Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Berenstain Bears The Very First Christmas by Jan and Mike Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears The Very First Christmas by Jan and Mike Berenstain is a simple, fast-paced, but thorough telling of the Christmas story.

Papa Bear sits down with his kids on Christmas Eve to read them a story, and they ask for the “story of the very first Christmas” from their storybook Bible. Papa reads the three cubs the story – beginning with Mary being greeted by the angel and ending with Joseph being warned to avoid King Herod and then later moving to Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

The story moves quicker than most retellings of the Christmas story do, but it is comprehensive. The quick pace is demonstrated by Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, and the next page shows a picture of Baby Jesus. I appreciate, however, the simple words the author uses to reach his audience: “cloths” instead of the cumbersome “swaddling clothes,” and he describes Mary and Joseph as being “counted” rather than be part of a “census.”  There aren’t any direct references to scripture in the story, but Luke 2:11-12 is quoted before the story begins. As always, at the end of the story the author has discussion questions and activities ready for families to use to learn together. I recommend this book for kids ages 2-4.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.


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