The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was written in 1971 and has been charming readers ever since.  It is a humorous first-person account of a Christmas pageant that has been hijacked by the town’s juvenile delinquents.  However, it isn’t just the humor that gives this story its magic; there are honest characters and some insightful truths that are never preached in a heavy-handed manner.

I have a friend who reads this story to her children aloud every Christmas as one of their traditions.  The audiobook version adeptly captures the spirit of the narrator and the book.  The book is only about a hundred pages and the audio version is only about two hours so it is perfect for that quick holiday trip and appropriate for even the youngest children.

If you would like to revisit the Christmas story, through fresh eyes, you couldn’t have better guides than the Herdman family.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  3 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore:  Verbal threats; several reports of bullying (hitting, pinching, etc.); destruction of property, no injuries.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Juvenile delinquency, dysfunctional families, parental abandonment

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Report of children smoking cigars.