THE BEST GIFT EVER GIVEN

Martin makes his children’s debut, having previously authored The Bride(zilla) of Christ (2016) and other theological titles for grown-ups.

This 25-day Advent devotional begins at the beginning, highlighting God’s gifts as demonstrated in stories from the Old Testament before moving on to the New Testament. From creation itself to mercy, hope, and courage, each of these is a great gift—but not the greatest. Along the way Martin highlights different aspects of God’s character and uses the gifts to illuminate facets of the stories. Each devotional concludes with the refrain, “His best gift is even better. What could it be?” This is followed by questions to encourage discussion and a short prayer. In the final few days before Christmas, the devotional turns from less-tangible gifts, instead featuring various personalities in the Nativity story culminating in the greatest gift, the Christ child. Each spread includes enigmatic symbolic illustrations of the story it accompanies. While the symbolism will likely be over the heads of most young readers, the images’ clean lines, bright color palette, and high contrast add pop and vibrancy to the tales.

A lovely addition to the Advent season, best enjoyed snuggled up with loved ones.