Rhyming text and colorful illustrations help children understand more about Jesus and the Christmas story in this new Christmas picture book. There’s a Lion in My Nativity! by Lizzie Laferton and illustrated by Kim Barnes. The Good Book Co., 2020. 24 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 0-8 Have you ever seen a lion in a church or school nativity play? A lion certainly doesn’t appear in Luke 2. But perhaps a lion does have a place in a nativity play. After all, the lion is an image used for Jesus in the Bible. A lion isn’t the only odd thing that appears in the nativity…

Sing a new song every day of Advent with Hosanna in Excelsis, an Advent devotional that offers a different Christmas hymn each day of Advent. *Hosanna in Excelsis: Hymns and Devotions for the Christmas Season by David and Barbara Leeman. Moody, 2020. 128 pages. Reading Level: Adult Recommended For: All ages (families, schools, churches, etc.) Christmas hymns and traditional carols are among some of the most beloved songs in our sacred music tradition. Hosanna in Excelsis offers a magnificent collection of these beloved songs—some of which will be new to you and your family. Beginning with the first day of Advent, there is one song for each day until Epiphany…

Dig in to the Christmas story a bit more intentionally this year with A Better Than Anything Christmas, a family Advent devotional with interactive questions and journaling prompts. A Better Than Anything Christmas by Barbara Reaoch. The Good Book Company, 2020. 96 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12 Recommended For: The Whole Family Most Advent devotionals can be used year after year: families read the selected portion of Scripture, read the reflection in the devotional, do an activity or sing a song or say a prayer (or all three). Not so with A Better Than Anything Christmas. In this devotional, families will be writing answers to questions and drawing…

These three books are ideal for sharing and snuggling with a little one. Catch that Chicken! by Atinuke, illustrated by Angela Brooksbank. Candlewick, 2020. Unpaged. Lami is not the best in the village at spelling or braiding hair, and she is not brave around the bulls, but she is the best chicken catcher and boldest in her pursuit of them. After a chase goes awry, she can no longer catch the village chickens that elude her. What will she do? She can still use her head. Colorful, lively, full of interesting characters and an authentic sense of life in Africa, told in simple language and loaded with illustrations that will…

How We Got to the Moon details the almost overwhelming amount of expertise and problem-solving required to accomplish one human footprint. How We Got to the Moon: the People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure by John Rocco. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2020, 241 pages plus author note, bibliography, index, and index. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 8 and up We all know the story, or think we do: the Soviets beat us to space, NASA was born, President Kennedy made a speech, and eight years later Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I was 19 at the time, and wasn’t…

A Wish in the Dark pits literal darkness against light in a unique Asian setting. A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. Candlewick, 2020, 375 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 “The law is the light, and the light shines on the worthy.” That’s the motto of Chattana, inspired and upheld by its Governor. He means it literally, for it was the Governor himself who saved the city after a devastating fire that nearly wiped it off the map. From that time, fire is outlawed. All light comes from the Governor, who has the power to make and sell it. All law comes from…