Christmas Season kids' books are overwhelmingly centered on tales of love, kindness, and sharing. Who doesn't enjoy sweet treats, colored lights, and Jingle Bells, shared with family and friends? Even so, several publishers find ways to bring theology to the kids' table, too. And some gear their books to interfaith families' differing religious cultures.
Here's a sampling of titles for this Christmas that center on Jesus' spiritual significance:
An Indigenous Perspective
The Birth of the Chosen One (IVP Kids, ages 4-8), by Terry Wildman with illustrations by Hannah and Holly Buchanan, pulls the story of the savior son of God from Wildman's very successful First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament into this new book for children ages 4-8). Wildman, who is Ojibwe and Yaqui, was the lead translator and editor for the council of 12 elders, pastors, and young adults whose work "honors the oral storytelling traditions of indigenous peoples," according to the publisher.
God's Promise
The Deliverer Has Come: A Christmas Story (WaterBrook, preschool-2) by husband and wife Sarah Shin and Shin Maeng, centers on a young girl in Jesus's time who hears stories of how God has kept his promise to the Israelites that they can have hope and salvation by sending baby Jesus to be the "Deliverer."
Discovering Grace
God's Gift of Christmas: Celebrating the Wonder and Joy of Jesus's Grace (Good Books, ages preschool to 2) by Abigail Gehring with illustrations by Estelle Corke, is part of the publisher's Forest of Faith series where critters help kids learn key Christian beliefs. Here a little squirrel fears his not good enough for any presents until his Mother tells him the good news that "Jesus Love is a free gift," of God's abundant grace, according to the publisher.
Following the Light
The Rhyming Bible Christmas Storybook (HIM Kids, ages 4-7) written and Illustrated by Kelly Pulley, offers three stories, starting from Mary's encounter with the Angel, to the Shepherds who see a star over Bethlehem to the Wise Men who follow the light to honor Christ as King. It follows Pulley's Easter storybook that traced Jesus day by day through Holy Week.
Boundless Love
Noel: An Unforgettable Night (Paulist, ages 2-8), written and illustrated by Claire Dumont, goes straight to the heart of the holy day—the birth of Jesus and God's boundless and borderless love for the world. Since, as the publisher says, "Jesus came to earth for all people , in all places," author Claire Dumont sets her book in the great North of Canada.
Interfaith Celebrations
Two titles recognize that many kids today live in parents of different faiths. The authors downplay doctrine and play up themes of family love and cultural respect. This year, when the first night of Hanukkah is on Christmas Eve, a Jewish/Christian family uses gingerbread to build a tree ornament shaped like a dreidel, a top that Jews spin on Hanukkah, in Gingerbread Dreidels (Charlesbridge, ages 4-7) by Jane Breskin Zalben with illustrations by Thai Phuong. Christian/Hindu family delights in treats from Christmas cookies to Indian sweets and decorate their tree with ornaments from India in Nisha’s Just-Right Christmas Tree (Beaming Books, ages 4-8) by Susan Lynn Meyer and Jaya Mehta and illustrations by Parvati Pillai.
