Countdown to Christmas

by Mary Manz Simon, Brian Hartley (Illustrator)

Overview

This Christmas board book transforms the weeks leading up to December 25 into a fun-filled celebration of Jesus's birth for the whole family.

Filled with songs, treats, and presents under the tree, the long wait for Christmas day can seem almost endless. With daily activities for children and families, Countdown to Christmas turns these weeks of excitement and anticipation into a fun-filled celebration of the true meaning of Christmas. Prayers and Bible verses help young children think about the importance of Jesus's birth as they wait for the big day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506448541
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Pages:	52
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.10(h) x 1.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Dr. Mary Manz Simon is an early childhood educator, consultant, media personality, and award-winning author. She has consulted for a wide variety of entertainment entities, publishers, and companies, including Walden Media, Sony Home Entertainment, and the Fred Rogers Company. Mary has also developed materials for leading entertainment companies including work with Charlotte's Web, The Prince of Egypt, and The Berenstain Bears.

Mary earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University, a master's degree from Erikson Institute for Early Childhood Education of Loyola University, Chicago, and a doctorate from St. Louis University.

Mary and her husband, Hank, a recently retired Lutheran pastor, are the parents of three adult children and grandparents of five boys.

Brian Hartley lives and works in England. With over twenty years experience in creating artwork for video games, he recently turned his attention to illustration and character design, where he has cultivated a distinctive style.

Editorial Reviews

10/07/2019

In this advent calendar turned book, Simon and Hartley recount the story of Jesus’s birth in 25 installments, offering young readers daily activities, prayers, and Bible verses to fill the lead-up to Christmas. Accompanying Hartley’s cartoon illustrations are exercises that vary in complexity and originality, including prompts to sing carols. The lengthy content is unlikely to be of use for the usual board book set: daily prayers frequently include fill-in-the-blank spaces, and verses range from narrative excerpts of the Christmas story to more generally inspirational passages. A call for readers to prioritize the biblical story reverberates throughout this festive workbook. Ages 2–5. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-11-24
Daily activities, prayers, and Bible verses count the 25 days to Christmas and tell the story of the Nativity.

As outlined in the opening address to caregivers, this lengthy and hefty board book is intended to help young children cope with the wait for Christmas Day and understand the story of Jesus' birth. Each day of December has its own two-page layout that includes a brief piece of the story of Christmas, an interactive activity, a prayer, and a Bible verse. Simon does a nice job of telling a complicated story in small parts over several days, making it digestible for young readers. Some of the prayers include a fill-in-the-blank portion, a nice way to engage readers in the process of composition. Some of the activities are accessible using materials found around the house, such as making a paper-link chain, while others—making handprint wrapping paper, tying jingle bells on shoes—are less so. Hartley's illustrations feature modern people in Western attire and occasional Biblical costume, representing a range of ages and races. The cartoon style is cutesy but forgettable. Most critically, the board-book format doesn't fit the busy content, requiring readers beyond the need for an indestructible book.

As a well-paced explanation of Jesus' birth, it succeeds; the rest is superfluous. (Board book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews