I am a book lover. I have been reading since I was 4 years old. By fourth grade I had read every book in the school library that interested me in the slightest way. I love all types of books. As a mom, I have come to love classic children’s literature all over again. My boys are now 13 and 15 and we still enjoy reading aloud a good book.I want to share with you my top 3 Christmas books for children. I know they are not all widely known and I hope that maybe you would seek them out after you read my reviews. B is for Bethlehem written by Isabel Wilner and illustrated by Elisa Kleven. This was published in 1990 by Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.
B is for Bethlehem is, at its core, an alphabet book. It was actually written for a second grade class to perform. This book, written in couplets, is a beautifully simple telling of the Christmas story. We begin with “A’s for Augustus, emperor of Rome, Who decreed, ‘To be counted, let each man go home.” We continue through the entire alphabet until we reach, “Z is for Zeeland and Zurich and Zanzibar. You’ll be lighting candles wherever you are.”
B is for Bethlehem is beautifully and vividly illustrated. The illustrations are reproductions of mixed-media collage that was created using watercolor, cut paper, and drawings. As simple as the couplet text is, the amazing illustrations are full and detailed. This contrast brings a wonderful sense of balance to this book.
This book is a must have for any family with young children. Though my children are older, this will be the 14th year we share this book together as part of our family Christmas tradition. Over the next week or so I will share with you my top 2 Christmas books for children.
If you would like to purchase this book it is available on Amazon.com, Borders.com and Booksamillion.com and the isbn number is 0-525-44622-2.
Happy Reading
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