Advent - Part 2

I went ahead and purchased Destination: Bethlehem by Sharon Altman and Christine Winkelman.   Two boys, Isaac and Jediah, travel with their families in ancient Palestine.  As their journey unfolds, the boys find themselves at the heart of the Nativity Story and gradually realize the birth of the Messiah is at hand.  The book's 24 chapters are ideal for reading a chapter a day each day in December, leading up to Christmas.

The authors also have a blog that gives more information about the book, and it even has a couple of sample pages to read.   While the book (nor the blog) does not specifically states that it is Catholic in content, the bibliography lists several Catholic sources that were used for background information, and the book is being sold by many Catholic booksellers.

Also, in the front of the book is a list of small items that go with each section of the story that you could pre-purchase or find around the house.  For example, Day 1 lists a small candle to represent the Messiah, Day 2 is a shepherd statue to represent Zechariah, Day 3 is pistachios, an orange or a pear, Day 4 is an ornament for the Christmas tree, Day 5 a donkey statue from the nativity set, etc.  At the end of each chapter is a "Travel Guide to the Past" which gives a paragraph or two with facts about ancient Jewish life.

I am looking forward to reading this book this Advent with the kids.

(FYI:  This book resembles Jotham's Journey which we read last year and enjoyed very much.)