One Bible story a night, December 1 to 24. One ornament on the tree drawn inside the book. And on Christmas Eve, the baby in the manger.

The Jesse Tree is a family tree for Advent: the people and promises God used to get the world ready for Jesus, one ornament a night. This book makes it simple. At bedtime you read one complete story aloud (about five minutes) and find tonight's ornament on the tree drawn inside the book. Nothing to buy or prepare.

The stories run in order, from the first morning of Creation to the manger in Bethlehem, and every night steps a little closer to Christmas.

24 nights, 24 stories: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Jesse and Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Daniel, Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph of Nazareth, Micah and Bethlehem, the road to Bethlehem, and the manger.

Every night has the same simple shape:

A full-color picture and one complete Bible story, told for listening
HANG THE ORNAMENT: a few lines on tonight's symbol and what it means
TONIGHT: one small thing to do together, right there in bed, with nothing to fetch
A short prayer. From December 17 to 23 the prayers are simple versions of the O Antiphons, the old prayers behind 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel'
TOMORROW ON THE TREE: a whisper of the next story (on Christmas Eve, the tree is full)

No printer needed. A Jesse Tree drawn across two pages holds all 24 ornament outlines, each with its date and page number. It is your calendar: point to tonight's ornament, or color it in.

Start any day. Every story stands on its own. Starting on December 10? Read December 10. The nights you missed can be read any time, even after Christmas.

Hard moments, told gently. The flood, Abraham's test (which God stops), Joseph sold by his brothers, the army in the sea, Goliath, and Daniel among the lions are each told plainly and briefly. A note for parents names them up front, so you can look first.

Catholic, and close to Scripture. The stories are retellings, not word-for-word Bible texts, and their Bible quotations come from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. Short notes for grown-ups mark St. Nicholas (December 6), the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12), and St. Lucy (December 13). At the back, every night's Bible passage is listed so you can read it in your own Bible, with honest notes on what comes from Christian art and tradition, like the apple, the many-colored coat, and the ox and donkey at the manger.

Free with the book: scan the code inside to hear every story read aloud, and to print all 24 ornaments to color, cut out, and hang on a branch or a small tree.

For children ages 6 to 10, and for the parents, grandparents, and godparents who read to them in Advent.

The Jesse Tree for Kids: A Catholic Advent Calendar Book - 24 Bible Stories to Count Down to Christmas (Ages 6-10)

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