Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas

The book teaches you that you work with the stuff you have during Christmas time, and it's not the amount of money you have that is important, but the spirit behind the gift giving. In Hmong culture, a boiled egg is a major gift, meaning new spiritual life for the New Year. We could all learn a valuable lesson from the Hmong. What you have is not important compared to the kind of person you are and your own spiritual wealth. My son Ryan read this for a special Christmas program on WFDL radio. It taught him a valuable lesson about what it means to be human. Ryan helped me with this review. Jeffrey McAndrew author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

I recieved this book several years ago from a book editor friend who said her daughter loved the book. I read it to my twin boys that were 3 years old at the time. They enjoyed the book because of the pretty illustrations and rhyming. We read it every year and they still love it (they are 7 now) It is so special and helps you and your children to realign yourself to what is really important about Christmas. Highly recommend this one for your christmas collection.

David Mcphails wonderful illustrations touch off a tender and amusing story of a Christmas lost and found. When the pigs realize they have no money or 'in-coming pay' they are 'despondent'. The book uses words that increase a childs vocabulary while conveying REAL EMOTION. Angel Pig puts them on a path of discovery as they make gifts with things they found in the house - fabric, paint, clay, boxes etc. and they realize how special it is to give from the heart instead of the wallet. Precious and timely.

This warm Christmas tale was conceived when illustrator David McPhail drew a Christmas card one year of a dear little pig with wings and an over-sized gown. A friend told him to write about her, so he turned to author Jan Waldron, who was further inspired by fond memories of the creative holidays of her childhood.The collaboration gives birth to the story of the Pig family, who are scurrying around the day before Christmas preparing a long wish list as they head out to do their Christmas shopping. But when they discover that the wallet is empty, their dreams of the "Big Day" are crushed: "The pigs were despondent, some started to bawl. Now we can't go to the outlets and mall To buy jeans and sneakers with fancy brand names, and TVs and CDs and video games."Enter the Angel Pig, who teaches the greedy family the true spirit of Christmas in rollicking porcine rhyme. The watercolor pictures, from the cutaway of the snug pig house opposite the title page to the angel's triumphant departure, will delight children of all ages.

My children (ages 3 and 5) love this book. The rhyming verse makes it easy to read and the pictures are very colorful and rich with detail. The message in the story is simple enough even for their young minds to understand - we don't have to buy things in order to have a merry Christmas. Instead it comes from doing things together.