A Christmas Book to Enjoy as a Family

Ellen Gable Hrkach and her grandson review A Very Loud Christmas, a new picture book by Catholic author Amy Schisler.

A Very Loud Christmas

By Amy Schisler; illustrated by Emily Torres

Synopsis:

Meet Crash, Belle, Carol, Thor, and Joy, the Loud children. They love to laugh and sing and enjoy life — loudly! The rest of the families in their quiet, mountain village don’t understand why the Loud children are always so loud, and the other children are not allowed to play with them. One Christmas, little Johnny Thompson gets lost in the woods, and the village must rely on the very Loud family to bring Johnny home. 

Delightfully Written and Illustrated 

This is a delightfully written and illustrated children’s book that I read to all three of my grandchildren (ages six, three, and eighteen months old). The only one who sat still enough to listen to the story was my oldest grandchild, who is six years old. He wondered, “Why won’t the people talk to the Loud kids just because they’re loud? That’s not very nice.” 

I wasn’t exactly sure of the reason, although I can tell you that all three of my grandchildren happen to be loud. Yes, there are times when it’s good to be noisy and other times when perhaps it’s not so good. 

A 6-Year-Old’s Review 

When I asked my grandson what he thought of the book, he said, “I like it. I especially liked it when the Loud family saved the boy, and then everybody started talking to them. And I really liked the names of the kids.”   

An Adult’s Review 

This is an excellent resource to help children understand that being loud sometimes has its advantages. As an adult, I enjoyed the story and the illustrations, and I highly recommend this book to parents, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year. 

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Copyright 2025 Ellen Gable Hrkach
Images: Canva