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| See The Perfect Christmas Pageant Details |
In mid-March I was in the local library looking for her audio work on the novel The Penny. Usually I don’t read fiction, but this was one that I thought I’d try anyway.
When I couldn’t find it I remembered that she had
branched out into children’s books. Ever
since my college children’s literature days I’ve been interested in books for kids.
I walked to the other side of the library and began my
quest for something from her children’s book selection. To tell you the truth I
could have plopped myself down right there, because the room is so relaxing,
colorful and full of big plump chairs.
It’s probably best I didn’t, with all the inviting furniture calling me
I might have fallen asleep.
It doesn’t have to be December for me to enjoy the season
any time of the year, so “The Perfect Christmas Pageant” was the book I
selected from her Everyday Zoo series. Let
me share it with you.
"The Perfect Christmas Pageant" by Joyce Meyer
pictures by Mary Sullivan
The overall size and appearance of the hardcover book is
appealing, with a yellow background boasting raised red and green bold
lettering on the cover. Upon opening, the inside cover has a map of the zoo and
with photos of the animals. Each picture has the character’s name making it
easy for the children to identify the cast throughout the book.
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| Hayley Hippo is excited. This is her big chance. |
The stage is set in this story with Harley and Hayley Hippo, Boyd Giraffe, Pouch Pelican, Midge and Pidge Ostrich.
The entire Bunny family, Arnold Pig, Miss Bimble Sheep and her nephew Baa-a-a-b and a few more animals complete the cast of characters.
The Everyday Zoo animals are excited about the yearly Christmas
pageant. Even more filled with glee is
Hayley Hippo who has been given charge as director. She would have to outdo the Bunny family who
directed the pageant last year and did an outstanding job at that. The work was cut out for Hayley, but she was
up to the challenge.
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| Everything is in order. |
Part of the responsibility in directing was casting the right people for each part.
The role of baby Jesus was critical so selection had to be perfect. Finally, Baa-a-a-b sheep, Miss Bimble’s nephew, was chosen.
After casting and set were complete it was time for dress
rehearsals. They were far from perfect
and Hayley was frustrated.
The angel was too loud, the shepherds got lost and Joseph kept forgetting his lines. The set was destroyed. What a disaster!
Quickly Hayley scurried around trying to fix every problem she could, but there were some things she just couldn’t control that changed the entire outcome of the pageant.
The angel was too loud, the shepherds got lost and Joseph kept forgetting his lines. The set was destroyed. What a disaster!
Quickly Hayley scurried around trying to fix every problem she could, but there were some things she just couldn’t control that changed the entire outcome of the pageant.
Children will love how Hayley’s friends come to the
rescue to make the play a “flying” success, even though the pageant turns out
less than perfect.
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| Photos Source: Favored1 |
Wise old Harley and Boyd step in with words of
encouragement showing Hayley that the night Jesus was born was perfect and
that’s what Christmas is about anyway.
Revising the props and set after the disaster, the play went
on as scheduled. Everyone had a good
time at the celebration. Hayley’s
perfect pageant didn’t work out the way she planned, but the message of Jesus
was perfect.
The visual aspect and use of characters was good with
easy to read large print, and the oversized reader makes it a good lap book for
story time sharing. Many of the story
scenes run full scale across both pages.
Although parts of the beginning I thought were a little
hard for pre-school ages, the book in general was easy to understand.
I really liked the full range of the color scale from
bold to pastel.
This would be a good book to add to any library. However, I don’t think it will become a
classic based on its over-used similar title from other authors.
The back inside cover includes passages of scripture from
the New International (Biblica version) of the Bible sharing the birth of
Christ.
Take a quick look at the video trailers:
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| Photo Source: Favored1 |
Take a quick look at the video trailers:
The Perfect Christmas Pageant by Joyce Meyer (Official
Trailer)
The Perfect Christmas Pageant - by: Joyce Meyer The Perfect Christmas Pageant
My Book Review Rating:★★★★
A 40 page large approximate 10 ¼ x10 ¼ hardback in full color.
Appropriate ages between 4-7. English language version.
The eBook version was released on April 7th, 2015.
Publisher: Zonderkidz 2013 for the Everyday Zoo Series
“Every Which Way to Pray", “Field of Peace" and “Wonderfully Made”
Some are available in Spanish and eBook format.
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from Favored1. Do not copy.
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Scripture reference if used taken from the New King
James Bible Version provided by Gateway Bible.
Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
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Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief. Review is that of site author Favored1 and may not necessarily be that of the book author.
