Merry Christmas!

I really, really loved The Pine Tree Parable.  I have to admit, though, that I had a hard time coming up with words to describe it in the concrete terms I usually prefer; it just tugs at the heartstrings.

The overall story communicates a theme of generosity.  The family that comprises the story’s main characters gives what is to them a precious, irreplaceable, gift.  This message of sacrificial giving comes through loud and clear.

Page by page, though, the story communicates little snippets of truth in other areas.  For instance, children are a blessing.  Everything grows in its proper season.  And so forth.

Each page has a related Scripture verse in the footer.  These Scripture quotations are from the International Children’s Version.  I would have preferred that they be from a more literal,  “grown up” translation, but I understand the desire to keep things clear for little ones to understand.  The book is a board book, so the target audience clearly starts quite young – in fact, the recommended audience is 1- to 5-year-olds.

It’s part of the best-selling Parable Series.  I’ve heard of these books before, but this is the first one I’ve actually had the pleasure of reading.  Over 1.4 million copies of Parable series books have been sold, so far!  Having read this one, I can see why.  I think this is destined to become a family Christmas favorite!

If you’d like to win your own copy, enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.  (It’s a bit late for Christmas this year, but you can tuck it away for next year.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Tommy Nelson provided a copy of The Pine Tree Parable to facilitate this review, as well as the giveaway prize.  As always, all opinions are entirely my own.