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Great story about trusting yourself and overcoming obstacles based on Christmas Night. Not religious despite of referencing to Jesus birth.
“On a night long ago, on the first night a bright star shone in the dark sky, the smallest of camels was born in a stable far, far east of Bethlehem.”
And so begins our Christmas tale, in which the unlikeliest of heroes joins the pilgrimage of the Three Kings to Bethlehem. BEARING GIFTS follows Astor the camel’s adventures as he faces the perils of that long journey, carrying to Bethlehem the precious treasures to honor the Christ Child.
Amid his trials and challenges, Astor finds within himself his own precious gifts—strength to bear his burdens, courage to face his fears, and a heart full of light and love.
In the tradition of other Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy, BEARING GIFTS is an adventure story for children of all ages, to be treasured alongside your family’s other favorite holiday tales.
This is a beautiful Christmas tale about finding our gifts, overcoming challenges and believing ourselves. Despite the references to Jesus birth night and the pilgrimage of the Three Kings to Bethlehem, it's not a religious book and can be shared with children to celebrate the holidays and/or to talk about inner power and trusting our own unique gifts.
Astor the camel was born too small and weak to survive. But his mom, Faya, trust her instincts that her baby will grow and find his strength. Although being slower, weaker and smaller, the he is chosen to be among the camels to go to Bethlehem carrying gifts to a very special child.
Our hero faces bandits, a huge storm and got lost in the desert. Nothing stopped him from protecting the gifts and find his way to the caravan. When he meets the child born he immediately feels something special. He offers his blanket to warm the boy and his parents accept with joy. And that's not the end of the story. He still will do more.
The book is very well written. Language is simple yet engaging and the references are clear but not too religious to exclude readers from other religions and/or that don't celebrate Christmas. The scenarios descriptions and dialogues makes the reader feel inside the story and the more you read the more you want to keep going.
Illustrations are warm, colourful and tender. It allow us to relate even more with the story and its characters. Individually they could be hang in a wall. They complement the words perfectly.
It is a really great gift option for this Holiday season, or even to add to your children library to discuss how important it is t find our strength, courage and own gifts to share with our communities and with the world.
I’m a mother, teacher and book lover/advocate. My goal with the Book Bug platform is to increase interest in reading, especially picture books, and assist parents and teachers. Also to provide resources, story telling, book reviews and advice. Above all, I want to connect our bookworm community.
“On a night long ago, on the first night a bright star shone in the dark sky, the smallest of camels was born in a stable far, far east of Bethlehem.”
And so begins our Christmas tale, in which the unlikeliest of heroes joins the pilgrimage of the Three Kings to Bethlehem. BEARING GIFTS follows Astor the camel’s adventures as he faces the perils of that long journey, carrying to Bethlehem the precious treasures to honor the Christ Child.
Amid his trials and challenges, Astor finds within himself his own precious gifts—strength to bear his burdens, courage to face his fears, and a heart full of light and love.
In the tradition of other Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy, BEARING GIFTS is an adventure story for children of all ages, to be treasured alongside your family’s other favorite holiday tales.
Steve Arensberg writes stories to cultivate a sense of wonder (for the reader and himself), and he hopes that's what you find within the pages of his books. Steve grew up in Michigan, and now lives in San Antonio, Texas. BEARING GIFTS is his first book for children (of all ages). view profile
Published on April 11, 2020
3000 words
Genre: Picture Books
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