Advent & Christmas Giveaway: Look! A Child’s Guide to Advent & Christmas by Laura Alary; Illustrated by Ann Boyajian

We’ve used various books, devotionals and other resources over the Advent & Christmas season and have some family favourites we like to revisit, but I’m always on the lookout for new additions to our collection. Look! A Child’s Guide to Advent & Christmas is a book published by Paraclete Press and when I saw it was written and illustrated by the same folk who collaborated on Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter, I thought it would be a worthwhile book to add to our collection.
 

Alary uses a similar format to her Lent & Easter book to introduce children (and adults!) to the symbolism of Advent. She uses passages from the Old & New Testaments to help us to Look Back, Look Around, and Look Ahead.
As we look back, we see that these passages from Scripture remind us that God’s people have waited expectantly through the ages for a Redeemer - from the Hebrews in Egypt, to John the Baptist - and that God comes in ways we don’t expect.

‘Sometimes we see more clearly when we look back.’

The author ties in ideas and traditions for the season of Advent such as decorating a Jesse Tree; asking ourselves ‘Where did I see God today?’ and writing our thoughts in a journal.
As we look around during Advent we try to see the things we often miss and for ways to reach out to others: food donation, Advent cards to cheer others; baking treats and taking them to neighbours.
We look ahead and think about our choices. We say yes to new things such as asking a new family to come for lunch.
We light Advent candles and wait...

Look! A Child’s Guide to Advent & Christmas is a thoughtful book that would be very helpful in both establishing some simple family traditions over Advent, and giving context and meaning to those traditions we may already have in place.
There are 32 pages in this book and the lovely pastel/coloured pencil/gouache illustrations by Ann Boyajian are soft and colourful.
This is a book to go through slowly and savour as a family and would be ideal to spread over the Advent season, especially if you follow a church liturgy.

Laura Alary has a background in the Classics, theology and biblical studies and she draws upon this rich foundation in her writing. She has three children of her own and works with children in her local congregation in Toronto, Canada.
Her blog is here:

‘Writing stories that make us bigger on the inside.’

Paraclete Press have two free copies of this book to give away to my readers. If you would like a chance to win a copy, leave a comment here or on my FB page.