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The Legend of the Poinsettia

Author(s):

Tomie de Paola

Illustrator(s):

Tomie de Paola

This lovely retelling of an old Mexican legend transports us to the mountains of Mexico, where a young girl, Lucida, prepares for Christmas with her family. Her mother is a fine weaver, and the Padre asks her to make a new blanket for the Baby Jesus. When her mother falls ill, she longs to help finish the blanket, but only seems to make a mess of things. With no gift for the Baby Jesus, Lucida hides and watches the procession from afar.

The Jesse Tree

Author(s):

Geraldine McCaughrean

Illustrator(s):

Bee Willey

Take a grumpy old man working in a Church, add an inquisitive little boy, assorted other characters and mix in the greatest story ever told and you have the book, The Jesse Tree, written by British author, Geraldine McCaughrean. This is sure to be an Advent classic!

The Miracle of St. Nicholas

Author(s):

Gloria Whelan

It was the day before Christmas in a modern-day Russian village which has lived through the closing of their church, St. Nicholas. When the church was first closed, everything inside the church mysteriously disappeared and the priest was gone. Now, even though the soldiers were gone, there seemed to be no way to celebrate Mass on Christmas day. Young Alexi questions his babushka about this, but all seems hopeless. Still, she explains that "A miracle happens when God enters into your dream. But first you must have the dream."...

The Miracle on 34th Street

Author(s):

Valentine Davies

Illustrator(s):

Tomie de Paola

When I was little, there was one Advent tradition that really stands out in my mind: the annual viewing of the movie, Miracle on 34th Street. It usually aired on the last weekday before Christmas Eve - we'd be home on Christmas Break, wrapping presents or decorating the house, and this classic would be playing in the background. I'm talking about THE classic 1947 movie - Natalie Wood as the little girl, Maureen O'Hara and John Payne as the "love interest", Gene Lockhart as the judge with a heart, and the ultimate St. Nick: Edmund Gwenn.

A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families

Author(s):

Monica McConkey

with laminated "jelly-proof" covers

During the past few years, there has been a renewed interest in beginning and in continuing traditions within our families within the context of the liturgical year. This book has been written to help make these celebrations easier to plan as well as to provide countless new ideas. Some of these ideas are original while others are traditional. This book is especially well-suited for families with children in the preschool years up through the late elementary years.

Stations of the Cross for Children Poster Set

Author(s):

Julianne Will

This is a very nice, very inexpensive (about $10), large-size set of the Stations of the Cross (created especially for children) appropriate for homes and classrooms. The drawings are simple (they remind me a little of Tomie dePaola's drawings) and what my husband would describe as "sanitized". Our first inclination was to think these were too sanitized, but when we compared them to our more "traditional" set (which cost us $30 and are about half the size), we realized that the other set, too was without blood.

A Year With God

A Year With God is simply THE purchase of the year! Completely original, inspiring, and unique, the abundance of fresh ideas and activities will re-energize your religion class and re-motivate you to make your homeschool a truly Catholic school in every sense of the word. Spanning the liturgical year, A Year With God contains hundreds of carefully detailed and illustrated projects and activities. Nearly all of these can be extended into several other projects, giving you many, many years of exciting projects to work on with your students.

The Friendly Beasts

Illustrator(s):

Tomie de Paola

"The Friendly Beasts" is a lovely old English Christmas carol (the words and music are included in their entirety on the last page). Tomie de Paola has drawn beautiful pictures, in his signature style, to accompany the words to this song. (We didn't know the song before we came across the book. Now we tend to sing it, rather than read it, to the children.) It has been a favorite in our family partly because of it's beautiful simplicity and is frequently requested (even when it's nowhere near Christmastime) by our younger children.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

Author(s):

Susan Wojciechowski

This is a lovely story about a gruff woodcarver who is commissioned to make a Nativity Set for a young boy and his mother. The story is beautifully written and lovingly illustrated. This is such a favorite for my children that we keep it out year-round and it has been read over and over and over again. This is simply a can't-miss book - at least check it out from your library. When you buy a copy, I certainly recommend the hardcover for durability.

Celebrating the Faith in the Home

Author(s):

Teresa Zepeda

Laurie Navar Gill

This book contains ideas, history, personal anecdotes, traditional prayers, instructions, etc. for incorporating religious traditions into your family's celebration of Advent and Christmas. Using just one or two of the ideas listed in this book will make this season much more meaningful for you and your family.