Christmas books get kids in the spirit

JINGLE CATS, by Michael McDermott, age 9, with accompanying music CD, photography by Scott Thomas, illustrations by Kristi Smith, 27 pages, Tommy Nelson, Division of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tenn., 2004; hardcover $12.99; board book with CD, $9.99; board book without CD, $6.99.

This holiday book is cute and not terribly deep and cumbersome for the shopping-weary parent to stop and read to a child. Written by Michael McDermott, who was 9 at the time, and his mother, Amy, the book features an accompanying CD so the reader can sing along to the tune of “Jingle Bells” and look at the pictures and illustrations.

McDermott, now 10, dedicates the book to “Clyde and to all the other cats I’ve wanted.” Oh, and to his parents, too.

The story begins with the boy finding a special gift for him that meows under his Christmas tree. Then his sister comes downstairs and finds a similar gift with her name on the tag. Next thing you know, there are cats everywhere.

The book’s combination of real cats photographed by Scott Thomas and the cartoonlike illustrations by Kristi Smith creates a charm that will bring readers back to it over and over.

Children will enjoy the simplicity, the rhythm and interactive features, and adults will appreciate the cleverness of the text and combination of real and imaginary elements in the images.

There is one thing, however, that I would like to know. What’s with the mouse?

THE 12 BUGS OF CHRISTMAS, story by Troy Schmidt, illustrations by Glue Works Animation, 28 pages, Tommy Nelson, Division of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tenn., 2004; hardcover $12.99; board book with DVD, $9.99; board book without CD, $6.99.

Author Troy Schmidt has taken two of your children’s favorite characters, Hermie and Wormie, from Max Lucado’s children’s book “Hermie: A Common Caterpillar” and let them project a little joy while still reminding readers of the religious origins of the Christmas holiday.

The illustrations are full of expression and color and easily keep the reader’s attention.

For those unaware of the original book by Lucado, caterpillars Hermie and Wormie learn that God gave each living thing special traits that make it unique. Some of those traits may not be as obvious as others and may have more to do with how one lives one’s life than how one looks on the outside. It’s a children’s version of the teachings in Lucado’s adult book “Just Like Jesus.”

In “Hermie,” Lucado brings the simple message that all of God’s creatures should travel the same charitable path of Jesus’ teachings, and that all creatures have an important role in the world, even the lowly, plain caterpillar.

Schmidt’s “12 Bugs” includes many of the insects one might find in a garden and pulls them together to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The bugs’ activities throughout the story are an interesting combination of things they actually do in God’s world, such as spiders spinning and snails sliming, and of things people do, such as singing and praying.

But the simplest message in keeping with Lucado is that even with all of the gifts that may come your way during the holidays, the best gift you can receive is God’s love through the celebration of the birth of his son Jesus; and the best gift you can give is to follow Jesus’ path and reflect God’s love in how you live your life as simply yourself.

Without knowledge of Lucado’s Hermie book and some of its characters, the significance of Schmidt’s book likely will be lost to the reader, although children will enjoy a Christmas song about bugs. The accompanying DVD is an animated version of the book.

MERRY CREATURE CHRISTMAS, story by Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrations by Gene Barretta, 23 pages, Tommy Nelson, Division of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, 2004, hardcover, $9.99

If you have a child who loves animals, this wonderful story by Dandi Dailey Mackall, with its beautifully detailed illustrations by Gene Baretta, will be a delight.

In the story, the animals assemble a nativity scene deep in the forest using the materials available to them in the wild. With the construction of the nativity comes a certain glee and the forest creatures begin dancing and celebrating. One animal, a colt named Star, bravely awakens a nearby bear from hibernation. The bear tries to scare off the forest animals but gets caught up in the magic of Christmas and the celebration of the Christ child’s birth.

It’s a fun story with a happily-ever-after kind of ending. Mackall uses rhythm, rhyme and alliteration to capture her audience in her simple, but meaningful tale about God’s creatures putting aside their differences for one night of common celebration of the holy birth. The sing-song cadence in the writing is reminiscent of a good fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

The illustrations define each animal’s unique personality and include so much detail it’s impossible to see everything the first time through. The facial expressions, especially the eyes, and the body language of each character, even the backgrounds of each illustration, add a special blend of flavor to the story.

It’s a lot faster read but just as enchanting as “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree” written and illustrated by Robert Barry.

“Merry Creature Christmas” could quickly become a holiday favorite.

Julie Murchison Harris can be reached at 990-8285 and jharris@bangordailynews.net.