GOD GAVE US CHRISTMAS

Bergen offers her third entry in her popular God Gave Us series, this time focusing on explaining the broader and more philosophically complex concepts of God’s and Christ’s presence in the world and the theological reasons behind Christmas. Mother Bear answers questions from Little Cub about Santa and the origins of Christmas. Then the mother takes her daughter out into the wilderness to show her God’s presence in nature, made visible in the northern lights and in majestic glaciers. She explains her belief in Jesus as the son of God and as a gift to each person and points to the morning star as a symbol of Jesus present in their lives. Some adults will find that the theological concepts presented here mesh with their own beliefs; others may feel that the simplified religious concepts are rather murky for preschoolers to understand. The illustrations for this volume are by a different artist than the preceding two entries in the series, and while these illustrations are attractive and polished, the polar bears aren’t quite as captivating as those in the previous volumes. (Picture book. 2-6)