Twas The Evening Of Christmas

“The pigeons were nestled all snug in their beds; while visions of breadcrumbs danced in their heads. The cow closed their eyes and the oxen laid down; the doves cooed so gently; the lambs made no sound.”

Book: Twas The Evening Of Christmas by Glenys Nellist, Illustrated by Elena Selivanova, Zonderkidz 2017

Genre: Picture Book

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 4+

Subjects: Jesus’ Nativity

Summary/Notes: It’s a retelling of the “Night Before Christmas” that tells the real Christmas story! I was hooked from page 1! Absolutely beautiful illustrations and the wonderful rhymes that make you start memorizing it from the first read! I used to want to memorize “The Night Before Christmas” until I realized I was trying to memorize something that had nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. This is a perfect solution! My only complaint is that like most every traditional children’s story about Jesus’ nativity, it has the wise men arriving at the manger and calls them 3 kings. Theologians and historians have pointed out the Bible doesn’t give a number, they probably arrived when Jesus about two, not that very night, and they were not kings, but astrologers. But again, nearly every single story does the same thing. It’s just tradition. It’s still a gorgeous book that focuses on the true story and I’ll eagerly share it with all my students! I do like the imaginings of how the animals could have responded. Did all of God’s creation leap to awareness when He was born? It’s fun to imagine what it may have been like!

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 3/5

Enjoyment Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Isaiah 55:12 – You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Thank you so much to the publishers for the review copy! I think I enjoyed it even more than my students!

All opinions are my own.