By way of a change from the usual list of suggestions, I have found three quite outstanding titles for children. All published by Lion.

Lullaby and Goodnight. Text by Sophie Piper with Illustrations by Emma Bolam. This is a bedtime board book aimed at children aged 3+. It is bold and bright and has the added attraction of tabs to pull or push to complement the verses. With the prayer:

I see the moon

And the moon sees me

God bless the moon

And God bless me.

is a delightful picture of a little boy and his teddy in the garden at night surrounded by various little animals most with their eyes to the sky. (Except the rabbits but then rabbits tend to do their own thing anyway!) Push up the tab and a friendly crescent moon appears above the trees. An appealing way to learn simple goodnight prayers.

ISBN 9780745962221 £4.99

The Angel and the Lamb. A Story for Christmas. Text by Sophie Piper. Illustrations by Kristina Stephenson. In a charming slant on the traditional Christmas Story, a little lamb takes centre stage, deciding that he would like to go to Bethlehem because it sounded fun. He runs off and becomes lost but is found by an angel who leads him to the stable where he is eventually reunited with his master. Beautifully told and richly illustrated, this is bound to become a firm favourite.

ISBN 9780745961156 £6.99

The First Christmas. Text by Louis Rock. Illustrated by Sophie Allsopp. Full marks for the brilliant text and tasteful illustrations in this book. Opening with Mary whom, we are told, believed in God and wanted to please God in all she did. I liked the pages that emphasized Joseph’s love for Mary, the support of their respective families and the fact that God, too, wished them to be married. At Bethlehem I was delighted to see Mary and Joseph shown into a cave… The shepherds watching over their flocks sit on ground littered with stones, large and small. Something I remember from my visit to the Holy Land in 1978. A little further on ‘wise and learned men came riding’. Well, yes, there are three, but I can forgive that because when they visit ‘baby’ Jesus, he is seen very clearly as a toddler - hooray! Excellent!

ISBN 9780745949567. £6.99

I hope you all receive some interesting books this Christmas.

Have a Holy, Happy Christmas, everyone.

Lynn Winter

Christmas Edition 2010

Book Corner