Sophia Institute Press Christmas Book Set, 3 Books

Description

This 3-book set focuses on the Christmas holiday, the birth of Jesus, and stories surrounding the season. This set includes:

Grumpy Old Ox
This children’s Christmas book by bestselling author Anthony DeStefano tells the story of a mean-spirited, prideful old ox who has lost his sight — both physically and spiritually — but who nevertheless experiences the transformative power of God’s grace after he is present at the birth of Jesus Christ in a humble stable in Bethlehem. Illustrated by New York Times best-selling artist Richard Cowdrey, this new holiday book teaches children the true meaning of Christmas while explaining the central message of Christianity: that faith in Jesus leads us to resurrection and new life. Moreover, it shows the profound connection between spiritual pride and blindness. Like the main character in Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, this Scrooge of an ox is a slave to his own anger and crippled by his own coldness. He seems destined to live out his days frustrated, unhappy and alone—until he makes a life-altering decision of faith that brings him the miraculous gift of healing and joy. This uplifting, inspiring book will delight all Christians, though Catholics especially will appreciate its powerful Eucharistic message. Connecting the manger in the stable, from which the ox eats his food, to birth of the Son of God, the story shows that Jesus is the Bread of Life; that he came into the world to feed the hungry, to restore sight to the blind, and to set free those who are captive to sin.

Spider Who Saved Christmas
The Spider Who Saved Christmas tells the tale of what happened to the Holy Family on their way to Egypt after receiving the message of the angel. When Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are in danger of being discovered and harmed by Herod’s murderous soldiers, a cave-dwelling spider named Nephila risks her and her children’s safety to help her hallowed visitors. Majestically illustrated by artist Randy Gallegos, EWTN host Raymond Arroyo’s moving story sheds new light on a family of Golden Silk Orb Weavers, whose silk is considered the most precious of all and is displayed at Christmastime in the sparkling tinsel that glints from evergreen trees the world over. After reading this book, you’ll always remember Nephila in the twinkling tinsel. Though small and feared, she met divinity and reflected His light as only she could. Like each of us … she was there for a reason.

First Christmas
Lovingly illustrated by celebrated artist Frank Fraser, Thomas D. Williams’s magnificent poem First Christmas tells of the monumental event that Christians have celebrated for more than two thousand years: the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem. Replete with glorious angels, joyful shepherds, indifferent townspeople, humble kings, delightful donkeys, cattle, sheep, and, of course, Joseph, Mary, and the adorable baby Jesus, these sublime pages leave Santa Claus behind and bring to vivid life the tender, moving, true story of Christmas. If you love the classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” you’ll treasure First Christmas and place it at the center of your family’s annual Christmas celebrations.