A Fabulous way to celebrate Advent!

If you are looking for a fun way to celebrate the Advent season with your family without the hustle and bustle, these books are a wonderful way to do that!

Let the adventure begin by reading a chapter of the story each day during the Advent season!

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A friend of ours introduced the books to our family a few years ago.  Our children loved them and still do.   If you are interested in lighting candles, the author lets you know when to light candles during the Advent season. (in case you are like us as we were unfamiliar with how that process works).  It also has a guide in the back to let you know when to start reading.   If you get a day behind during the season, it is okay.  We did!  That is life.  We would just double the adventure the next day.

Sometimes we would read the chapter at night next to the fireplace or with candles lit. We have even used fake candles and would have the kids take turns turning them on each night.  Other nights we would cuddle on the bed together and listen to the exciting adventure.  There are also times we would sit by the lit up Christmas tree.  Your family might want to read a chapter after dinner.  Do what works best for you and start your own family traditions.

While reading the stories, it is wonderful to see the children enjoy the characters develop and watch the adventure unfold.  They will connect the dots between the different characters and the stories in the books.  The author did a great job with this.   He also leaves a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter so you can’t wait to read the next chapter to find out what happens. Even if you don’t have children, it is a great read during the Christmas season with a cup of tea or hot chocolate!

There are four books out now, although you only need one for the season.  We have all four and love to share the others that we aren’t using that particular year.

They were published in the following order if you like to read things in order.  I have a daughter and son who insists on doing things in order.  It is not necessary for these books. Click on the links below to order.

Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent
By Arnold Ytreeide / Kregel Kidzone

Over and over Jotham screamed for his family, but there was no one to hear him. They had vanished. He was alone. Where had they gone? How long ago had they left? Through quick, stabbing sobs Jotham told himself, “I must look for my family, I must search until I find them.” And so his journey begins. In this widely popular, exciting story for the Advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Bartholomew’s Passage: A Family Story for Advent
By Arnold Ytreeide / Kregel KidzoneBartholomew’s Passage is an engaging story that guides families through the Advent season. Young Bartholomew’s adventures start when Roman soldiers destroy his village and disperse his family, continue through his enslavement to a tyrannical master and his escape with his new friend Nathan, and end with a reunion with his family in Bethlehem. Along the way Bartholomew makes a new friend, a young boy named Jotham! Paperback.

Tabitha’s Travels
By Arnold Ytreeide / Kregel PublicationsThe perfect family devotional for Advent! Tabitha and her family must travel to Bethlehem for the census. When her father is imprisoned by the Romans, she stays with Zechariah and Elizabeth, meets Jotham and Bartholomew, and helps prepare for Jesus’ birth. Includes end-of-chapter reflections.:

Ishtar’s Odyssey: A Storybook for Advent
By Arnold Ytreeide / Kregel PublicationsA new Advent family devotional from the author of Jotham’s Journey! Fourth in a set of Advent adventure books for families, Ishtar’s Odyssey follows the ten-year-old son of a Persian wise man as their caravan follows a star across the desert. Ishtar would just as soon stay in the comfort of the palace, but slowly he learns that there’s much to see, do, and learn in this world that can’t be experienced in school. He eventually meets Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha as he follows his father and uncles in their search for a newborn king. Recommended for ages 8 years and older; wonderful for family devotional use.

Take the time to slow down and enjoy reading with your children during the Christmas season with one of these books or buy more than one and give them as gifts for other families to use next year.  The adventures you will share and the time you spend with your children will be memories they will cherish.

Have a Merry Christmas and Blessings,

Cheryl Bippus

P.S. For those who like to plan ahead,  there is also a story to read during the season of lent for Easter.

Amon’s Adventure: A Family Story for Easter
By Arnold Ytreeide / Kregel PublicationsWhen Jotham is accused of a terrible crime, his 13-year-old son, Amon, races to save him. Along the way Amon joins the crowds on Palm Sunday, outwits Roman soldiers who plan to kill his father and Jesus, witnesses Judas’s betrayal, and beholds Christ’s crucifixion. End-of-chapter meditations make this ideal for family Lenten devotions. 208 pages, softcover from Kregel.

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