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All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings
Open a window each day of Advent onto the natural world. Here are twenty-five fresh images of the foundational truth that lies beneath and within the Christ story. In twenty-five portraits depicting how wild animals of the northern hemisphere ingeniously adapt when darkness and cold descend, we see and hear as if for the first time the ancient wisdom of Advent: The dark is not an end but the way a new beginning comes.
Short, daily reflections that paint vivid, poetic images of familiar animals, paired with charming original wood-cuts, will engage both children and adults. Anyone who does not want to be caught, again, in the consumer hype of “the holiday season” but rather to be taken up into the eternal truth the natural world reveals will welcome this book.
Short, daily reflections that paint vivid, poetic images of familiar animals, paired with charming original wood-cuts, will engage both children and adults. Anyone who does not want to be caught, again, in the consumer hype of “the holiday season” but rather to be taken up into the eternal truth the natural world reveals will welcome this book.
112 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2016
155 people are currently reading
1170 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Boss
7 books28 followersGayle Boss writes from West Michigan, where she was born and raised. Her lifelong love of animals and her immersion in spiritual texts and practices have melded in writing that explores how relationships with animals specifically, and an attentive presence in the natural world generally, restore us to our deepest selves. Also the mother of two grown sons, Gayle shares her home with her husband and Welsh corgi rescue.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
November 30, 2017
Though we Quakers normally eschew recognizing "holy-days," believing as we do, that no day is more holy than any other, I must confess that Advent is my favorite of the liturgical seasons. I love the poetry, songs, art, and anticipation of this special time -- the hope that it embodies.
Still, as a Friend, I remain fully rooted in the sacramental potential that each day's quotidian activities afford. Hence the title of my blog -- "Holy Ordinary." So I was delighted to receive a copy of All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings.
In this delightful book by Gayle Boss (illustrated by David G. Klein) the wonder of advent is unveiled in a fresh way through the most natural life of this world -- that of God's humblest creatures. Boss takes us into the very heart of humble words of Romans 8:22 that "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." We humans far too often make Christian faith all about us -- seeing ourselves as the pinnacle of life on earth. Boss's book reminds that we are a part of the "whole creation" and that advent is a "mystery of new beginnings."
Instead of wise men, shepherds, or even sanitized sheep of most congregational Christmastime crèches, we are invited into the world of chipmunks, raccoons, wild turkeys, lake trout, and even snakes (who often get little respect from Christians who have a memory of a certain serpent in Eden). Boss opens her introduction with a quote from Meister Eckhart:
Every single creature is full of God
and is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature–
even a caterpillar–
I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God
is every creature.
She then takes us into worlds of burrowy, hibernating, downy anticipation of new creation. Her short meditations reveal the peace and grace of the wild things that are as surely a part of God's creation as are we. Boss presents us with stories of hope amidst the animals' realities of cold, predators, and privation of the season. Realities that many of us, wrapped in a warm houses filled with food and family, forget. Our biggest discomforts rarely amount to first world inconveniences. Yet, much of the world identifies with realities faced by our animal friends. We would do well to do so, as well. They remind us that many of us live in a consumer society that has us dangling a hair's breadth from economic disaster -- and that death and despair can stalk even we comfortable middle class Americans. And yet, there is still a hope that is eternal. Advent and Boss's meditations remind us of that.
Wendell Berry once wrote:
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
All Creation Waits takes us into the peace -- and grace and hope -- of wild things and the mystery and blessing of Advent. You'll want to get a copy for you, your family, and others you love.
Still, as a Friend, I remain fully rooted in the sacramental potential that each day's quotidian activities afford. Hence the title of my blog -- "Holy Ordinary." So I was delighted to receive a copy of All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings.
In this delightful book by Gayle Boss (illustrated by David G. Klein) the wonder of advent is unveiled in a fresh way through the most natural life of this world -- that of God's humblest creatures. Boss takes us into the very heart of humble words of Romans 8:22 that "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." We humans far too often make Christian faith all about us -- seeing ourselves as the pinnacle of life on earth. Boss's book reminds that we are a part of the "whole creation" and that advent is a "mystery of new beginnings."
Instead of wise men, shepherds, or even sanitized sheep of most congregational Christmastime crèches, we are invited into the world of chipmunks, raccoons, wild turkeys, lake trout, and even snakes (who often get little respect from Christians who have a memory of a certain serpent in Eden). Boss opens her introduction with a quote from Meister Eckhart:
Every single creature is full of God
and is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature–
even a caterpillar–
I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God
is every creature.
She then takes us into worlds of burrowy, hibernating, downy anticipation of new creation. Her short meditations reveal the peace and grace of the wild things that are as surely a part of God's creation as are we. Boss presents us with stories of hope amidst the animals' realities of cold, predators, and privation of the season. Realities that many of us, wrapped in a warm houses filled with food and family, forget. Our biggest discomforts rarely amount to first world inconveniences. Yet, much of the world identifies with realities faced by our animal friends. We would do well to do so, as well. They remind us that many of us live in a consumer society that has us dangling a hair's breadth from economic disaster -- and that death and despair can stalk even we comfortable middle class Americans. And yet, there is still a hope that is eternal. Advent and Boss's meditations remind us of that.
Wendell Berry once wrote:
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
All Creation Waits takes us into the peace -- and grace and hope -- of wild things and the mystery and blessing of Advent. You'll want to get a copy for you, your family, and others you love.
December 13, 2024
Jauki apraksti par 24 Ziemeļamerikas dzīvnieku ziemas paradumiem. Uzzināju daudz jauna, cik dažādos veidos dzīvnieki izdzīvo ziemā, kā veido barības krājumus, pielāgo savu ķermeni, dodas ziemas miegā, vai tieši otrādi - to nedara. Ļoti patika kokgriezumu ilustrācijas. Īsti nezinu, netalantīgs tulkojums vai autores stils, bet teksts reizēm neveikls.
December 5, 2020
I really enjoyed the imagery with this one!
December 23, 2017
Peaceful Advent
I looked forward to each day's animal and readings and the lovely etchings too. Gayle's word sketches remind us that we each prepare for Christ's advent in different ways. Some of us hunker down to heal, some of us brazen it out but eventually each of us reaches the of ourselves ready to say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
These sketches tell how individual animals prepare for winter. The tone is soothing but the facts are fascinating. Highly recommended. I think most children used to read alouds would also like this; but it is not just for children.
I looked forward to each day's animal and readings and the lovely etchings too. Gayle's word sketches remind us that we each prepare for Christ's advent in different ways. Some of us hunker down to heal, some of us brazen it out but eventually each of us reaches the of ourselves ready to say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
These sketches tell how individual animals prepare for winter. The tone is soothing but the facts are fascinating. Highly recommended. I think most children used to read alouds would also like this; but it is not just for children.
November 23, 2017
"Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God. If I spend enough time with the tiniest creature, even a caterpillar, I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God is every creature." ~~ Meister Eckhart, quoted as a preface to All Creation Waits
In his review of All Creation Waits, writer Brian Doyle refers to it as a "sidelong" book, which I take to mean indirect, something like a parable. In twenty-five short readings, accompanied with woodcut illustrations, Gayle Boss takes you on an early-winter walk around Lake Michigan, with stop-offs to visit skunks, foxes, porcupines, and other local inhabitants. What are they doing at this time of year? As "all creation waits" for the Advent of the Saviour, animal activities are lyrically described, but without much added-on interpretation. This is not a book of prayers or Scriptures; the animals are not analogies; they do not think of much beyond shelter and food, and they have no imagined sense that Christmas is coming. It reminds me more of Prayers from the Ark [by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold], or some of the Christmas readings that take the viewpoint of the cow and the spider; or the muskrat scene at the beginning of [Laura Ingalls Wilder's] The Long Winter.
A sample from the chapter "Whitetail Deer":
"Gliding through the woods in groups of two, three, or four, their coats the color of brush and bark render them nearly invisible to us. So when, in October, we see herds of them out in the open, it seems a curtain has been pulled back on a secret society. They know the cold is coming. Banding together against predators, they forage widely in the fields before their food freezes, or vanishes under snow.
"But then, a drive deeper than feeding seizes them. By November both bucks and does, restless, verge on reckless. Trumping food and wariness, the primal urge to reproduce one’s self and one’s kind surges with the winds of the coming, killing cold."
This book would be most suitable for families with children, who perhaps are looking for something non-commercial but also not directly Bible-related for Advent reading times. [One possible note of caution: there are occasional references to mating which might or might not be appropriate for some families.] It could be useful for homeschoolers, or for those who need a set of readings for less-usual, out-of-church situations. It is a good reminder that the animals are (still, thankfully) all around us. Their stories are a (sidelong) glimpse of the way God creates and sustains them--and us.
Statement of disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book for purposes of review, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.
In his review of All Creation Waits, writer Brian Doyle refers to it as a "sidelong" book, which I take to mean indirect, something like a parable. In twenty-five short readings, accompanied with woodcut illustrations, Gayle Boss takes you on an early-winter walk around Lake Michigan, with stop-offs to visit skunks, foxes, porcupines, and other local inhabitants. What are they doing at this time of year? As "all creation waits" for the Advent of the Saviour, animal activities are lyrically described, but without much added-on interpretation. This is not a book of prayers or Scriptures; the animals are not analogies; they do not think of much beyond shelter and food, and they have no imagined sense that Christmas is coming. It reminds me more of Prayers from the Ark [by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold], or some of the Christmas readings that take the viewpoint of the cow and the spider; or the muskrat scene at the beginning of [Laura Ingalls Wilder's] The Long Winter.
A sample from the chapter "Whitetail Deer":
"Gliding through the woods in groups of two, three, or four, their coats the color of brush and bark render them nearly invisible to us. So when, in October, we see herds of them out in the open, it seems a curtain has been pulled back on a secret society. They know the cold is coming. Banding together against predators, they forage widely in the fields before their food freezes, or vanishes under snow.
"But then, a drive deeper than feeding seizes them. By November both bucks and does, restless, verge on reckless. Trumping food and wariness, the primal urge to reproduce one’s self and one’s kind surges with the winds of the coming, killing cold."
This book would be most suitable for families with children, who perhaps are looking for something non-commercial but also not directly Bible-related for Advent reading times. [One possible note of caution: there are occasional references to mating which might or might not be appropriate for some families.] It could be useful for homeschoolers, or for those who need a set of readings for less-usual, out-of-church situations. It is a good reminder that the animals are (still, thankfully) all around us. Their stories are a (sidelong) glimpse of the way God creates and sustains them--and us.
Statement of disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book for purposes of review, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.
December 26, 2023
Of the four books I read for Advent this year, this was my least favorite. Not because there was anything wrong with the book itself; it featured lovely illustrations and some truly interesting facts about the wintering habits of 25 different animals. However, based on the biblical tone of the title and the fact that this was billed as “twenty-five fresh images of the foundational truth that lies beneath and within the Christ story” in the synopsis, I was expecting more in terms of spiritual insight and application. For the most part, this just read as nature observations. Which is absolutely fine, and would make for great reading in its own right. I simply felt misled.
January 10, 2024
Read in morning time with all the kids and had printed coloring pages of each of the animals. We absolutely loved this, it’s so beautifully written. We all learned so much and felt such a kinship with each of the creatures. It's easy for me to be excited about nature study in the spring & summer but I've never had a resource like this to focus on the still winter lives of each creature & we were astounded by the very diverse ways they survive! And it’s so encouraging that we all have to be intrepid & brave to get through the winter but also that God designed us all to survive & be reborn & thrive. Highly recommend this.
December 18, 2022
All Creation Waits is a book to read for advent, featuring creatures of North America and their habits during the coldest parts of the year. The habits of the creatures are highlighted to remind us humans that we, too, are creatures, and that we, too, can learn how to deal with dark times by looking to see how our fellow creatures deal with dark times.
A wise and thoughtful book.
A wise and thoughtful book.
January 26, 2025
❓Kā tev šķiet - Adventes kalendāra koncepta grāmatas, kur katra nodaļa ir kā viena diena no 24 dienu Adventes kalendāra, ieteicams lasīt tikai Decembrī vai tās der ikvienam mēnesim gadā? 🤔
👌 Manuprāt, šāda koncepta grāmatas der un piestāv ikvienam gada mēnesim, kurā katru dienu vēlies sevi iepriecināt ar kādu jaunu stāstu. Kā arī šāds koncepts motivē man lasīšanu iekļaut katras dienas sastāvā.
✨ Paldies Laura @mazie.lasitaji , ka nesenajā grāmatu draugu tikšanās reizē biji atnesusi sev līdzi šo grāmatu, jo nav noslēpums, ka esmu Adventes kalendāru fans visdažādākās to izpausmēs. Trāpīts - man tā bija jāizlasa!
📚 Grāmatā paslēpušies jauki, izglītojošas informācijas pilni stāsti par 24 Ziemeļamerikas dzīvniekiem, un to kā katrs no tiem sagatavojas ziemai, un pārvar to. Dzīvnieku pasaule ir ļoti dažāda, un tikpat dažādi un krasi atšķirīgi paņēmieni tiek pielietoti, lai pārvarētu ziemu un atkal varētu sajust uz savas ādas pirmo pavasara silto saulīti.
Kādi dzīvnieki paslēpušies šajā grāmatā? Kāds ir katra ziemas stāsts?
To visu un vēl vairāk - lasi grāmatā! 📚
💡Grāmata manī raisīja duālas sajūtas. Man patika grāmatas koncepts un tematika. Katrs stāsts gan lielam, gan mazam noteikti radīs papildus jautājumus, raisīs vēlmi padziļinātāk izpētīt katra dzīvnieka stāstu, tādēļ, izvēloties šo grāmatu, veiksmīgākam gala rezultātam ieteiktu katram stāstam atvēlēt ilgāku lasīšanas un izpētes laiku.
Kas mani neuzrunāja? 🤔Grāmatai, nonākot manās rokās, jau pēc dažām dienām bija jādodas uz savām jaunajām mājām, tādēļ grāmatu izlasīju divos piegājienos. Kļūda, kas laupīja šī koncepta burvību. Šo lieku sev aiz auss, ka šāda koncepta grāmatas es varu lasīt tikai tā kā tās paredzētas - viens stāsts, vienai dienai.
Un es līdz galam nesadraudzējos ar pašu tekstu - reizēm ieslīdēju garlaicībā, un pievienojos Marijai @marii_lasa - arī man teksts vietām likās neveikls, un autores stils īsti man negāja pie sirds.
Un ceru, ka ar šo ierakstu vēl atnāks sniegotas dienas uz īsu brīdi, jo visus ziemas priekus vēl neesmu izbaudījusi 🌨️ ❤️
👌 Manuprāt, šāda koncepta grāmatas der un piestāv ikvienam gada mēnesim, kurā katru dienu vēlies sevi iepriecināt ar kādu jaunu stāstu. Kā arī šāds koncepts motivē man lasīšanu iekļaut katras dienas sastāvā.
✨ Paldies Laura @mazie.lasitaji , ka nesenajā grāmatu draugu tikšanās reizē biji atnesusi sev līdzi šo grāmatu, jo nav noslēpums, ka esmu Adventes kalendāru fans visdažādākās to izpausmēs. Trāpīts - man tā bija jāizlasa!
📚 Grāmatā paslēpušies jauki, izglītojošas informācijas pilni stāsti par 24 Ziemeļamerikas dzīvniekiem, un to kā katrs no tiem sagatavojas ziemai, un pārvar to. Dzīvnieku pasaule ir ļoti dažāda, un tikpat dažādi un krasi atšķirīgi paņēmieni tiek pielietoti, lai pārvarētu ziemu un atkal varētu sajust uz savas ādas pirmo pavasara silto saulīti.
Kādi dzīvnieki paslēpušies šajā grāmatā? Kāds ir katra ziemas stāsts?
To visu un vēl vairāk - lasi grāmatā! 📚
💡Grāmata manī raisīja duālas sajūtas. Man patika grāmatas koncepts un tematika. Katrs stāsts gan lielam, gan mazam noteikti radīs papildus jautājumus, raisīs vēlmi padziļinātāk izpētīt katra dzīvnieka stāstu, tādēļ, izvēloties šo grāmatu, veiksmīgākam gala rezultātam ieteiktu katram stāstam atvēlēt ilgāku lasīšanas un izpētes laiku.
Kas mani neuzrunāja? 🤔Grāmatai, nonākot manās rokās, jau pēc dažām dienām bija jādodas uz savām jaunajām mājām, tādēļ grāmatu izlasīju divos piegājienos. Kļūda, kas laupīja šī koncepta burvību. Šo lieku sev aiz auss, ka šāda koncepta grāmatas es varu lasīt tikai tā kā tās paredzētas - viens stāsts, vienai dienai.
Un es līdz galam nesadraudzējos ar pašu tekstu - reizēm ieslīdēju garlaicībā, un pievienojos Marijai @marii_lasa - arī man teksts vietām likās neveikls, un autores stils īsti man negāja pie sirds.
Un ceru, ka ar šo ierakstu vēl atnāks sniegotas dienas uz īsu brīdi, jo visus ziemas priekus vēl neesmu izbaudījusi 🌨️ ❤️
February 16, 2022
This is technically an Advent book, and we did start it in December but took our time and read it over the course of the pst few months. It was excellent! I highly recommend it. We will probably put this on an annual rotation to read every winter.
December 24, 2023
My kids and I really loved reading through this during the Advent season
December 26, 2019
My husband and I read this aloud with our children, ages 3 and 6. The woodcut illustrations are beautiful and my children, especially the older, were enamored with them from day one and excited to see which one was next each day. We all learned new things about the featured animals - truly fascinating and surprising. I appreciate how these lessons from nature help us envision a bigger picture of God's creation, how it prepares for and survives the dark and cold season of winter and anticipates new life in Spring. This is a refreshing perspective since most Advent readings are inwardly bent reflections. Rating 4.5 stars because the author's lyrical writing style, while lovely, is a bit of a mouth full to read aloud. If you're newer to read-alouds or have younger children, it may not be the best fit. I'd recommend this as a read aloud to children 5 or 6+.
December 25, 2021
Easily the best Advent daily meditation book I’ve read. Highly recommend.
December 25, 2024
This is an unconventional advent read for sure. Our family enjoyed learning about each animal. The writing is poetic and clear so that our kiddos 8 and under could understanding some things from each reading. It’s slow and peaceful.
January 17, 2021
This book was redeemable as an advent devotional only because I bought a companion made by the peaceful press which I highly recommend. This supposedly Christian author does not reference scripture and only makes loose parallels to our life in the Lord through looking at creation. I also found her attempts to be poetic with her prose forced at times. Otherwise, as a look into the life, survival and hibernation of animals in winter it was interesting.
December 18, 2025
This Advent book was absolutely incredible! The author captured our minds immediately. Everyday we learned about how different animals survive during the winter and I can’t believe how much I learned myself! I have 2 young boys, 9 & 6 and they both enjoyed it very much. We will do this Advent book again, no doubt!
December 26, 2023
I'm very choosy about my devotionals these days, so I admit when this was gifted to me, I was skeptical. Still, I'm glad I gave it a chance. Each day we read about a different animal native to the upper Midwest (the author lives in Michigan), which related to me as a Wisconsinite. Rather than being heavy-handed about how each animal related to the Advent season and matters of faith, the author trusts the reader to draw their own connections. This is the first Advent devotional I have looked forward to reading and actually kept up with throughout the month. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemplative nature writing, even if you aren't a person of faith.
January 6, 2018
This book is perfectly subdued for those dark winter's nights when the world seems to be holding its breath. The black and white illustrations perfectly compliment the author's insights into nature and its anticipation of new life. The stories are lovely, in particular the eastern firefly. If you are looking for a gentle advent story that evokes simplicity and peace, you will appreciate this book.
January 8, 2020
Beautiful but realistic black and white illustrations capture what advent means for a variety of forest animals, in terms of preparing for the long winter and the cold and dark that occur before new life comes again in spring. A captivating look at different species and their habitats, habits, hibernation (if applicable), mating and parenting routines, and food-gathering rituals. Lovely, meaningful book.
December 29, 2021
This book was different from all other Advent reading our family has done, so it was a refreshing change. I would read the story, eliminating the animal's name specifically, and let the children try to guess. It was such a fun twist on the anticipation of the next day's reading. The perfect read for our animal loving family.
December 27, 2021
A strong 4.5 ⭐ I really loved this as a "living" addition to our regular advent reading. I would have loved a bit more direct tie in to keep me focused on the true message behind it, but really that's more just a me problem 😆
December 29, 2020
It was a great advent read to do with the kids. I learned a lot of new things about the animals and it was a great open-ended reflection piece that was accessible to all ages.
December 17, 2024
.5 star for writing
1 star for research quality
1 star for premise
0 star for impact
.5 star for personal taste
1 star for research quality
1 star for premise
0 star for impact
.5 star for personal taste
December 26, 2024
This has been a wonderful advent book!! I have learned so much from it!
December 27, 2020
This book humbles humans to realize while most if not all animals have instincts from God to help themselves survive, we have somehow lost them and need faith in God to provide and guide us through difficult times. Perhaps our gift of freewill helps keep us personally close to God.
January 5, 2024
I was prepared to dismiss this book, which imaginatively engages with different animals as they endure the winter. But the entries are sensitively written and I found it working on my imagination as I walk the dark woods around me. The woodcut images perfectly complement the beautiful writing. I’m glad this kind of writing is out there.
November 16, 2016
As a local church pastor, I love to share resources with my church members designed to enhance their experience of Advent as a season of preparation as opposed to a season of shopping. I want to take on some kind of practice myself, but as a pastor and a parent, I’m often stretched to the limit getting both church and family Christmas ready. This lovely book meets the need without requiring more than the busy person of faith can give.
All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings, by Gayle Boss (and illustrated by David G. Klein), offers meditations on wild animals and the way they live into the increasing darkness as winter approaches. Boss places the animals (from meadow vole to firefly to cottontail to bear) in their habitats and describes their seeming states of mind as well as the way their bodies have evolved to survive the encroaching cold. Each two page meditation serves to take the reader out of the everyday scramble of human life and into the natural world, deeper and deeper into the shortening days.
He should not be here. Not in the basement window well where he fell sometime in the night, sniffing out food. Not in Michigan, nor in any other state where winter temperatures sit below freezing many days in succession. We lift the opossum, held in the clasp of two rakes. When we open those gates and he quick-waddles into the woods, I bow to him, to the wonder of his survival.
Klein’s woodcuts detail the world of each animal, yet leave room for imagination. While this is not a children’s book, it is a book for many ages, and one a family could read together. The paper, as is characteristic for Paraclete, is gorgeous, making this a book that feels good in the hand. We are all waiting for Jesus to arrive, for God to break in, and this beautiful book is a fine companion for the season.
I received a copy of this book from Paraclete Press in exchange for an honest review.
All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings, by Gayle Boss (and illustrated by David G. Klein), offers meditations on wild animals and the way they live into the increasing darkness as winter approaches. Boss places the animals (from meadow vole to firefly to cottontail to bear) in their habitats and describes their seeming states of mind as well as the way their bodies have evolved to survive the encroaching cold. Each two page meditation serves to take the reader out of the everyday scramble of human life and into the natural world, deeper and deeper into the shortening days.
He should not be here. Not in the basement window well where he fell sometime in the night, sniffing out food. Not in Michigan, nor in any other state where winter temperatures sit below freezing many days in succession. We lift the opossum, held in the clasp of two rakes. When we open those gates and he quick-waddles into the woods, I bow to him, to the wonder of his survival.
Klein’s woodcuts detail the world of each animal, yet leave room for imagination. While this is not a children’s book, it is a book for many ages, and one a family could read together. The paper, as is characteristic for Paraclete, is gorgeous, making this a book that feels good in the hand. We are all waiting for Jesus to arrive, for God to break in, and this beautiful book is a fine companion for the season.
I received a copy of this book from Paraclete Press in exchange for an honest review.
December 25, 2016
A Michigan naturalist's Advent calendar, full of fascinating animal behaviors. The illustrations are especially great, charming yet unsentimental. The theological reflection is a bit repetitive, but subtle, and it holds up well at the intended, daily dose. Highly recommended, and not only for Christians or other devotional readers.
December 25, 2020
Not what was expected
I expected the book to be more like the first few chapters you get to sample, where the author reveals how she see’s God in creation. I was looking forward to reading someone else’s insights into God’s presence in Creation. And while I assume the author did have her own revelations each time, after the first few chapters however, it felt like she failed to more clearly convey those insights. While we enjoyed learning about an animal each day, the things we learned about weren’t as easy to discuss or ponder on what God might be teaching us and/or the author. And not all the stories were written for a younger audience’s attention. This would probably be a better daily read for January for one to learn about adaptations animals have for winter but for Advent, it was lacking.
Recommend for:
Ages 8+
Interest in winter behavior of animals
Animals
Homeschool unit lessons
I expected the book to be more like the first few chapters you get to sample, where the author reveals how she see’s God in creation. I was looking forward to reading someone else’s insights into God’s presence in Creation. And while I assume the author did have her own revelations each time, after the first few chapters however, it felt like she failed to more clearly convey those insights. While we enjoyed learning about an animal each day, the things we learned about weren’t as easy to discuss or ponder on what God might be teaching us and/or the author. And not all the stories were written for a younger audience’s attention. This would probably be a better daily read for January for one to learn about adaptations animals have for winter but for Advent, it was lacking.
Recommend for:
Ages 8+
Interest in winter behavior of animals
Animals
Homeschool unit lessons
November 16, 2016
I think this book captures the spirit of Advent in a truer way than anything I have ever come across. With tasteful subtlety this book is all about waiting in hope in the darkest of times. All of the accounts of animals are full of details that are fascinating and I would have never learned otherwise, but they speak on a deeper level than mere knowledge. I will be re-reading this book yearly. The illustrations perfectly compliment the text also. They are full-page and high contrast black and white woodcuts that make you feel that you are seeing into the creatures' soul.
*Review copy courtesy of Paraclete Press*
*Review copy courtesy of Paraclete Press*
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