The Jesse Tree | Geraldine McCaughrean | What a great advent book!

The Jesse Tree | Geraldine McCaughrean | A Great Tradition

books:

The Jesse Tree

	The Jesse Tree Geraldine McCaughrean Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2005 - 93 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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As Mr. Butterfield carves a Jesse Tree in an old dusty church, a curious young boy distracts him, asking about the various symbols on the tree. Against his better judgment, the old man finds himself retelling the familiar Biblical tales that trace the lineage of Christ, from the Garden of Eden to Jesus? birth. Under the carpenter?s skilled hands, the Jesse tree grows ? and an unlikely friendship begins to take root as well.

Geraldine McCaughrean?s fresh retellings of familiar Bible events and Bee Willey?s whimsical and striking illustrations create a rich and contemporary tale, perfect for reading during Advent or anytime.

The Jesse Tree will captivate readers who know and love the Bible stories as well as those who are reading them for the first time.

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What a great advent book!

This story brings so much to the holiday season. It makes a GREAT advent activity. If you begin the book on the first of December or even a day or two before, you will have gone through the Bible from the Old Testament until the birth of Jesus by the time Christmas Day arrives. There are also art activities available to do with each story presented in the book so that your child can make a Jesse Tree, too. It makes a great gift.

A Great Tradition

I purchased this book several years ago and we have used it every day during Advent since then. The underlying story line is nice but the best feature is that it presents the Old Testament stories leading up to their fulfillment in the New Testament in a very accessible and engaging manner for children. We use it in conjunction with an actual Jesse Tree and we hang an ornament that we have made ourselves after each daily story.

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Best advent book we have!

I have several childrens advent books sitting on my shelf, all unused because we were unmotivated to complete them. Not so with The Jesse Tree. The stories are so engaging that my four kids beg me to get started with the daily reading. Even I have to force myself to stop at one and not continue the entire story in one reading! The illustrations are nice too. This book will become an heirloom in our family because we have enjoyed it so much this season, and probably for many years to come.

Theologically Sound Yet Simple

"Much of a story? Much of a story? The Bible wasn't written to entertain you, you know!" So says Mr. Butterfield to a young boy who wanders into a church while Mr. Butterfield is at work carving a Jesse Tree in an old door.

A Jesse Tree is a tree carved with all sorts of symbolic carvings that tell the story of Christ. A ram is carved to represent Isaac and the sacrifice that was provided for Abraham to kill instead of his son Isaac.

A sheaf of corn is carved on the Jesse Tree to symbolize God's faithfulness to Ruth.

Finally at the top of the tree is a star- God's brightest star- Christ is born.

The old man tells the story of each carving represented in an insightful and theologically sound and at the same time simple manner.

This is a terrific read aloud book for bedtime reading. There are great illustrations on every page.

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