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If He Had Not Come: An Updated Version of Nan WeeksÂ’ Classic Story by Nicholson, David (May 16, 2014) Hardcover
"A captivating tale with timeless impact of a young lad who discovers what his world would be like if Jesus had never been born. This unimaginable notion will surely generate thought-provoking discussions, whether at the kitchen table, before bedtime, in the car or classroom."
Unknown Binding
First published April 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 14, 2017
If He Had Not Come is a great little book. At only 36 pages long, this book explores a world in which Christ hasn’t redeemed.
How would our world be without His influence and redemption?
In this book, a young boy wakes up on Christmas morning to discover that Christ had not come. No Christmas, no goodwill, and no churches.
My children enjoyed this book, though they were confused by a few things. Some of those things included: five-and-dime stores and children’s homes. While children’s homes still exist—you don’t often see a gated, foreboding home meant for them.
I appreciated that a plan of salvation was presented in the back of the book. It gave this short story a little more substance.
The illustrations were not my favorite but the children didn’t seem to mind them.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.
This review was originally posted to A Simply Enchanted Life
How would our world be without His influence and redemption?
In this book, a young boy wakes up on Christmas morning to discover that Christ had not come. No Christmas, no goodwill, and no churches.
My children enjoyed this book, though they were confused by a few things. Some of those things included: five-and-dime stores and children’s homes. While children’s homes still exist—you don’t often see a gated, foreboding home meant for them.
I appreciated that a plan of salvation was presented in the back of the book. It gave this short story a little more substance.
The illustrations were not my favorite but the children didn’t seem to mind them.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by BookLook Bloggers. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.
This review was originally posted to A Simply Enchanted Life
October 19, 2016
Review: If He Had Not Come If He had not come is the really good short story. It has a really meaning for Christmas. What would our world be like “If He Had Not Come”? This show you though a boy named Bobby as he experienced this.
What if Jesus was not born? Would we have the world we have now? We can draw anything from the words “If I hadn't come”. Would we still be celebrating Christmas or the birth of Jesus?
If I hadn't come and spoken to them, they wouldn't have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.
This book is good for children and their parents. It good for bedtime. I would even say it even good for the holiday season and around Jesus birth. If you like a good mean full book this one is good for that.
What if Jesus was not born? Would we have the world we have now? We can draw anything from the words “If I hadn't come”. Would we still be celebrating Christmas or the birth of Jesus?
If I hadn't come and spoken to them, they wouldn't have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.
This book is good for children and their parents. It good for bedtime. I would even say it even good for the holiday season and around Jesus birth. If you like a good mean full book this one is good for that.
July 20, 2018
This is an amazing book! Especially around Christmas! This is one of our family favorite Christmas stories that we will read year after year. It's a tradition now for us.
This book gives the question what would happen if Jesus hadn't come? And there are some amazing discussion questions to explore that more.
It is a great book to read as a family, to read in church to a Sunday school class, etc. The message is fantastic, the story flows so well.
A little boy is getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to the presents he hopes to get. He reads the bible before bed with his father, and goes to bed thinking of what they read. Then he wakes up and there is no Christmas, there are no places to help people in need, and there are rude people all around. He is so lost in this new world and cannot understand what happened?
This story shows so many great points about Christmas and Jesus, and the NEED for Jesus. A few great points are that Christmas isn't just about presents, what would happen to our world if there was no Jesus and no forgiveness for our sins? It really got my children thinking on this, and thinking how the entire world would be if things were changed like this. This story captured their attention and had them asking all sorts of questions throughout. They didn't once lose interest, and fully enjoyed this story. I highly recommend it to families, and to put it on your Christmas book list.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a BookLook blogger in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
This book gives the question what would happen if Jesus hadn't come? And there are some amazing discussion questions to explore that more.
It is a great book to read as a family, to read in church to a Sunday school class, etc. The message is fantastic, the story flows so well.
A little boy is getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to the presents he hopes to get. He reads the bible before bed with his father, and goes to bed thinking of what they read. Then he wakes up and there is no Christmas, there are no places to help people in need, and there are rude people all around. He is so lost in this new world and cannot understand what happened?
This story shows so many great points about Christmas and Jesus, and the NEED for Jesus. A few great points are that Christmas isn't just about presents, what would happen to our world if there was no Jesus and no forgiveness for our sins? It really got my children thinking on this, and thinking how the entire world would be if things were changed like this. This story captured their attention and had them asking all sorts of questions throughout. They didn't once lose interest, and fully enjoyed this story. I highly recommend it to families, and to put it on your Christmas book list.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a BookLook blogger in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
June 1, 2024
I was anticipating that my youngest son, J, would enjoy reading this book with me. I also anticipated having older boys be the readers so they might have a seed planted during the process which had them thinking about things. It isn't that they are super materialistic individuals who have no concern for others. Rather, I know how easy it is for even myself to be sucked into the commercialism of the season and find myself exhausted come Christmas Day rather than full of awe and wonder as we worship at church and celebrate the truly incredible gift God gave each of us with the birth of Christ.
Because life has been crazy for my older boys, I have not had them sit with J to read. He is just under the target age range of 6 and up for this book, but I suspected he'd enjoy it. Instead, we've had some awesome Mommy and J book reading snuggle time while his older brothers do their schoolwork. We enjoyed the gentle way this story is told and the illustrations really fit well with the words written.
We've had some interesting discussions after reading through If He Had Not Come. Beyond talking about how the world would be different if our Lord and Savior had not already come, we've also talked about how each of us is unique and can have an impact on the world that we might not even realize. J agreed that if he had not been born, then I'd have no one to give me kisses while sitting on my lap and telling me how beautiful I am. For me, that talk alone was priceless.
Because life has been crazy for my older boys, I have not had them sit with J to read. He is just under the target age range of 6 and up for this book, but I suspected he'd enjoy it. Instead, we've had some awesome Mommy and J book reading snuggle time while his older brothers do their schoolwork. We enjoyed the gentle way this story is told and the illustrations really fit well with the words written.
We've had some interesting discussions after reading through If He Had Not Come. Beyond talking about how the world would be different if our Lord and Savior had not already come, we've also talked about how each of us is unique and can have an impact on the world that we might not even realize. J agreed that if he had not been born, then I'd have no one to give me kisses while sitting on my lap and telling me how beautiful I am. For me, that talk alone was priceless.
April 22, 2015
I was provided a complimentary book by the publisher through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.
If He Had Not Come by: Nan F. Weeks and David Nicholson, and Illustrated by: Charles Jaskiewicz is sure to become a classic story in your home. The story is originally by Nan F. Weeks, but upon hearing this story in a Sunday school class, David Nicholson has updated it so that the story could be brought to life to many who may have never heard it. He did this by finding an illustrator to capture the beautiful story, includes topics after the story for a family or church discussion, and also a deeper Christian message with the aid of Pastor Josh Mulvihill.
The story takes place in the 1930's and you are introduced to young Bobby on Christmas Eve night. His father and him read the Bible together including John 15:22, and he has the words, "If Had Not Come" (referring to if Jesus had not come) as the last thought in his head. In a dream, he "awakes" the next morning expecting a normal Christmas with a tree, presents, stores closed and family gathering together for a church service. Instead, he is met with no tree, gifts, or decorations so he goes out to investigate. He finds stores open on Christmas Day, people busy and angry, and no clue of what the word Christmas is. He then finds a person who needs helps and discovers there is no where to help this person. No hospitals, churches or shelters. Just the words "If He Had Not Come" in the place of where the building should have been in town.
It is a scary thought to young Bobby that no one knows what Christmas is or who Christ is. He is presented with the thought that because of this, there is no solution to find help, and in essence no hope. Thankfully, he truly awakes to find Christmas the way it should be. With family, and honoring the birth of Christ, our Savior.
I enjoyed the fact that this story took place in the 1930's. I love hearing about the history and the ways things may have been. The gorgeous illustrations do jump the story to life right off the pages. If He Had Not Come carries a strong Christian message. It would be a great reference for a new Christian or even to be told to an unbelieving person. It is a children's book but many of the discussions are meant for slightly older children but this is a book that can be embraced by the whole family. Even though it takes place around Christmas, I don't see why this book couldn't be read at anytime during the year.
This review posted on my site on April 14, 2015 at: http://raisingsamuels.blogspot.com/20...
If He Had Not Come by: Nan F. Weeks and David Nicholson, and Illustrated by: Charles Jaskiewicz is sure to become a classic story in your home. The story is originally by Nan F. Weeks, but upon hearing this story in a Sunday school class, David Nicholson has updated it so that the story could be brought to life to many who may have never heard it. He did this by finding an illustrator to capture the beautiful story, includes topics after the story for a family or church discussion, and also a deeper Christian message with the aid of Pastor Josh Mulvihill.
The story takes place in the 1930's and you are introduced to young Bobby on Christmas Eve night. His father and him read the Bible together including John 15:22, and he has the words, "If Had Not Come" (referring to if Jesus had not come) as the last thought in his head. In a dream, he "awakes" the next morning expecting a normal Christmas with a tree, presents, stores closed and family gathering together for a church service. Instead, he is met with no tree, gifts, or decorations so he goes out to investigate. He finds stores open on Christmas Day, people busy and angry, and no clue of what the word Christmas is. He then finds a person who needs helps and discovers there is no where to help this person. No hospitals, churches or shelters. Just the words "If He Had Not Come" in the place of where the building should have been in town.
It is a scary thought to young Bobby that no one knows what Christmas is or who Christ is. He is presented with the thought that because of this, there is no solution to find help, and in essence no hope. Thankfully, he truly awakes to find Christmas the way it should be. With family, and honoring the birth of Christ, our Savior.
I enjoyed the fact that this story took place in the 1930's. I love hearing about the history and the ways things may have been. The gorgeous illustrations do jump the story to life right off the pages. If He Had Not Come carries a strong Christian message. It would be a great reference for a new Christian or even to be told to an unbelieving person. It is a children's book but many of the discussions are meant for slightly older children but this is a book that can be embraced by the whole family. Even though it takes place around Christmas, I don't see why this book couldn't be read at anytime during the year.
This review posted on my site on April 14, 2015 at: http://raisingsamuels.blogspot.com/20...
December 16, 2023
Accurate. Important. Memorable. These are three words that describe this very short book.
Though it is certainly different, if you’re familiar with the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” then you can understand the theme of this book. A young boy wakes up on Christmas morning to find out that Jesus never came to our world. Ever!
Can you imagine?!
This author helps you try to imagine that. Noting that it is meant to be read to children, I still think it’s somewhat lacking in depth. It’s such a quick story that perhaps if it had been longer, it would have felt like a stronger book. However, there are great pages at the end filled with discussion questions to help families or teachers go deeper. The reader, parent or leader is then able to go into as much depth as the group’s ages allow.
As far as one can say a fiction story is “Biblical,” I do believe it’s accurate – this seems like a decent vision of how the world would be if Jesus had never come. Also, it’s an important thing to think about, particularly for children or new Christ-followers. The thought surely helps put things into perspective. Lastly, the first time I read it was weeks before I read it again but I thought about it fairly often. It’s memorable and thought-provoking, to say the least.
This book was originally published in an anthology in the 1930s, which explains the lovely decade-related artwork that accompanies the book. The pictures make it even more helpful when reading to young children.
It is meant to be read aloud at Christmastime, but Jesus is our King every day of the year, so I wouldn’t put a tight limit on it! However, this could be the beginning of a wonderful new family tradition in December…
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Though it is certainly different, if you’re familiar with the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” then you can understand the theme of this book. A young boy wakes up on Christmas morning to find out that Jesus never came to our world. Ever!
Can you imagine?!
This author helps you try to imagine that. Noting that it is meant to be read to children, I still think it’s somewhat lacking in depth. It’s such a quick story that perhaps if it had been longer, it would have felt like a stronger book. However, there are great pages at the end filled with discussion questions to help families or teachers go deeper. The reader, parent or leader is then able to go into as much depth as the group’s ages allow.
As far as one can say a fiction story is “Biblical,” I do believe it’s accurate – this seems like a decent vision of how the world would be if Jesus had never come. Also, it’s an important thing to think about, particularly for children or new Christ-followers. The thought surely helps put things into perspective. Lastly, the first time I read it was weeks before I read it again but I thought about it fairly often. It’s memorable and thought-provoking, to say the least.
This book was originally published in an anthology in the 1930s, which explains the lovely decade-related artwork that accompanies the book. The pictures make it even more helpful when reading to young children.
It is meant to be read aloud at Christmastime, but Jesus is our King every day of the year, so I wouldn’t put a tight limit on it! However, this could be the beginning of a wonderful new family tradition in December…
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
July 9, 2015
This story takes place in the 1930s where a boy goes to bed thinking about the idea of what if Jesus had never come, then goes on to dream about the possibilities. It is eye-opening and a conversation starter for sure.
Overall, I just wasn't impressed by the illustrations or the way the story was told. This review was originally posted on www.CreativeMadnessMama.com
Overall, I just wasn't impressed by the illustrations or the way the story was told. This review was originally posted on www.CreativeMadnessMama.com
December 22, 2016
GREAT BOOK!!! Presents salvation in Christ using Scripture. Book includes Study Questions at end; also a "Going Deeper" section by Josh Mulvihill. These are all very good. There is also an invitation to salvation at the end, titled "The Gospel Message". -- ABC -- Admit you are a sinner... Believe in your heart that Jesus is Savior. ... Confess with your mouth and receive God's gift of salvation. Then, "An Idea to Help You Celebrate Christmas..."
December 10, 2014
A Christmas Must-Read
A wonderful read-aloud for families at Christmas time. One boy dreams about what life would be like if Jesus hadn't come. Also includes discussion questions to explore topic further.
A wonderful read-aloud for families at Christmas time. One boy dreams about what life would be like if Jesus hadn't come. Also includes discussion questions to explore topic further.
April 15, 2016
Loved it
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews