Christmas Countdown #3

This week I'm highlighting reading with your children as a holiday tradition.   My daughter insists that I offer these Christmas read aloud titles as well.    

We found these books from our friend, Jen.   In her family, they wrap their Christmas books in paper and put them in a basket under the tree.  Each day the younger children choose a wrapped book and - surprise! - this is the book they read that day.   Obviously this works best for shorter stories that can be read in one sitting or at least just a few.   When we did this, I also kept a longer story going for the entire family to enjoy.  I'm sure you could adjust this tradition to fit your family's needs.

The first title in the series is Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide.   This is a lovely Advent story about a boy named Jotham who is a cousin of Jesus.   

Jotham's Journey can easily hold the attention of all members of your family as Jotham crosses Israel searching for his family and finally ends up at the manger in Bethlehem.

Two other books intersect this story.  

 Tabitha's Travels highlights a girl's journey.  However, all the members of your family will enjoy this story.

Batholomew's Passage is another Advent story.  Our family read this the second year after we found Jotham's Journey.  Batholomew endures many hardships, including escape from slavery and meets a new friend - Jotham.




Both my husband and my daughter loved these books for their engaging plots and characters.   My husband commented that he thought it was so interesting how the plots were interwoven between the different stories. 

These are strongly Christian books which you will probably not find in your library.  I found them at Amazon for good prices.  However, I recommend that you check out another great shopping homeschoolers can use - Library and Educational Services.  You can find all of these titles at fantastic sale prices.