Children’s Books About the Nativity
Here are some fun books to help your children understand and enjoy the Nativity. I love using books when teaching children. Children can learn so much while simply enjoying a story. Below are some wonderful books I found about the Nativity. There are some affiliate links below but all the reviews are my own. I either all ready have the books or I got them from the library and read them so I could review them for you.
Please check out these great books about the Nativity:
“Away in a Manger” illustrated by Mike Jaroszko
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This is a beautiful picture book. Illustrations are put to the familiar Christmas carol. They bring the book to life and visual meaning to the beautiful words.
“The Christmas Baby” by Marion Dane Bauer
Reading Level: Ages 2 to 7 years old
I love this version of the Christmas story. It goes through the familiar pieces of the story; Mary and Joseph trying to find a place to stay, the animals rejoicing, the angels rejoicing, the shepherd rejoicing and the wisemen coming from afar. But there was a sweet addition to this story that I wasn’t expecting. At the end of the Christmas part of the story it says that the Baby smiled with God’s own smile but the book doesn’t end there. It goes on to tell a short story about what happens every time a baby is born; angels rejoice, moms, dads, grandparents rejoice and the baby smiles with God’s own smile. We purchased this for our grandson’s first Christmas. He is now 2 years old and this is his favorite book, right now. He makes his mom read it to him every night and the other day when I was there visiting he brought it out and had me read it to him.
“The Christmas Story: From the Gospel According to St. Luke” from the King James Bible
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
I love the fact that this is the Christmas story taken straight from the Bible. The story starts with the decree from Caesar Augustus and goes through to the shepherds returning to their fields praising God. I love the illustrations by James Bernardin. They are sweet and tender. I definitely want to add this book to my collection and include it in our holiday traditions.
“The Christmas Story” adapted and illustrated by Kay Chorao
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This story is adapted from the Book of Luke 2:1-21 and the Book of Matthew 2:1-12, King James version. The story starts where Mary is visited by an angel and goes through them fleeing to Egypt then finally returning to Nazareth. This is a wonderful way to share the Biblical account of Christ’s birth to young children.
“Listen to the Silent Night” by Dandi Daley Mackall
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This is a beautifully illustrated and book written in rhyme. The theme running through the book is that on this Silent Night things are not so silent. There is the flip, flap flap of sandals, the swish, swish, swish of the desert sand and the baa, baa, baa of the sheep; to name just a few of the sounds that people encountered this special night.
“The Nativity” illustrated by Julie Vivas
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
I found the illustrations to this story a little odd, but for the most part, they are cute and whimsical. They have been created in a muted water-color style. The thing that bothered me a little was the wings on the angels. They looked tattered and torn. This is a personal preference and not a statement on the illustrations as a whole. There are no complaints on the story, as it comes straight from the Bible. If you are looking for a way to interest your younger children in the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth, I would check this book out.
“Tiny Baby Jesus” by Dandi Daley Mackall
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
The thing I love most about this book is the way it compares the baby Jesus with the adult Jesus. It first talks of the Baby’s tiny tiny fingers and then goes on to explain how He used those fingers as a carpenter. It talks of His tiny feet and then of how His adult feet walked on the sea. This book is a great reminder to children of all ages that Jesus was not just a baby in a manger but grew up into a loving man and our Savior.