In The King’s Christmas List by Eldon Johnson and Illustrated by Bonnie Leick, little Emma goes through a journey to understand the meaning of Christmas. The overall message is about the true meaning behind Christmas. Emma begins to understand that Christmas is not all about gifts, but the idea of giving to others is a way to give to God. The message is delivered when Emma and her dog start a journey to the King’s party. Along the way she finds people in need and helps them, which results in her attending the party without a gift.
I found this to be a wonderful message for children that are reaching the age of understanding the true meaning of the holiday season. It offers great opportunities to discuss with your child the main points in the story. The book has some giving opportunities listed at the end of the book as well. I found that this book really started some great discussions with my 4 year old.
I would like to take a moment to discuss to illustrations in the book – WOW! They were great a fit with the story and characters as well. I really think the essence os the book was captured in the artwork. My 4 year old even commented on how certain things were illustrated in the book.
