24 Stories for Advent

by Brigitte Weninger, Eve Tharlet (Illustrator)

Overview

Captivating short stories make each day of Advent a special treat and ones children will look forward to as they count down to Christmas.

When Christmas is just around the corner, anything is possible...four elves work busily in the forest, Mother Holly covers the earth with snow and the children are waiting for the Christ Child.

Brigitte Weninger accompanies us through the Advent season with 24 enchanting stories. A treasure for a very special time, beautifully illustrated by Eve Tharlet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735842298
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brigitte Weninger was born in Kufstein, Austria, and spent twenty years working as a kindergarten teacher before turning to writing full-time. She has since published more than sixty books, which have been translated into forty languages and received numerous awards. She continues to be heavily involved in promoting literacy, writing, and storytelling. She lives in Kufstein.

Eve Tharlet was born in France but spent much of her childhood in Germany. After graduating from the Superior School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France, she began working as a freelance illustrator in 1981 and quickly received international acclaim. Her big breakthrough came with the series about Davy, the cute and cheeky bunny, which propelled her name around the world.

Editorial Reviews

09/14/2015
The duo behind the Davy series presents a collection of stories to be read during Advent. Tales of dwarves, trolls, and animals mix with contemporary adventures, Santa-themed stories, and more; a family of gnomes reappears in a handful of stories. Only a few stories invoke the Christian aspects of Christmas, and even those are decidedly nontraditional. In the penultimate tale, animals help clean a stable for the Son of Heaven; when they later peer into the crib, “because each of them was thinking of his or her own children, the birds saw a chick, the deer saw a fawn... and the wolf saw a cub.” The stories span roughly three to four pages each, joined by graceful images from Tharlet, which capably emphasize the comical and poignant moments within. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2015
PreS-Gr 1—Weninger presents two dozen short stories, meant to be shared daily as a lead-up to Christmas. They are original selections, including several about two gnome children staying with their grandfather while awaiting the birth of some new siblings. They also include folktale retellings ("Mother Holly," "Three Little Christmas Pigs," "The Twelve Months"), and traditional holiday fare. Each four-to-six page selection includes Tharlet's lovely watercolor spot art, and many feature a full-page painting. Unfortunately, "The Real Baby Jesus," about an older child who doubts the existence of the Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny, is jarring and seems out of place for the intended audience. VERDICT While the majority of the narratives are pleasant and innocuous, they are not as compelling and satisfying as a cumulative tale.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal

School Library Journal