All The Colors of Christmas by Matthew Paul Turner
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Since this year has been absolutely crazy, I think reviewing a Christmas book for children in September sounds not only normal, but very much needed. Matthew Paul Turner has again created a beautiful story about all the good things this holiday season brings, giving us something nostalgic and precious to look forward to as we enter into the Fall season.

The book starts with the traditional colors of red and green as they bring up memories of sled rides and decorations of garland. Then, he moves to white and gold, as in the snowfall or star toppers on Christmas trees. He rounds out the colors with brown, like the reindeer (and the skin of baby Jesus) and with the color of You, impressing that we are a vital part to the season, adding our personalities and laughter to the holiday as vibrant as the colors all around us.

It’s a cozy book. It’s a book about beauty. And the pictures are gorgeous. The illustrator is Gillian Gamble who did the last book called, When God Made the World.

Overall, the book is sweet. I read it to my kiddo the day we got it, and he asked for me to read it again immediately, which makes it a winner in our house. We will definitely open it again closer to Christmas. It will also be a nice reinforcement of colors for our toddler which is another plus. This would be a great book to give at Christmas time, especially for new parents of little ones.

The rhyming sequence is different, which threw me off a bit when I first read it outloud. Generally, this author has written in couplets, but this time it was aabba stanzas. It changed the pacing of the book. This was just an observation, not a critique, because the writing still brings you to a beautiful place, even if the pace is slightly different.

I recommend any of this author’s books. Each one is a gorgeous journey of hope and beauty and inclusion into God’s story. This particular one would make a great Christmas gift to anyone, but especially the parents of little ones.