The Story of Christmas, Adapted by Mary Packard; illustrated Carolyn Croll

The Story of Christmas
Adapted by Mary Packard; illustrated Carolyn Croll
Workman Publishing, $15.95
ISBN-13: 978-0761152507

Review by Amy Brozio-Andrews

In this charming storybook set and advent calendar, The Story of Christmas makes the 24 days leading up to December 25 a time of reflection on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of the infant Jesus.

The large, flat kit opens up like two doors to reveal a basic map of the Holy Land on the left and a series of biblical quotes on the right. In the center, 24 small board books in four sizes, punched through with gold cord, retell the story of Christmas in 24 scenes. Every day, a new part of the story is read and then the book can be added to the Christmas tree as a visual reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

In book one, titled Holy Land, young readers get a brief overview of the time and place where Jesus' birth occurred. In book nine, the three wise men -- Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar -- see the star that signifies the birth of the new king. In book 20, Mary and Joseph prepare for Jesus' birth in the manger. And naturally, book 24, Baby Jesus, is the largest of them all, the final storybook where the wise men, shepherds and villagers arrive at the manger to honor the new baby Jesus.

The colorful folk-art style of the illustrations that's reminiscent of Tomie dePaola do double-duty on the front and back covers of the storybooks, distilling the scene down to a single representative illustration and also serving as decorative art on your Christmas tree. Ever page of the storybooks has full-color illustrations and the board book construction means that even young readers can read them without parents having to worry that the books are too fragile.

The text of each story is a simple and reverent retelling of the story of Jesus' birth in the manger in Bethlehem. The breaks between days are not awkward in any way; the writing style is serious yet accessible to young readers. The Story of Christmas storybook and advent calendar is perfect for families who want to share daily reflections in the days before Christmas.

If the tree's not up on December 1, the heavy cardboard frame of the kit is colorful and festive enough to serve as a holder (just stand it up with the left and right cover open to support the middle) to hold the storybooks while you and your kids read them daily. (Even if you don't start the advent calendar until shortly before Christmas, the storybooks are brief enough to share several in a day so that you can catch up quickly.) The frame's convenient pockets for each storybook also make it easy to pack away and store during the year so that you can bring out The Story of Christmas again and again without having to worry about losing individual books.

The Story of Christmas is a creative and interactive way to share the story of Jesus' birth with the whole family as you prepare for the arrival of Christmas.