The Gift Giver

On Christmas Eve a boy stirs from sleep to find an old man, in the living room, dressed in red with a bag full of gifts. Excitement soon gives way to disappointment as he finds he has received fewer gifts than expected. The old man sees the young boy's protest and tells the story of his origins and his motives. As the boy becomes privy to this mystery, a question comes to his mind: is it by magic that the old man accomplishes his task, or is it something else... The lesson he learns will change the way he views Christmas forever!

What I Like: The Gift Giver, by Jacob Haslem and Nick Allen, tells of Santa's humble beginnings and how he came to become Santa. It is centered around his love for Jesus and following God's will for his life to bless the less fortunate. The illustrations, by Elissa Weaver, are lovely and so life like.

What I Dislike: While the book does credit Jesus as the reason for the season, the story still leads a reader to believe that Santa exists in a supernatural way. In the story he explains how he has lived through centuries and will continue to do so until God says otherwise. His sack of toys that contained the gifts he handmade continued to refill itself (like the bread and the fish that fed the masses) and time was suspended while he delivered those gifts. The mix of the story of St. Nicholas, The Nativity Story and the modern tales of Santa Claus is sure to confuse my children between what is biblical, historically accurate and myth.

The price for a hardcover copy is extravagant at $23.95. The outside cover is very dark.

Overall Rating: Ho-Hum

Age Appeal: 4-8 yrs

Publisher Info: CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2015; ISBN: 978-1515273110; Hardcover, 40 pgs., $23.95

Buy it at Amazon.com for $23.95