The Perfect Christmas Pageant

Too many Christmas-themed read-alouds follow the same tired pattern: (Insert Name of Cartoon Character or Superhero Here) Saves Christmas. We all know there's a lot more to Christmas than that, and we'd like the Christmas books we read with our preschoolers to reflect the real story without being too heavy-handed.

The Perfect Christmas Pageant by Joyce Meyer is a fun story that young families can read together with confidence. The familiar setting of a Christmas pageant is the backdrop for this story that centers on the lesson that God can bring miracles out of less-than-ideal situations. The Holy Family did not have a safe, clean and comfortable place to bring the Savior into the world. The "perfect holiday celebration" isn't the important thing; what matters is that Christ came into an imperfect world as a sign of God's great love.

This is an important lesson for parents as well as children to remember. I wouldn't purchase it as a Christmas gift, however; it would best be used as Advent begins, to help the family focus on what Christmas means. This story is an excellent way to kick off the Advent season.

Originality: 2 of 5 stars
Humor: 4 of 5 stars
Illustrations: 5 of 5 stars

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