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If you ever feel the need to get some nice Christmas books for kids, check out the thrift store during the Christmas season.  Apparently kids’ Christmas books are a common item to get rid of.  The Legend of the Candy Cane was one of the books I found at Goodwill.  I had been wanting to check it out for a while, and there it was, waiting for me.

My kids really enjoyed the book when we snuggled on the couch to read it together.  A stranger comes to a small town, close to the turn of the century.  He buys an abandoned store and proceeds to start fixing it up.  All the townspeople speculate about what kind of shopkeeper he is, but nobody is brave enough to ask.  Eventually a little girl gets up the nerve to knock on his door and ask if he needs help.  He invites her in and asks if she will help him unpack the barrels and crates scattered around the room.  First they unpack glass jars and then–CANDY!!  The last type of candy to be unpacked is the candy cane, which the girl has never seen before.  The shopkeeper explains the symbolism behind the candy cane, and they proceed to share its message with all the other townspeople.

This book has really nice illustrations, it’s a manageable length, and it clearly shares the message about why we celebrate Christmas and what Christ did for us.

Rating: Thumbs-Up

Age: School-age +