Also by this author: God Made You to Be You, God, I Feel Scared: Bringing Big Emotions to a Bigger God
Published by B&H Kids on October 27, 2020
Genres: Children's, Christmas
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The wondrous plan of the Christmas story started long, long ago. . . . The prophets knew, Mary and Joseph knew, the angels knew, the wise men knew . . . and now we know too! Christmas is for celebrating Jesus, God’s greatest gift to the world. While Christmas excitement often focuses on hanging lights, opening gifts, and decorating trees, Christmas Is Coming! offers a different—and true—reason for our joy and celebration. Designed to be read and reread during the days leading up to Christmas, the story lets children ages 2-6 listen with wonder and anticipation as the story of God’s plan for Jesus’ arrival unfolds.
Christmas is Coming! Christmas is usually the most-anticipated holiday of the year for all the wrong reasons. This beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written book resets our Christmas anticipations by focusing on the promise of Jesus the Messiah.
The opening set of panels shows a contemporary Christmas setting as a family readies the tree and wraps the presents. But the text reminds us that the greatest gift of all came long ago and was a part of God’s plan for even longer than that. The second set of panels takes us back to Creation and the Fall and God’s wonderful promise of a Messiah that goes all the way back to Genesis 3. Wazza Pink’s haunting blue and purple woodscape captures the sense of walking out of Paradise and into the unknown. Next comes the prophets, then Mary, then John the Baptist, then Joseph—all with the refrain of they “they knew and we know too…Christmas is coming!”
The story pivots (as it should) with the birth of Jesus and a change to the refrain: Christmas had finally come! From here, the story continues with the new refrain. The angels know it, the shepherds know it, the wise men know it, and then the last panel brings us full circle back to the contemporary setting: God always knew, and now you know too…and that’s why Christmas is coming!
Tama Fortner’s words and Wazza Pink’s captivating illustrations build and build and build the anticipation. Your little one will love the feeling of getting closer and closer to the birth of Jesus and then learning about the celebrations followed by celebrations that followed. It’s a perfect Christmas reminder that amid all the busyness and business of the season, our anticipation is a baby in a manger.
As a bonus, this link will take you to a Parent Connection page that includes three discussion questions about the book and Bible references for you to read.
