Christmas Love Letters
My 5 year old has recently begun reading and reading well. He wants to actually take the book out of our hand to read to us and figure out words that he’s never seen before. I’m actually very impressed by his ability to sound words out or figure them out by sentence context. When we received Christmas Love Letters, which is perfect for his age, he was happy to read with me and learn more about the ways that God loves all of us.
We started right at the beginning. He was excited to hear about the angel who visited Mary and told her the exciting — but also somewhat frightening — news of what was about to happen. He asked me questions about Mary and why she was Jesus’s mommy. That led us talk about the faith that Mary needed to have to carry a baby and eventually raise Jesus who she knew would be the Savior.
His favorite part of any of the stories, though, are the actual “letters from God.” The first two pages of each story provide the background and a perfectly-at-his-level explanation of what happened during the exciting preparation for the arrival of Jesus. But the letters read like a true message from God as it’s written in the first person.
He decided that we needed to write “Richmond Kids” in the “Dear _____” section (which we keep forgetting to do). He was excited to share this particular book with his little brother (3) who doesn’t quite understand yet but still thought it was neat to lift a flap and hear straight from God.
From a parent’s perspective (and that of a teacher), I most appreciate that the letter from God takes the story we’ve just read and applies it to my children’s lives today. The Bible is an old book that is hard to relate to in our day and age of technology, iPads, and toys galore. With the explanations and leading questions “from God,” the Bible easily becomes approachable.
If you haven’t heard of Christmas Love Letters, now is the perfect time to check it out. Order today for the special kids in your family or those that you know would love it.
From the Publisher:
Written for children ages four to eight, Christmas Love Letters from God cleverly combines both prose and poetry as the story of Jesus’ birth unfolds. The book includes seven stories, beginning with Isaiah’s prophecy and ending with the visit of the wise men. Following each story, the child will find his or her own letter from God, folded into a small envelope attached to the page. Each letter begins with a space in which to write the child’s name, so each one can be specially addressed to the child.
Written as if God is speaking, each personalized message gives the young reader a sense of wonder as they discover anew the Christmas holiday and the birth of Jesus. A very special Bible verse, entitled God’s Perfect Promise, also accompanies each story and letter as God’s personal words of love, promise, and hope.
I received a copy of this book for review. Opinions are 100% my own.
