The Christmas We Spent Apart

PERFECT GIFT. A beautiful rhyming keepsake for Christmas 2020 with an uplifting COVID-19 theme.

Children - Social Issues
27 Pages
Reviewed on 12/04/2020
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Covid has certainly made things different: no large family gatherings, for one. And that’s hard, especially at Christmas, or any other seasonal celebration. Families are meant to be together during these joyous times, but when it’s not safe, there are other ways to be together. Where there is love, there is always that inner bond that keeps us together. And, with technology, there are alternate ways to connect. Even if we can’t share hugs and kisses and be physically together, we can celebrate the season together – just differently, not in person.

Toni McAree and Stephanie Hope have created the perfect children’s picture book to help youngsters understand and appreciate how Christmas 2020 is going to be different. The Christmas We Spent Apart is a rhyming verse story, complete with colorful illustrations and interactive activities at the end. The plot cleverly takes into consideration so many things that will be different this year but also points out some positive alternatives and how the absence of in-person gatherings will make the inner bond of love stronger and more memorable. This will definitely be a Christmas we’ll all remember. Not only does the book entertain young readers, but it provides an opportunity for the young reader to share some special memories, thoughts, and pictures of Christmas 2020 – the Christmas spent apart. It’s a story, a memory book, and a scrapbook all in one and a great way for young readers to share a part of themselves and a part of their Christmas with those they would have loved to be with, but couldn’t.