If you have a toddler, or want an excellent gift for a toddler in your life, this book will be treasured. In fact, we used it as a "guide" to prepare for the holidays last year - on page one it shows children decorating a christmas tree, talking about the ornaments, the lights, page two shows gifts beautifully wrapped, page three shows the special foods of Christmas, but the whole book emphasizes that while all these things are fun, exciting and delicious, the BEST thing about Christmas is Jesus. I like the fact that Santa Claus isn't even mentioned to take the focus off of Jesus.

Christine talks to children about Christmas, "I like everything about Christmas, don't you?" she asks. Christine proceed to tell all the things she likes about Christmas. Each page ends with, "But that's not the best thing about Christmas." The repetition will have children reading along. The book ends with the story of Jesus and the with the best thing about Christmas.

We have and older version of this book at our nursery school. While the content is still the same, and it cleverly emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas, I prefer the older edition. A book this well written deserves to be published in hard cover and I also found the original illustrations more charming. It is type the of book you want to read year after year. Hard cover would better serve this purpose. Also, it is preferable in giving it as a gift. I give it an "A" for content but a "C" for presentation.

This book addresses all of the superficial things about the Christmas season, while re-focusing the reader on the real meaning of Christmas. I have read it to my kids for the past couple of years. They identify with the things the child in the story likes, but also identify with his assertion that Jesus is the best thing about Christmas. I like that it reinforces proper perspective with them.

My mother in law gave this book to my nephew and, although well intentioned, I could not see past the sinister hidden implications of this book. Instead of teaching children about the celebration of christmas, being with family, and the traditions of the holiday, it focusses solely on the religious significance of the day. It does not mention the traditional celebration of the winter solstice that has existed since prehistory that Christmas developed from. Moreover, it presents the story of Jesus' birth as a factual truth when it's only a religious belief. A good childrens book should teach them to be inquisitive, not accept stories based on faith alone, and most importantly be historically accurate.