The First Christmas by N.T. Wright

I'm swinging back into Christmas mode with today's read and taking a more traditional dive. This book should deliver the Christmas story in a way, which snuggles up to the original description found in the Bible. I'm excited to see how the author tackles this and am curious about the illustrations, since other reviews give them quite the praise.

Let's snuggle down with a tea and see how this book handles it!

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

The Bible's Nativity Story

by N.T. Wright

Illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia

Tommy Nelson

Picture Book   /  Holiday  /  Religious

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

Keep Jesus in the center of your family’s Christmas and Advent celebrations with this beautiful nativity storybook from N.T. Wright, one of the world’s most loved and trusted Bible scholars.

With the big-picture approach that readers worldwide have learned to trust, N.T. Wright weaves together the biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth into a thoughtful, hope-filled telling of the first Christmas, from Gabriel’s announcement to the family’s return from Egypt.

The First Christmas features: 

a faithful telling of the nativity story

gorgeous painted art from award-winning illustrator Helena Perez Garcia

a resource page showing how Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in baby Jesus’ coming

a deluxe book with a presentation page

A beautiful keepsake gift for children and adults alike, The First Christmas celebrates Christ’s birth with authenticity, beauty, and joy.

GOODREADS     /     AMAZON    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

With care, this book introduces the Christmas story to young listeners.

Starting with the angel's visit to Mary to announce her pregnancy, these pages tell about the birth of Christ. The author sticks close to the Bible and lets the story come across with the same feel and style. Still, the author makes sure to word it just right for younger listeners to understand and enjoy. While the text tells the story, the illustrations let it come to life visually. These also carry enough of a traditional feel to match with the text style, while also adding a lovely, artistic touch. Young listeners can pick this up on their own and follow the story visually. Or those readers, who have a pretty good grip on their words, can go through the tale on their own.

At the end, there are several Bible verses, which give a quick glance at a few prophecies concerning Jesus' birth from the Old Testament. This works especially nice for older readers and adults, since it demonstrates how Jesus' birth was a fulfillment of the promise from the Old Testament.

In other words, this is a lovely read for anyone looking for a book, which concentrates on the Christmas story as loved from the Bible.

And here they are...

N. T. Wright is the former bishop of Durham and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is one of the world's leading New Testament scholars and the award-winning author of many books, including After You Believe, Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, Interpreting Paul, and The New Testament in Its World, as well as the Christian Origins and the Question of God series.

Helena Perez Garcia is a Spanish illustrator whose work has appeared across magazines, newspapers, packaging, and books for children and adults.

Her illustrations are conceptual, whimsical, and rich in detail and color. Helena’s primary medium is gouache, and her main sources of inspiration are art, literature, and cinema.

After completing a Fine Arts Degree in Spain, Helena relocated to London in 2012, where she lived and worked for six years. During this period and driven by the artistic history and cultural influences of the city and the country, Helena developed her characteristic style. She returned to Spain in 2018.

All the Way Around the Sun by Xixi Tian

I'm taking a breath from my line of Christmas reads and looking at a more emotional read today with some heavier themes. This is the second book from this author, and after her first being so well received, I'm looking forward to seeing what this new tale will hold. I'm expecting lots of emotions and struggles...and quite a bit of romance? It does sink into dealing with the loss of a brother (so many loss books this year), and I'm hoping to does this well.

But let's just open it up and see what the story holds.

ALL THE WAY AROUND THE SUN

by Xixi Tian

Quill Tree Books

YA Contemporary

304 pages

From the acclaimed author of This Place is Still Beautiful comes an evocative, achingly romantic road trip story about grief, diasporic identities, and deep-buried secrets that haunt us, perfect for fans of Past Lives and The Farewell.

Stella Chen’s life ground to a halt when her brother unexpectedly passed away a year ago. Raised together by their grandmother in the Chinese countryside before rejoining their parents in the United States, his absence destroys the connective tissue in her family. With another jarring move her senior year, from rural Illinois to unfamiliar surroundings in San Diego, she is left alone and adrift in her family’s suffocating silence and the void of unanswered questions around her brother’s death.

So when Stella’s parents force her to join her estranged childhood friend Alan Zhao for a college tour all over California, Stella dreads it. Alan is a reminder of everything Stella wishes she could be — popular, gregarious, unburdened — and a reminder of how lost she is.

As this road trip takes Stella and Alan down beautiful coastlines and through fraught family dynamics, Stella can’t help but feel the spark of why she and Alan were once so close. Before long, they find themselves pulled into each other’s orbits, forcing unspoken feelings and long-hidden truths into the light.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Emotions accompanied by carefully woven prose create a read, which touches the heart and provokes thought.

Stella's world turned upside down the day her brother suddenly passed away. He'd gone to college and never returned. Now, a senior herself, she's facing a move across the US right then when she's turning in...or supposedly turning in...applications for college. She's already struggling to get her life picked back together, while not letting her parents know how much she's truly fallen apart. When they insist she meet up with an earlier friend, who now also lives in the area, to visit colleges, she's not ready. Especially since that friend was once more, and she's not nearly ready to rekindle anything on the romance end.

This read is for those who love to dive deep into the heart and tackle difficult emotions with the ache and struggles involved. It's written in first person and immediately lets the reader feel the weight of Stella's situation. So, it's not a light read. Stella goes through the motions of life, keeping a detachment to the world around her, which is supported by the writing style as it leans toward telling what's going on rather than bringing each scene to life. Instead, it concentrates on Stella's thoughts and emotions.  Flashbacks allow readers to slip into Stella's history and to better understand her point of view, and this weaves nicely. The detached atmosphere remains in these sections, too though, when letting the reader live the moment might have been the better choice, since Stella herself was alive at those moments. But the lovely prose also lures in and snuggles nicely with the emotional read.

While this is described as Stella rekindling a romance, it's not really a true romance read. Rather, it's more about the meeting of two individuals, who are dealing with their own shadows. They connect, offer support by opening up slowly, and find a little romance along the way. This works very well for the book's intentions and makes sure the meaning of this read, Stella's battle through the grief,  doesn't get undermined. 

As an action girl, this read was a little slower than I prefer, but those readers, who love prose and digging deep into a character's heart are going to enjoy every page.

And here she is...

XiXi Tian was born in China and immigrated to the United States when she was a year old. She grew up in central Illinois, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in history, and then attended Harvard Law School. She is a writer, lawyer, avid reader, and lifelong Midwesterner no matter where she lives. Her debut novel, This Place Is Still Beautiful, was an Indies Introduce and Indie Next Pick and received five starred reviews. You can visit her online at xixiwrites.com.

Snowflakes for Christmas by Vanessa Bergeron

Usually, I'd post a middle grade read since it's Monday, but I'm a bit short on those this month. Instead, I have another Christmas read for the picture book audience, which comes down from Canada. This one, I believe, is also available in French. I'm expecting a warming tale and lovely illustrations.

Let's see if this one leads to winter dreaming or not!

SNOWFLAKES FOR CHRISTMAS

by Vanessa Bergeron

Illustrated by Amelie Martel

CrackBoom! Books

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

An enchanting Christmas story full of hope, highlighting the power of community and the magic that lies in mindfulness.

In the snowy village of Flurria, everyone is too busy to notice that the snow has stopped falling―except young Yuka. Determined to save her beloved white Christmas, Yuka sets out on a mission that will inspire her neighbors to look up, come together, and rediscover the beauty of winter.

Snowflakes for Christmas is more than a seasonal read―it's a gentle reminder of the joy found in being present and the strength that grows from community. With poetic language, magical winter imagery, and a powerful message of awareness and unity, this book is perfect for families, classrooms, and holiday gifting.

Bring the magic of mindfulness into your child’s holiday season with this heartfelt winter tale.

1. Enchanting Winter Tale: A poetic and heartwarming story about a girl determined to bring back the snow to her distracted village―perfect for cozy Christmas storytime.
2. Promotes Mindfulness & Awareness: Encourages children to pause, observe, and appreciate the world around them during the busy holiday season.
3. Ideal for Classroom & SEL Programs: Great for group discussions about community, hope, and environmental care; supports social-emotional learning.
4. Beautifully Illustrated: Immersive winter landscapes and expressive characters bring the magical village of Flurria to life.
5. For Curious Readers Ages 4–8: Designed for read-aloud and early independent reading; ideal for Pre-K to Grade 3 learners.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

With the magical touch of Christmas and the North Pole, this tale weaves a touching story about a girl and her hopes.

The snowy village of Flurria is busy with all sorts of Christmas preparations, which means that everyone...even Santa...has their heads down as they work to get things done. Only one girl, Yuka, has noticed that the snow has stopped falling. Unlike everyone else, Yuka enjoys gazing upwards at the world around her, and she's determined to make everyone realize that there's a problem. Maybe, she can even help them remember to enjoy the beauty of winter.

From Yuka's bright hope to the lovely illustrations, so many aspects of this book make it a lovely read to pick up around the holiday season. While it's never said that this is the North Pole directly (and it's actually called Flurria), Santa, his elves, and the reindeer make it clear what is keeping everyone so busy. Then, there's Yuka, who enjoys lying back in the snow. The illustrations show her as a friendly, cheerful girl, even when worries arise. It makes her easy to root for and sympathize with the entire way through. The messaging in the story comes across clearly, while embracing the love of community, working together, and remembering to enjoy the world around you.

This is a book, which can be read again and again, and the illustrations invite listeners to take a look themselves. Each scene is lovely and draws in. The text fits well as a read-aloud to the age group and should hold the interest of more reluctant listeners fine. It's written in an unique mix of regular text and rhyme, which is endearing but doesn't flow as it should. Also, the mindfulness is a gentle message, while the sense of community really shines. Which makes it a lovely read for classroom and group settings.

It's a lovely read with a touching tale for the holidays.

Jingle Jumble Santa by Happy Yak and Spencer Wilson

I took a peek at a mix and match book for Halloween and found it so cute that I wanted to take a look at the Christmas edition, too. This little board book is all about Santa and should allow readers/listeners to interchange his top and bottom at will. 

I'm curious to see what this Santa is up to and assume it will be as fun as the other book in this row.

So, let's see what Santa's got!

JINGLE JUMBLE SANTA

Mix and Match

by Happy Yak

Illustrated by Spencer Wilson

Board Book Holiday

24 pages

ages 0 to 3

Have silly scrambled fun with these mix-and-match Santas that all have crazy, colourful personalities. Over 144 combinations to keep little ones entertained for hours.

In this wacky split-page board book, meet...
Jungle Santa! Zipping through the trees.
Keep-fit Santa! Working up a sweat.
Chef Santa! Cooking up a storm.

But also...
Jungle Santa! Cooking up a storm.
Keep-fit Santa! Zipping through the trees.
Chef Santa! Working up a sweat.

Featuring a dozen loveable Santas, this playful pre-school offering is full of humour, with the final page seeing Santa have a close call with a chimney on Christmas Eve...
 

• Exciting matching game for laughing and bonding with your little one
• Ideal Christmas gift for babies and toddlers
• A precious keepsake from Christmas that can be re-read year-round
• A crazy range of Santa characters to surprise and entertain

What’s the funniest Santa you can make? Read together at playtime or before bed! Or share with your friends and family to really crack them up laughing!
A delightfully silly book that makes an ideal Christmas gift for 1-4-year-olds, which will then be picked up from the shelf year-round for non-stop fun. Perfect for sitting down with your little one and laughing together at the crazy combinations you come up with. Fun, bright images to help keep kids entertained and distracted, and the interactive, split-page format makes this a quirky and exciting read for any time of day.

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Smiles and giggles are sure to accompany this silly book, where Santa can don all sorts of silly outfits.

This board book follows Santa as he spends his free time with all sorts of activities. From surfing to baking, this Santa stays busy...and keeps his elves on their toes, too. Each page is accompanied by a short, rhyming verse, which quickly explains what Santa is up to. Then, Santa is shown in bright, bold colors as he does these things. It cheerful, energetic, and fun.

The pages are cut in half, allowing for young listeners to flip either the top or bottom of Santa around at will to produce all sorts of combinations. Santa is well lined up, making each pairing fit nicely. As for the combinations...well, they can be all over the place. 

It's cute, simple and adds a bit of fun to the holiday season. 

One Night in Bethlehem by Jill Roman Lord

ONE NIGHT IN BETHLEHEM

A Touch-and-Feel Book

by Jill Roman Lord

Illustrated by Sally Garland

WorthyKids

Board Book   /   Religious   /  Holiday

20 pages

ages 1 to 4

One Night in Bethlehem draws on a child's imagination and his senses in this beautiful touch-and-feel board book. A young boy carefully considers what he might have done if he were present on the night of Jesus' birth. He sings with the angels in the sky, becomes a spotted cow at the nativity scene, and alongside the Wise Men, he offers his precious teddy bear as a gift. Colorful artwork and a variety of textures allow young children to see and feel the events of the first Christmas.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

This is an easy book for young listeners to connect with as they visit Jesus' birth from the viewpoint of someone their age.

A young boy looks at the nativity scene and wonders what it would have been like to have been in Bethlehem himself. Imaging himself as everything from a little sheep to one of the three kings, the various aspects of the Christmas story are visited while not feeling repetitive. 

A calm atmosphere mixes with gentle imagination to set an inviting atmosphere. The young boy's thoughts are simple, natural, and will have listeners wondering themselves what they would have done in the same situations. It begins with the boy wondering what he would have done if he was a sheep...and warm cuddles come right away....and goes all the way to him as a shepherd and more. The text is short and, yet, adds cute, innocent twists the entire way through to make it a read to visit again and again.

The illustrations carry a playful touch with few harsh lines and invite in with details and easy-to-recognize scenes. The rhyming text flows right along with them to create a lovely read. And I can't forget to mention the slightly fuzzy sheep on the cover, which sets the tone for the rest of the read.

It's an adorable read, perfect for the days before Christmas.

And here they are...

Jill Roman Lord is an award-winning author and a nurse anesthetist. She won her first writing award in first grade and has written ever since. Her many children’s books include If Jesus Lived Inside My Heart, The Silent Noisy Night, and God Made You Just Right. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and enjoys running with her golden retriever, golfing with her husband and son, sipping coffee with her girls, and traveling.

Sally Garland grew up in the small Scottish town of Alness and studied Illustration at Edinburgh College Of Art. She’s had a passion for drawing and for children’s literature and illustration since she was a child. Sally works both digitally and traditionally, and recently, she’s been enjoying experimenting with simple block printing techniques, watercolor, and writing her own stories. She lives in Glasgow with her partner and young son.

Kid the Goat Won't Wear His Christmas Coat by Lana Stenner

It's time to shift gears back to some Christmas reads! Today's read caught my attention right away thanks to the...

Well, which one of you has had a kid goat under your Christmas tree? 

KID THE GOAT WON'T WEAR HIS CHRISTMAS COAT

by Lana Stenner

Illustrated by Anna Simone

Tommy Nelson

Picture Book  /  Holiday

20 pages

ages 2 to 5

This romping Christmas tale is a kid-approved reminder to wear your winter coat! Lana Stenner of the Grace-Filled Homestead (which is also filled with goats, chickens, and sheep) shares this hilarious story about a young goat who would rather stay in his pajamas than wear his coat at Christmastime.

Kid the Goat runs to the Christmas tree to open his presents and saves the biggest for last. What could be inside such a big box? After ripping off—and snacking on—the wrapping paper, Kid opens the box and finds . . . a winter coat. Clothes for Christmas? What a bu-u-ummer! When Kid refuses to wear his coat, Maa-a-a makes Kid stay inside while the rest of the family enjoys Christmas Day outside. How can Kid make ice skating, building snowmen, sledding, and caroling just as fun while inside the house by himself?

Filled with cute and cuddly artwork, this relatable and laugh-out-loud rhyming story

is for ages 0 to 4,shows kids the consequences of not dressing for the weather, and is a perfect gift for Christmas and Advent. Grab a copy for your coat-averse children today. They will Totes McGotes love this book!

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Animal fans will enjoy this meaningful twist on Christmas preparations in a lively family...of goats.

Christmas is just a day away, which means preparations are in full-swing. All the goats in the family help to clean and get things read, except Kid the Goat. Kid doesn't have any desire to help out. When Christmas comes, he opens his gift to find a warm coat inside, but refuses to put it on. Instead, he wants to wear his pajamas while caroling and playing in the snow. But this might not work out for Kid as hoped.

This is a cute read about a family of goats. They live in a normal house and are very energetic as they clean and put up decorations. The scenes will come across with familiarity while the goat characters and a smile-worthy spin. Kid's attitude hits a little off from the get go and will have many readers wondering what the goat is thinking. While there is, obviously, a message about listening and participating, it never comes across overly strong thanks to the fun read. Christmas joy and energy stays front and center with tons of winter goodness, too. There's also a wholesome ending which embraces the true, religious meaning of Christmas.

The rhymes and illustrations work well together to keep a Christmas atmosphere. The illustrations are bright and bold, bringing across the scenes with a natural flow and letting the important details come across clearly. Readers can flip through these on their own and get a good feel for the tale. The text is written in a fairly nice flowing rhyme with only a few stumbles when doing it as a read-aloud. It might not be for the most impatient listeners out there, but it works nicely for a fun tale to snuggle up with. It's also ideal for those readers, who have a very good grip on their words, to tackle on their own.

It's a fun and unique story to dive into the family spirit of Christmas.

The Case of the Pilfered Pearls by Margi Preus

Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on a fast-paced mystery for the young adult audience. So today, I'm going to shift down to the middle graders with this first book in a new mystery series...well, I think it will be a series. It's not really said.  Now, I'm not expecting this one to be high tension...at least, not like The Escape Game was. Instead, I'm getting more fun vibes with a little cute mixed in too. I'm hoping the mystery is well laid and that this little detective is one to love.

Let's open this one up and see if we can crack the case right along with this shrew. (And yay, a screw character!)

THE CASE OF THE PILFERED PEARLS

The Shrew Detective

by Margi Preus

Illustrated by Junyi Wu

Amulet Books

Middle Grade Mystery

128 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING MAY 19th!!!

Wind in the Willows meets Enola Holmes in this exciting, young middle grade mystery series from Newbery Honor–winning author Margi Preus and with art from Junyi Wu

Something that is difficult or impossible to understand.

With a curious mind and a vast vocabulary (thanks to her wallpaper—pages of a discarded human dictionary), tiny Minerva Shrew would love nothing more than to solve the Big Mysteries of Life and the Universe.

Instead, in The Case of the Pilfered Pearls, she’s called upon to help her cousin Tenacity solve a mystery in the most dangerous of a human house. When a string of pearls goes missing, the human owner is sure a “dreadful rodent” has pilfered them—and now the lives of all Minerva’s friends are at risk! Will Minerva find the true culprit before the exterminators arrive?

With wit and warmth, Margi Preus creates a charming woodland world filled with creatures both whimsical and nefarious ( wicked or criminal), along with suspense, intrigue, and, thanks to Minerva’s metabolism, plenty of snacks.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

With an clever shrew and tons of meals each day, this mystery lures in while building reading skills along the way.

Minerva Shrew's home is wallpapered in dictionary pages, and she loves nothing more than deep mysteries...like the meaning of life and philosophical questions. When one of her friends insists she help out with a real crime mystery and thwart a potential murder, Minerva isn't thrilled to shift her brain gears down to a 'lower level' discovery but doesn't want anyone to die, either. She follows her friend to a dangerous, human house and a complex mystery. But the stakes are very high and the clock is already ticking. Minerva must discover the true identity of the thief before the exterminator arrives and kills all the little animals living in the house.

When I first saw the cover and tale length, I thought this might be a tale for strong chapter book readers and lower middle grade ones, and while it is, it stretches further than that. The tale is short and engaging, and every few pages, Minerva drops a difficult vocabulary word and the definition...and these are mostly not words readers would usually run across. Add that the author tends to sprinkle in more difficult terms anyway, and the vocabulary skills are getting a workout. But thanks to the shorter read, it also relaxes what could be frustrating in a longer novel. The printed text is kept relatively short for a usual middle grade read, and there are lovely illustrations, which often dropped in to enhance the tale. Plus, it's not about depth as much as it is about solving the case. So, it is a true middle grade read...and one that works very well to improve those word skills. I'm thinking homeschoolers and classrooms will want to peek into these pages, too.

As for the story, it holds a quick-paced mystery with vibrant characters and tons of quirks. Of course, Minerva, as a shrew, already gives this book a fun and original twist. Readers learn a little about shrews along the way, too (like they need to eat extremely often to stay alive). The other animals are just as interesting and add a little furry chaos and fun. The first pages give readers time to meet Minerva and learn about her usual life and interests, which then, makes the turn into the mystery that much more interesting. The mystery is well laid and holds several surprises. The ending isn't easy to solve and, of course, there are some messages about friendship, helping others, and reaching beyond the comfort zone as well.

I can only hope that this is the first in many tales to come.