Around our home, the way to solving any problem is usually through some combination of hugs, books, and food. Is someone sad? Let’s have some hot cocoa and chat. Are people bickering? Let’s pop popcorn, listen to an audiobook, and hang out. Is someone out of sorts or sleepy? Let’s snuggle up together and read a book. In twenty years of parenting, there are a few books that have gotten read multiple times a week because their stories are engaging, the characters are relatable, and the pictures are so interesting. Because I have children born in three separate decades, my oldest crew tends to be a bit suspicious of new books that get added to the little one’s rotation. Is it really as good as The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, Mom? It’s even more interesting now, because my oldest is an education major and is looking at books even more critically. When Read and Rhyme: The First Christmas by Glenys Nellist arrived from the publisher, it quickly became a new addition to our family library that everyone approved of.
Read and Rhyme: The First Christmas is a lovely little book, sized just right for little hands. Each page spread features gently rhyming phrases, paired with two lift-the-flaps. The flaps reveal words, appropriately printed in manuscript that children can easily read or identify letters from. The words follow a predictable pattern, making it a wonderful choice for emerging readers, as well as those that are more confident. Children that are just beginning their literacy journeys will enjoy the rhyming couplets, along with the illustrations that match the story. The right side of the book has tabs that bring the reader to each page spread, making it easy to settle in for a short read, or to extend the time by playing around with finding matching illustrations in the page spreads. The story is a familiar one, telling about Jesus’ birth, as well as the arrival of the shepherds and Wise Ones. It’s a lovely addition to your Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany story basket!
Read and Rhyme: The First Christmas is a versatile little volume. Snag a copy and pop it into your pew baskets or prayground. Add some tracing paper and let the little ones trace their favorite illustration. The illustrations could be added to a bulletin board in the fellowship hall, letting the congregation see some of what the children are working with while they participate in worship. If you have an early literacy group that meets in your church, or if you offer tutoring in the neighborhood, this book is a wonderful addition to your shelves. The words under the flaps are all either sight words or ones that follow predictable phonemic patterns, allowing the children success in their decoding practice. I am planning on using this book in our children’s chapel time, reading a page spread each week and then using it to help us build our Nativity scene. Use it during one of your Advent, Christmas, or Epiphany bedtime stories and prayers sessions and then send copies home for Christmas gifts for families of young children. This little book packs a lot of ministry opportunities!
