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The Christmas Story: Through the Eyes of the Friendly Beasts
I picked this one up for 10 cents at the local St. Vincent de Paul before the Christmas season began. It was 10 cents well spent, that's for sure. Max wanted to listen to it every time we were in the car. He only knew one song, Away in the Manger, at the beginning of the month, and now he can sing along to many of these:
| 1. | We Three Kings | |
| 2. | O Come, Little Children | |
| 3. | Away in a Manger | |
| 4. | Friendly Beasts | |
| 5. | Silent Night! Holy Night! | |
| 6. | First Noel | |
| 7. | Hark! the Herald Angels Sing | |
| 8. | O Come, All Ye Faithful | |
| 9. | Good Christian Men, Rejoice | |
| 10. | Joy to the World |
He especially likes Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, O Come, All Ye Faithful, and Friendly Beasts. All of the lyrics are very clear and understandable which makes them easier to learn. The tape is organized "chronologically" with scripture sandwiching the music. Each song moves the story along a little bit further. The focus here is how the animals of the story - the sheep, camels, cows, and donkeys - reacted to what was happening to the Holy Family. These are a bit softened and anthropomorphized but children should like this angle. Though this is a children's tape, sung and narrated by children, I as a mom didn't get too tired of it, even after many, many repetitions. My favorite song wound up being O Come, Little Children. I'd never heard it before, but I thought worked really well with a girl soloist. Pretty.
Overall this is an excellent introduction to the Christmas Story for young children. It facilitates easy learning of both the songs and the scripture of this holy season. Two thumbs up from me.