Take a grumpy old man working in a Church, add an inquisitive little boy, assorted other characters and mix in the greatest story ever told and you have the book, The Jesse Tree, written by British author, Geraldine McCaughrean. This is sure to be an Advent classic!

Set in the present day, an old woodcarver (who tends to grumpiness) is carving a wooden Jesse Tree for a church. Jesse Trees are an ancient traditional way of showing Jesus' lineage – from the start of the world, through Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, David, Jonah, John the Baptist and finally to Mary and Joseph in a stable in Bethlehem. The old man is lovingly carving the figures and symbols representing each of 24 stories for the carved tree. The book opens just as he starts to carve the earth and moon, to represent God's creation. An inquisitive boy stops in the church and asks the ubiquitous question, "why"?

Through a series of 24 stories, the man slowly details the story of mankind – from the creation through the fall and right up to Jesus' birth. Each story has a different symbol and link to the Bible.

This book is beautifully told. The pictures are not spectacular, but at the head of each story, a small inset shows the symbol for the story. This makes it very easy to use this book as an Advent Calendar. That's what we're doing this year. In November, my younger children and I crafted the same 24 symbols, but we used oven-bake clay. We then made a cloth tree wall-hanging with 24 strings to attach these symbols. Starting December 1st, we read one story each night, attaching the appropriate symbol. On Christmas Eve we will attach the 24th symbol – the brightest star ever seen – heralding Jesus' birth.

This book, and our homemade Jesse Tree, will be a family tradition for years to come – a tradition that links the Old Testament to the New Testament – that links the first Adam and Eve to the new Adam (Jesus) and new Eve (Blessed Virgin Mary).

This has been one of my family's very favorite picture books since our oldest was a toddler. It is a beautiful re-telling of a beautiful story with illustrations that complement it nicely and which are very appealing to children. I especially like Tomie de Paola's attention to detail. It's informative enough to be interesting even for adults.

The story tells of Mary's apparitions to an Indian convert, Juan Diego, in Mexico, in 1531. She asked Juan Diego to tell the bishop that she wished a church to be built. On his second visit, the bishop asked Juan to ask "the lady" for a sign. Mary sends Juan back to the bishop with fresh cut roses - even though it's the middle of December. When Juan opens his tilma (like a cloak) to show the roses to the bishop, they discover that Our Lady's image has been miraculously imprinted on his tilma. This tilma has remained intact and is displayed even today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The author also avoids some of the mistakes and biases often present in renditions of the story. By explaining how the Bishop interrogated Juan Diego and carefully recorded all the details, the author makes it clear that this story is not a legend, but an actual occurence. (A note following the story also gives information about the miraculous condition of the tilma today - which is amazingly intact after more than 400 years.) The author also seems to have avoided any politically correct bias. I was particularly impressed with his portrayal of the bishop who was a very holy man with a genuine concern for all the people of Mexico.

This lovely retelling of an old Mexican legend transports us to the mountains of Mexico, where a young girl, Lucida, prepares for Christmas with her family. Her mother is a fine weaver, and the Padre asks her to make a new blanket for the Baby Jesus. When her mother falls ill, she longs to help finish the blanket, but only seems to make a mess of things. With no gift for the Baby Jesus, Lucida hides and watches the procession from afar. An old woman assures her that "any gift is beautiful because it is given" and that "Whatever you give, the Baby Jesus will love, because it comes from you."

Feeling more courageous, Lucida picks a bundle of weeds and brings them to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene at church, where they are beautifully transformed.

This little booklet is a colorfully illustrated and simply written explanation of what happens during the Mass and why. It is broken up into seven main sections: "The Mass Begins!", "The Introductory Rite", "The Penitential Rite", "The Liturgy of the Word", "The Profession of Faith", "The Liturgy of the Eucharist", and "The Concluding Rite". Rather than a missal for children, this is intended to be used outside of Church in preparation to understand the Mass better. (It would be particularly effective when used with the Miniature Mass Kit. Each page of text is highlighted with an appropriate quote from the Bible.

Here is a little sample:

Everyone, get on your knees!

The consecration is about to happen!

This is the most solemn part of the Mass, so we pay close attention.

Father prays over the bread and wine and asks all the angels and saints to join us in our prayer to God.

Father asks the Holy Spirit to come and change this bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus!

Watch carefully. Father takes the bread in his hands and, lifting it up to God, he uses Jesus' own words:

Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you."

Father holds the bread become Jesus up very high, showing it to all of us.

At that moment, all the angels in heaven are rejoicing! We bow our heads and offer a prayer to our great God.

(pg. 30, emphasis in original)

This is a very child-friendly, orthodox introduction to the Holy Mass for young children - especially preschool through second grade.