God Gave Us Christmas, God Gave Us Love, and Treasured

God Gave Us Christmas, written by List T. Bergren and illustrated by David Hohn, is a children’s book describing the importance of Christmas and what it truly means. The story is simple and easy to understand and I think children would understand the meaning very easily. The major plot involves a young polar bear asking her mother questions about Santa Claus, who in turn decides to take her daughter on a trip to understand the importance of Christmas, and in turn, God.

I found this book good to listen to, as my wife read it aloud to me and our puppy. Childrens books are meant to be real aloud, after all. After leafing through the book myself, I find the drawings pretty and aesthetically pleasing. The only real problem was that I found some of the font color choices a bit hard to read at times (the black font on the deep blue/green sky was tough to make out, I thought), but this is easily overlooked. Overall, this is a great children’s book to add to any Christmas collection.

God Gave Us Love is another book by Lisa T. Bergren, though this one is illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. The plot again is simple and easy to understand, perfect for a children’s book. Basically, Little Cub gets a bit perturbed at some pesky otters and her grandpa has to remind her about love. They go on a similar journey (to God Gave Us Christmas) where Little Cub learns about God’s love and how she should act towards others.

I found the illustrations from God Gave Us Love pleasing and pretty, and I found the story delightful. I think these kids books offer a great lesson to inquiring minds, and I’m sure when I have kids I’ll be reading them to them.

Treasured, by Leigh McLeroy, is a book about finding God in everyday things. From the simple, routine checkout lines of grocery stores to the harrowing apartment fire, God is there in everything. Leigh offers personal stories and anecdotes from her own life to the reader, inviting them to learn with her. She shares her pains and her joys and how she sees God in them all.

This book serves as a reminder that in everything we do with our lives, God is there, watching and weaving His will. Leigh has no answers for the tough times of life (why do good people suffer?), but only reliance on God. I found her stories interesting and poignant and easy to relate to. The only real problem I had with the book was that I felt that it was more targeted towards women, which isn’t really a problem, but that I was in the wrong audience. Overall, this small book helps the reader realize God’s presence in the everyday life, and that is a good thing.

In conclusion, I enjoyed these books. They all are pure and simple in their messages, and that’s that God loves us. These books would make great Christmas presents for the upcoming holidays, and you can purchase them by following the links in the paragraphs above, clicking on the covers, or by going to Amazon.

All three of these books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.