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Donna Marie
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I was curious about what books that others enjoy for Advent and Christmas that instill a type of reverence or awe...
What are your favorites??
..if need be, don't limit your list to 10 
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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stefoodie
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A Small Miracle by Peter Collington
it's a wordless book, but so beautiful.
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stef
mom to five
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Bethany
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I just found The Little Boy's Christmas Gift and the pictures are soooo beautiful! The last page is breathtaking.
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Bethany
Wife to Mike, Mommy to Amelia (6/02), Sarah (10/03), Martha Grace (10/05), Rebecca Anne (12/07), Laura Catherine (3/10) and Reed Michael 7/4/14.
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Bookswithtea
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Hmmmmmmmmm...I can't decide between The Miracle of St. Nicholas and Bright Christmas An Angel Remembers.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Paula in MN
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This is our favorite too!
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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anitamarie
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They Followed a Bright Star is our absolute favorite Christmas and Epiphany book. It's beautifully sacramental. I'm in tears every time I read it.
God Bless,
Anita
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Stephanie_Q
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The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger.
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SeaStar
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keep these coming... I'm writing them down as fast as I can. Off to the library website!
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MaryM
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I wasn't quite sure if it had to be a "Nativity" story or if it could be one that just expressed an awe of the celebration of Christmas. So these are my tops - some mentioned already.
The Donkey's Dream
The Story of Christmas
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas
Angela and the Baby Jesus
The Little Boy's Christmas Gift
Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown (1952 edition illustrated by Barbara Clooney)
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Mary M. in Denver
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MaryM
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Adding one I forgot...silly me.
It's one of my favorites, more so than the kids - simple, few words, like a lullaby. Lovely pictures and symbolism.
All for the Newborn Baby - Phyllis Root
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Mary M. in Denver
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MaryM
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Adding another - The Clown of God...so very sad but full of that senses of awe toward the Christ child.
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Mary M. in Denver
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folklaur
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The Crippled Lamb
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folklaur
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MaryM wrote:
| Adding another - The Clown of God...so very sad but full of that senses of awe toward the Christ child. |
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i make DH read that one. i can't do it.
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"The Night of Las Posadas" and "The Legand of the Poinsetta" by Tomie dePaola
Not exactly about the Nativity but both show a reverence for it and miracles with it.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JennGM
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The ones MaryM mentioned are some of my top favs.
Some others that are harder to find, but so beautiful. I admit I just love the Nativity stories that have beautiful illustrations. It doesn't fail every time I bring them out there is just silent awe. We also love books that we sing the Christmas carol, with the beautiful illustrations. That moves me every time. Here's my list of our favorite reverent Christmas books. Mind you, lots of them are OOP.
The Christ Child by Maud Petersham.
The Trees Kneel At Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace
The Ageless Story by Lauren Ford
The Christmas Story by Genady Spirin
Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown -- with the older illustrations (I think Mary mentioned this).
Who is Coming to Our House? By Joseph Slat
The Christmas Story told by Jane Werner, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin (Little Golden Book)
The Nativity illustrated by Francesca Crespi
Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren
A Book About Christmas by Tasha Tudor
Lauren Ford’s Christmas Book
The Christmas Story illuminated by Isabelle Brent
The First Christmas by Tomie dePaola
On Christmas Day in the Morning illustrated by Antony Groves-Raines
The Friendly Beasts by Tomie dePaola
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Bookswithtea
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OK Jenn, I need some help, please? A lot of these oop books don't have much information about them...no reviews or descriptions (I added the de Paola one to my cart though...I thought I had them all! ). I am planning on reading The Trees Kneel at Christmas over the 12 Days of Christmas this season (I found that when searching old threads!  ).
Any chance you could tell us a bit about what makes some of these books different/unique or special in some way?
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Blessings,
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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JennGM
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Bookswithtea wrote:
OK Jenn, I need some help, please? A lot of these oop books don't have much information about them...no reviews or descriptions (I added the de Paola one to my cart though...I thought I had them all! ). I am planning on reading The Trees Kneel at Christmas over the 12 Days of Christmas this season (I found that when searching old threads! ).
Any chance you could tell us a bit about what makes some of these books different/unique or special in some way? |
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Books, you're twisting my arm. I just *despise* talking about my favorite books. I've just had a very painful afternoon taking our Christmas portraits and my kitchen is a disaster. So I'll be back this evening sometime to elaborate as a reward to myself.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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I'll quote myself and give a quick overview of these books. My taste in illustrations tends to be traditional. I love art that echoes illuminated manuscripts and medieval paintings, and I also love the beautiful, almost realistic illustrations. I'm drawn to many vintage illustrators. I haven't been able to put my finger on a common thread. But examples are Tasha Tudor, Eloise Wilkin...
The illustrations are breathtaking. I love the illustrations by the Petershams, and try to snatch up anything by them. Paired with the Bible readings, this is just one for sitting and gazing. I bring this to Mass, as I find them so reverent. I'm not the only one who loves this, as this blog post talks about it, and shares a few illustrations. Seems it was reprinted this year?
JennGM wrote:
| The Trees Kneel At Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace |
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This is not a picture book, but a chapter book, with black and white illustrations. I love the story because it combines the reverence and honor of family and other culture's customs -- and keeps the religious aspect of Christmas (Midnight Mass is mentioned over and over). Every year I love it more.
JennGM wrote:
| The Ageless Story by Lauren Ford |
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It was a rabbit trail I took when I found this. Reading the Saints by Janet McKenzie has a list of Caldecott and Newberry Award books related to Catholic and Christian themes. This book was on the list, and it included Gregorian chant, which is another passion of mine, so I had to check it out.
I wrote this post on it The Ageless Story (which will appear in the next issue of Sacred Music Magazine  ).
Jen just posted this link which has a little more from the book and illustrations by Lauren Ford.[/quote]
This is the text from the New Testament. I LOVE Spirin's work. His illustrations are hauntingly beautiful, and I love how he works in light in all his illustrations.
Jenngm wrote:
| Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown -- with the older illustrations (I think Mary mentioned this). |
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Barbara Cooney's illustrations are simple and mostly black and white, but so touching and alive. It touches on the exhaustion and the animals welcoming the strangers.
I'm including the next two together, and this also applies to the book above
Jenngm wrote:
Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren
Lauren Ford’s Christmas Book |
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Barbara Cooney, Astrid Lindgren, and Lauren Ford (and others, but these are the ones I have) use period costumes and settings for the Nativity scenes. Cooney's illustrations look like Amish country or upstate New York reminding me of Farmer Boy (there's a yoke on the wall that says "Star Bright" in one picture).
Astrid Lindgren's illustrations are soft, and have a Swedish touch -- the clothes, the beards, the faces, the stable all would easily be found in Sweden.
Lauren Ford illustrates like those you would have found in Connecticut in the 1930s, as she explains in the preface of Ageless Story. Her Christmas book doesn't have all the illustrations like that, but many do.
None of it is jarring though. It does help put the mood and focus on what a real barn or stable would be, and what poor work clothes would look like, and being bundled in more modern clothes to keep warm. I do find sometimes even myself not understanding or comprehending the style of clothes in Biblical times, so how would I know if Mary looked poor or cold because of what she wore? It all is period and cultural costume clothing in my perspective.
I was sad to see this is only in print as a board book. The illustrations are a little more modern and bright, but it's the idea of preparing, making room, sharing our place. The animals know someone is coming and they all make ready. I always choke on the end "Welcome, Welcome, to our house" when you see Mary holding the infant Jesus.
I have always loved Eloise Wilkin's illustrations. We had Golden Books growing up, but it isn't until now that I realize how much I love Richard Scarry, Garth Williams, Feodor Rojankovsky, and especially Eloise Wilkin because of those books. After conversing with MaryM and realizing that it's not a "bad" thing to be a Little Golden book, I'm on a little rabbit trail of Eloise Wilkin. And this one is just the Christmas Story, simply put, with her beautiful illustrations.
Pop-up books are always fascinating, and this one is just breathtakingly beautiful.
JennGM wrote:
| A Book About Christmas by Tasha Tudor |
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I can't remember when I got this, but it was before I got married. I've loved Tasha Tudor's illustrations for a long time. It's a pop-up and everything book. It's very rare, but we read it. It covers all aspects of Christmas preparation and activities including an Advent calendar, and information on St. Lucy and St. Nicholas!
JennGM wrote:
| The Christmas Story illuminated by Isabelle Brent |
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I borrowed this one from my library. It's the Nativity account from the Bible. The illustrations are like illuminated manuscripts.
JennGM wrote:
| The First Christmas by Tomie dePaola |
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This is a pop-up book, and one of our favorites. It retells the Nativity story, and we always sing the carols quoted throughout the book.
JennGM wrote:
| On Christmas Day in the Morning illustrated by Antony Groves-Raines |
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I found this discarded from a library. This has been redone with new illustrations, but the older ones are again, medieval like, reminding me of illuminated manuscripts. We don't sing the tune of "Christmas Day in the morning" from the book, but we sing the other melody. We love the carol, so we love this book (the Chieftains have a great rendition we love).[/quote]
Again, another favorite carol of ours, and I sing while we look at the pictures.
Hope that helps a bit. Ask away if you want more details.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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Two others we have and love, with the same title, different illustrations:
The Huron Carol illustrated by Frances Tyrrel
and
The Huron Carol illustrated by Ian Wallace.
We read these again last night. I just love that carol; it's hauntingly beautiful, but it also evokes all the those Jesuit missionaries had to endure. The illustrations are just lovely. This morning my mother came to help me for a bit. My son had pulled them out to sing the hymn again. She looked them over and started crying -- as she loves that carol, also. So it got me to thinking that these definitely fit the "reverent" book category.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : Picture Book Discoveries
Topic: Top 10 Fav list of reverent Christmas bks
