Three Lavishly Illustrated Christmas Books for Children
Babushka:
A Classic Folk Tale for Christmas
By Dawn Casey • Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Lion Children’s Books, 32 pages, $13.99
The Christmas Swallow
By Ben Harris • Illustrated by Estelle Corke
Lion Children’s Books, 32 pages, $13.99
Papa Panov’s Special Day:
A Classic Folk Tale for Christmas
By Mig Holder • Illustrated by Julie Downing
Lion Children’s Books, 32 pages, $13.99
Stories hold together the fabric of our lives — the stories we hear, the stories we tell ourselves, and the stories we tell others. For parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, and caregivers, the stories we choose to tell our children are curated, carefully chosen from myriad available books and other storytelling platforms.
The season of Advent is a natural time of storytelling, and Christians hope to convey our faith and excitement about the season to the little ones around us and to focus their attention, if just for a moment, on the real story of the humble king coming to rescue his own. These books do just that, with lavish illustrations that capture the imagination and beauty of Christmastime. Each story carries the message of Christ, lodging the true meaning of Christmas deep in the hearts of all who read them.
Babushka is a beautiful story, expertly retold in simple, clear language, of the joy of giving and the blessing of a king. The bright, whimsical illustrations by Amanda Hall add a beautiful dimension to this story. Each page is a feast of color and character, allowing readers and listeners of all ages to enjoy the depth and detail of every page.
Dawn Casey and Hall tell the story of a grandmother on the first Christmas Eve who is so busy sweeping and cleaning her home that she nearly misses the excitement on her doorstep. Babushka is busy cleaning when three traveling strangers come to her door and ask for hospitality. Babushka invites them in to warm themselves and eat. The strangers explain they are following a star shining in the East, where they hope to find a newborn king, the Prince of Peace.
The three men invite Babushka to come with them, to join in the story of finding and bringing gifts to the newborn babe, but Babushka is unwilling to leave the house untidy and decides to stay. That night, Babushka dreams of the newborn king and decides to bring him a basket full of gifts in the morning. But the travelers have disappeared, and Babushka doesn’t know which way to go, when she sees a child shivering in the cold. She offers the child a shawl and her timeless journey of giving begins. Forever after she travels the land, giving gifts in honor of the newborn king.
Ben Harris has given his readers the rare gift of telling an old story from a new perspective. In The Christmas Swallow, young listeners will enjoy the exciting “Whoosh!” of the swallow as it flits in and through the Christmas story. Beginning in the stable, where a young man and woman find lodging, to a field full of shepherds and unexpected angels, we are given a bird’s eye view of the night our Savior was born.
Harris goes further in showing us each of the precious gifts of the wise men, enhanced by strikingly colorful and clear illustrations by Estelle Corke. This beautiful story concludes with the swallow singing for all of creation, celebrating the coming of Jesus. It’s a delightful book to be read year after year, a simple story with a profound message that the littlest and biggest among us will enjoy.
For preschool-age children and older, Papa Panov’s Special Day is a fantastic story of seeing and serving Christ in others. It will spark conversation of how appearances can be deceiving. Papa Panov is an old shoemaker who, despite his normally content life, is lonely on Christmas Eve. After reading and reflecting on the Christmas Story, Papa Panov considers what he would do and give for the Christ child if he came to his home. Falling asleep, he hears a voice declaring that Papa Panov is to look for Jesus the next day from dawn to dusk.
Papa Panov is determined not to miss Christ’s visit, and so spends all day looking for him. He is repeatedly distracted by people passing on the street. Seeing their need, he invites them in, giving them warmth, food, and even a pair of shoes. At day’s end, Papa Panov is sadly disappointed that Jesus did not come. Suddenly, the voice speaks again and tells Papa Panov that every time he showed kindness to the hungry, the thirsty or the cold, he was showing kindness to Christ himself.
