Celebrate Christmas with Zonderkidz Storybooks

Zondervan is well-loved name in the Christian publishing world, and through their Zonderkidz division they seek to inspire faith and a love of reading in young children.

Zonderkidz shared a beautiful assortment of their newest Christmas books with us, and it’s my pleasure to pass along to you some of our favorites, in case you are still looking for gift ideas or just want to add to your family library.

Two books that really stand out from the crowd are ‘T’was the Evening of Christmas and A Savior is Born. Illustrated with lush watercolors and embellished with an embossed gold foil cover, ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas (2017, hardback, by Glenys Nellist and Elena Selivanova) reinvents the classic poem (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) to focus on the infant Christ.

I bet your children have brought you rocks of unusual shapes and sizes from outside before. Just like clouds, rocks can suggest a person or thing by their unique shape or color. That’s the idea behind A Savior is Born (2018, hardback, by Patti Rokus), which relates the traditional Nativity story using rocks to bring the people and animals to life.

A book’s illustrations are so important, and it seems to be a lost art in much of the children’s publishing world. Not so with books like Mouse’s Christmas Gift (2018, hardback, by Mindy Baker and Dow Phumiruk). It’s got everything you’d want in a Christmas tale: cozy pictures, an engaging plot, plus an inspiring spiritual message for children. Mouse’s act of love and faith helps the parson out when he becomes ill at Christmas and seeks to inspire little ones to acts of charity for those in need.

If you’re a fan of Mary Engelbreit’s delightful artwork, A Night of Great Joy (2016, hardback) will be a treat for you and your children. It’s the traditional nativity story told through the eyes of little children in a Christmas pageant.

See how wonderful and cozy the artwork is?

As I read Night of Great Joy to my children, it took me back to childhood, when every year my classmates and I would excitedly don our costumes and reenact the greatest story every told for our parents and friends. Engelbreit’s heartwarming images perfectly capture the way that little children become immersed in their performances.

For an extra special present this year, Zonderkidz also publishes gift edition story bibles. The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Beginner’s Bible are durable hardbacks with gold foil accents on the covers, and they present the word of God in story format with full-color illustrations. The only thing I would change about The Beginner’s Bible would be the pictures; they are very cartoonish, and for serious works like the bible, I prefer traditional and more realistic artwork. Surprisingly, I find that children do as well, even the young ones.

Berenstain Bears lovers rejoice, because Zonderkidz released a brand new title this October called The Berenstain Bears Go Christmas Caroling (2019, paperback, by Mike Berenstain). At just $4.99, it includes 4 free Christmas postcards and a door hanger! Join the Bear Family as they go door-to-door singing Christmas favorites like Good King Wenceslas and Jingle Bells. I love that Mike Berenstain (son of the original creators) hand-draws his artwork and carries on the traditional look and feel of the Bear Country series.

And there’s still more! Check out these new Zonderkidz Christmas books:

• A Very Fiona Christmas
• A Christmas Gift for Santa
• Merry Christmas, Nighty Night
• Christmas Cookie Day
• My Christmas Story Tree board book

For more gift ideas from Zonderkidz check out their 2019 Christmas guide!

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Merry Christmas!