Advent Storybook
I saw Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider and Maja Dus last year, just before Christmas. I decided to get the book this year for our three year old son. It’s a cute book with gentle, pleasing illustrations for each story. Starting with December 1st are 24 stories as told by a Mother Bear to he son, Benjamin, and chronicle a young bear’s journey as he follows the Star to Bethlehem. Along the way the little bear encounters new experiences and characters. These encounters each show a facet of God’s love for us. The stories–I guess you could call them parables–get their point across nicely, in a way children can understand without shoving doctrine down our throats or being condescending. I enjoy this book as a gentle reminder on what the season of Advent is really all about: not a month of frenetic shopping and rushing to get things done just so but, rather, a time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus and following the Star to Bethlehem.