Christmas in Heaven

Liz Lantigua reviews a new children's book by Anthony DeStefano, written to help children learn to deal with loss.

Christmas in Heaven

by Anthony DeStefano, illustrated by Bernadette Carstensen
Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Christmas in Heaven, written by Anthony DeStefano and illustrated by Bernadette Carstensen, takes a unique approach to other picture books for the season.  

This is the story of a little boy who morns his grandmother. He wonders if she is bored in heaven while everyone on earth is crying. His grandfather tells him how festive all the angels and saints are on our Saviors birthday. In his rhyming writing style, DeStefano, describes how all the saints and angels, with their particular charisma, are preparing for the big day! 

St. Peter is standing outside heaven’s gate 
Making sure none of the guests have to wait.  
Inside St. Martha’s been cleaning for hours, while little Thérèse is handing out flowers. 

It shows the saints doing the things they’re best known for such as St. Lucy, patron saint of the blind, lighting the Christmas tree. Saint Honoré, patron of bakers, is making Jesus’ birthday cake. St. Gabriel is blowing his horn and many others including St. Nick leaving presents under the tree. The child and his grandfather envision their grandmother young, smiling, and enjoying the celebration.  

While the cover of the book has a vintage look, the illustrations have a contemporary twist. St. Joseph is depicted building the manger under the Christmas tree as well as St. Jude helping St. Martha cleaning while using a vacuum cleaner. These illustrations make it easier for children to understand bringing it to their modern world. 

Celebrating Christmas as the birthday of Jesus

“I’ve written several children’s books on Christmas, but I’ve never done one from the perspective that Christmas is Jesus’s birthday,” said Anthony DeStefano, the author, who remembers as a child this was the way his father first explained Christmas to him and his siblings. 

“That idea led me to the inspiration of writing a Christmas story that also introduced children to the saints, who would naturally be attending Jesus’s birthday party,’ he said. “Finally, I believe very strongly that it’s important to teach children about Heaven from an early age because kids need to grieve just as adults do. They lose pets, and grandparents and when they become acquainted with permanent loss, it’s comforting for them to know that life continues after death.” 

DeStefano is the author of many children’s picture books. He started writing for children because he was always awestruck by Jesus’ parables. 

“Young people can understand them, and people with little education can understand them, but at the same time they have depth that the greatest theologians and philosophers are still exploring today. They work on so many levels,” DeStefano said. “And from the beginning of my writing career, I thought that it would be wonderful to try to do something like that in children’s books.” 

Although he writes for children, he is also writing for all the adults that read the books to them. 

“I want kids to be able to get the main message in a powerful, entertaining way, but I also want the adults who are reading these books to the kids to get something out of them too. Some deeper understanding. So, my children’s books are for adults, too.” 

The book includes a two-page glossary with small illustrations and short descriptions of each saint in the story. The book also has an introductory note from DeStefano regarding Purgatory, since it is not mentioned in the story. He explains how important it is that everyone prays for their deceased loved ones so they can get from Purgatory to Heaven quickly. 

Christmas in Heaven deals with a difficult subject such as the death of a loved one in a sweet loving way. It familiarizes children with saints and the joy of heaven bringing them comfort and ease during a time of loss.  

Ask for Christmas in Heaven at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Good News Book Fair, Amazon.com, or the publisher, Sophia Institute Press.

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Copyright 2024 Liz Lantigua
Images: Canva