Saturday, October 1, 2016

One Small Donkey by Dandi Daley Mackall

Image Used with Permission via Book Look Bloggers

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Today is October 1st. I know it’s a little early for Christmas but BookLook Bloggers sent me One Small Donkey by Dandi Daley Mackall in exchange for my honest review. I read it with my in-home preschoolers. We learn about Jesus all year long so anytime is a good time to learn about His birth and the real reason for Christmas.

Image Credit: Abundant Family Living

One Small Donkey by Dandi Daley Mackall

Pictures are important for preschoolers. While I read with them, they love to look at the pages and imagine being there inside the story. The illustrations in One Small Donkey are colorful and appealing for children. The book is illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens.

The idea behind the story is to teach children that being the smallest, weakest, or different in any other number of ways doesn’t mean they cannot fulfill a very important purpose. God has a purpose for everyone. Everyone is important.

One Small Donkey is a rhyming book about a little donkey who compares himself to mighty stallions. One day, a shepherd calls on him to do a very important job. The shepherd’s wife, Mary, is pregnant and they must travel on a long journey. The small donkey must carry Mary to Bethlehem. Eventually, they make it to the city but there is no place for them to stay. Shortly after the small donkey and the young couple make their way to a stable, baby Jesus is born.

My preschoolers thought One Small Donkey was a cute story. As with many children’s Christmas stories, the authors take a few liberties at adding a few details. This particular story mentions snow. I wasn’t there then and I’ve never visited Bethlehem, but I doubt that it snows much, if ever, in the deserts of Israel. I opened up my Bible and reread the accounts of Jesus’ birth as told in Matthew and Luke. The minor details added by the author does not change the story of the birth of Jesus nor the meaning of it.

The author makes it clear that Jesus is the only Son of God, the Christ, born in a stable on that night in Bethlehem – and at the same time, makes the point that small people have a big purpose.

Little ones can do big things for God!