Helen Haidle

All the woodland creatures scurry about to collect gifts for the coming of the King’s Son. The littlest fir frets that he has nothing to offer but helps those animals forgotten during the bustling preparations. When God’s Son arrives, all go to the stable to present their gifts. The little tree carries only those animals he helped. God blesses him for his serving heart by making him glow with the stars of heaven.

Helen Haidle draws on an old legend found in a monastery in Sicily to create show more "The First Christmas Tree: A Legend from Long Ago." Weaving together the traditional storybook theme of the underdog gaining recognition at the end and the Christian virtue of humble servanthood, the author creates an endearing story. Children will enjoy the blend of realistic animals and fairy-tale trees with faces in the watercolor illustrations, which augment the story well.

As in "The Candymaker’s Gift," Haidle provides an “Ideas for Parents” section in the back that lists activities for families to do to help them focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Originally published in the Christian Library Journal, 1997. show less

Grades: PS-2
“God Made Me” thanks God for all our wonderful body parts and what they can do: eyes for counting fireflies, ears for listening to whispers, hands for building sandcastles, feet for jumping, noses for smelling fresh bread, tongues for tasting pickles, voices for singing, and more. The book can either be read or sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Helen Haidle’s paired rhymes work well with the tune. The upbeat but simple language is similar to her show more Pockets books (Questar).

Rich Incrocci’s bright, cartoon watercolor illustrations augment the text Each page is filled with happy children involved in fun activities. Also, children from different racial backgrounds are depicted in this book.
By reading this book, children will be encouraged to thank God for their different body parts.The song will help them to remember the message and put praise into their hearts.

Originally published in the Christian Library Journal, 1997 show less

"Candy Cane Christmas" explains how the candy can represents Jesus Christ. The hard candy reminds us that Jesus is our solid rock. The white candy represents Jesus’ holiness. The J shape stands for Jesus, and the staff shape reminds us he is the Good Shepherd. The red stripes represent Jesus’ suffering and death.

In the first part of the book, the story is told in paired rhymes from the candymaker’s viewpoint. The second part describes the meaning of the different elements of the candy show more cane in prose.

This book can serve as a companion book to Helen Haidle’s" Candymaker’s Gift" (Honor Books), which is written for an older audience. "Candy Cane Christmas" will help young children understand and learn the meaning of the candy cane so they can share God’s Christmas gift, Jesus, with others.

Using the same style as he did in God Made Me, Rick Incrocci filled this book with many scenes from the life of Jesus and of children learning about and enjoying candy canes. show less

What happens when a small-town pastor & handful of children choose to live the way Jesus would? Faced with difficult decisions, they learn to love share and forgive.