Reading Aloud During Advent

Looking for inexpensive Christmas traditions to start this year? Here's one idea...

The availability of children's Christmas books is astounding. As the season approaches, I'll be posting some that you can easily check out from the library. But there is one that you'll probably need to purchase, albeit very inexpensively.

Jotham's Journey is a "storybook for Advent" that was first published in 1997 and was out-of-print until recently. It is a fast-paced, adventurous tale of a 10-year-old boy, Jotham, that becomes separated from his family during the year that Jesus is born. During his search to find them he encounters "thieves, robbers, and kidnappers." (This is NOT a book for the very young!) The author very skillfully stops the story in the middle of intense action each night, leaving kids begging for more.

Each night of Advent, a portion of the story is read along with a very short devotional. Suggestions are included for making an Advent wreath and lighting candles for each night of storytelling.

Unless you can time it perfectly at your local library, it's necessary to own the book because it is read every night throughout the Advent season. The title is newly back-in-print and is an inexpensive Advent purchase.

If you do a little research, you'll find that Jotham is followed by two other related titles--Tabitha's Travels and Bartholomew's Passage--each designed to be read during subsequent Advent seasons. They are currently out-of-print and very expensive. Both books are scheduled for re-release in the Summer/Fall of 2009. If you don't own one, they will soon be available at minimal cost. If you do own one, now's a good time to sell them!