The First Christmas Night [Book Review & Giveaway]

*The winner is Tracey D. Congrats, Tracey! Be looking for an e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.*

You guys! I am so excited to be reviewing The First Christmas Night by Keith Christopher, Illustrated by Christine Kornacki. Plus, I get to giveaway one copy to one of you! Eeek!

I knew nothing about this book when I was first offered an opportunity to review it. All I knew was we love books in our home, I want to start Christmas traditions of our own around here, and I was told this book is The Night Before Christmas with a twist.

Now, I'm not sure about you, but I've always loved the sing-songy poetry of The Night Before Christmas. I was so excited to hear someone had taken the story of Jesus' birth and wrote it in prose appealing to a child. I wasn't even phased the age recommendation for this book is 4-8. Something in me knew it could appeal even to a 20 month old.

I was not disappointed.

In fact, Zoë has now made it a bed time ritual asking for "Jesus", by which she means she wants to read The First Christmas Night. And if she can get her hands on it during the day, even better! This makes my heart leap for joy as she is constantly being exposed to the story of our Savior's birth. She is constantly being exposed to the reminder He came down to earth as baby - helpless, completely dependent on someone else. Though the story may not reach that far with her now, laying the foundation through a book constantly exposing her to the truth of the beginning of what He did for us brought me to tears on a couple of occasions as we read it together.

And I mean, look at her saying cheese for the camera. But that book, it won't be easily taken from her hands, not that I generally try to. Even the pictures appeal to her, which isn't her general "go to" in a book. She'll look but quickly pass them up. I've found her closely inspecting the art work in this book at times.

Which leads me to how much I love the art work. Kornacki really does an excellent job of drawing images appealing to all ages! Even my artist husband has a high appreciation for the workmanship throughout.

I am almost certain this book has made it's debut into our Christmas traditions for years to come. I'm not even sure I'll be allowed to stow it away after Christmas is passed.

And because I'm about honesty, as is the sponsoring company, I want you guys to know there was only one aspect of the book which slightly bothered me: if you're keen on historical accuracy, the three wise men didn't find Jesus until he was around two years of age. However, the book portrays the typical story we we hear where the shepherds and wise men find Jesus while he is a new born.

Other than that, I give this book a raving review from our household! I'm pretty sure many of you would love to get your hands on a copy.

Speaking of which, one of you can get your hands on a free copy by entering my giveaway!

I have one copy of The First Christmas Night to give away. The giveaway is open to US residents with a physical address (no P.O. boxes, sorry!) age 18 and up. It begins today, Tuesday, November 19, at 12 am CST, and will close on Monday, December 2, at 12 am CST. The only mandatory entry for the giveaway is to leave a blog comment; I would love if you'd answer this question: Do you have any Christmas Traditions you have carried over or started with your family? If so, what? The winner will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter. They will be announced in an addendum at the top of this post, as well as on the Rafflecopter form, within 48 hours of the giveaway's close. I will also contact them via e-mail. (Please ensure you use a valid, working e-mail address to enter with on the Rafflecopter form.) The winner will have 48 hours to contact me via e-mail at mylifestidbits@gmail.com to claim their prize. I will need the winners full name and physical  address to forward to giveaway sponsor so they can mail the winner their prize. For any other information regarding giveaways hosted on my blog, please visit the official giveaway page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Rufus and Ryan Go to Church! [Book Review & Giveaway]

*UPDATE: The giveaway officially closed yesterday, Saturday, October 5, 2013. Congratulations, Dena! You will be receiving an e-mail. Please contact me within 48 hours so we can get your copy of "Rufus and Ryan Go to Church" headed your way.*

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in this post for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

When I was contacted about reviewing this book, I immediately opted in. I knew it may be slightly ahead of where Zoë is, but the title itself seemed like a book we could start reading with her now and she would grow in more understanding of as she aged. My hope is by the time we are taking her with us or giving her the option of joining us in the service, she will know what to expect, but have learned it in a fun way.

I am so glad I opted in! This book really is a fun way for a kid to see the church service, though big and possibly scary, is really more like a big class with people of all ages. There are some differences in the way our church works and this book describes how a service goes, but it's on such a child's level that you can easily adapt it so you're child will know more of what to expect when they join you.

Zoë loves to sit and read the story to herself and also frequently comes to find her daddy or me so we can read it with her. It quickly became a favorite for her, finding it's way into the rotation of nap or bed time stories, frequently, I might add. She has even gone to find it first thing in the morning:

Still in her PJs

I also loved how there are already aspects of a relationship with Christ we are incorporating in the home she is learning occur in the service, too: prayer, praising God through worship songs, reading bible stories. We want all of these to be a "norm" in our household and I think they can help bridge the "I'm too little for the service" gap. Thus, reading about a kid who is her age who sees these similarities will hopefully be an encouragement for sitting through a church service. (I do know that there may be some kind of interruption or childhood-energy causing us to leave the service in the middle. I just think discussing what its like before we ever get there will help her enjoy the service a little more, whether or not we have to leave early.)

If you want to look up a bit more about the book, or buy it, feel free to check out the book on the publishers website or their facebook page. (And no, I was not required to put those links on here. I figured I give you easy access if you want to go straight to the publisher for more information.)

Now, on to the giveaway!

Might I suggest, even if you don't have a child in your home who is in the age range for this book (it is recommended for ages 2-5), but you know someone with a child or you have a niece or nephew in this age range, go ahead and enter! You can give it as a gift or a simple "I was thinking about you". My guess is they will love it!

What you need to know:

I have one copy of Rufus and Ryan Go to Church! to give away. This giveaway is open to US residents with a physical address (no P.O. boxes. Sorry!) age 18 and up. The giveaway begins today, September 26th, at 12 am CST and will close on October 6th at 12 am CST. There is only one mandatory entry for this giveaway: blog comment on this post. The winner will be randomly selected using Rafflecopter. The winner will be announced in an addendum note at the top of this post, as well as in the Rafflecopter form, within 48 hours of the close of the giveaway. They will also be contacted via e-mail. (Please make sure you use a valid, working e-mail address to enter using the Rafflecopter form.) The winner will have 48 hours to contact me via the e-mail listed in the announcement post to claim their prize. I will need the winners full name and physical address to forward to the blogger network so they can mail them their copy. For any other information you would like on giveaways hosted on my blog, please visit the official giveaway page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Thursday to everyone! Be sure to spread the word so your friends don't miss out on a chance to win a great children's book!