Title: All I Want for Christmas Is … A Family
Author: L. P. Randolph
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
ISBN: 979-8-88616-472-5
Pages: 24
Genre: Christian / Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
All I Want for Christmas Is … A Family, by author L. P. Randolph is a delightful Christmas miracle story with the star on top of the Christmas tree becoming a main character. Readers are narrated a bouncy-rhyming text about a little girl, Shirley James, who prays on her knees in front of her Christmas tree every evening prior to the holiday. Two days before Christmas, she prays for a red bike and a doll, all while looking at the star on top of the tree. The next morning Shirley’s mother is looking at the tree and is thinking how sad the star seemed. “Pretty ornaments sparkled through the window, / While the dim star and sad branches drooped below, / The sad star held its head, / Crying until its glow and eyes were red.”
Then, on Christmas Eve, into the living room runs Shirley’s pets: Roger the dog; Babb the cat; all being playfully chased by Penny the hen. As these, and other pets including a hamster and a bird, rough-house around the Christmas tree, the tree falls over. Shirley, with the help of Roger, put the tree back upright, but in their haste, they didn’t notice that the star on top was turned towards the window, having a new view of the outside. “Later Christmas morning, Mother did see, / The star was backward on the tree. / Our stars not ready to be thrown away, / Turn it backwards, it’ll shine brighter on Christmas day.”
On Christmas morning, with the happy star on top of the Christmas tree, the room became filled with gifts, including Shirley’s new red bike and doll. The theme of the story is summed up in the last sentence, “Miracles can come true. / Praying is a clue. / It happened for them, it can for you.”
With a final wish for Merry Christmas, the story ends, yet this book will be a family treasure for children everywhere, and can be read over-and-over throughout the year, celebrating Christmas and the miracles of prayer.
