BOOK NAME: RUBY THE CHRISTMAS DONKEY
AUTHOR: MIRABEL CECIL
ILLUSTRATOR: CHRISTINA GASCOIGNE
PAGES: 32
PUBLISHER: CANDLEWICK PRESS
DAY 18 GOLD CROWN
Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
Isaiah 60:6
Queen Sheba takes us back to King Solomon’s days. She heard about the king’s wisdom and came to see him bearing riches and gifts. This is a verse that talks about Jerusalem’s people as Jerusalem is not connected with the sea, so no port to transfer goods. They will get their gifts by camel when their exile ends. Gold is a precious gift mentioned in the Bible. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, he was given a crown of thorns, not a gold crown.
So why are we obsessed every Christmas with an expensive gift? Why don’t we try a different gift called “KINDNESS”? Being kind to a person is more than thousands of gold, crowns, and expensive gifts. When we have a heart of gold and a few kind words to reciprocate, it will indeed make a difference to others. Let us try them this Christmas.
We choose to read Ruby, the Christmas donkey.
It is a beautiful story about two donkeys, named Ruby and Scarlet, who give rides to kids on the beach during summer. Ruby started to grow old and the kids didn’t like her much, as she was slow. During winter, all animals grew thick hair to protect them from harsh snow. But Ruby didn’t develop a thick coat around her and she started to freeze in the cold. Seeing this, all animals prepare a beautiful coat for the ruby. The coat had wool, feathers, grass, and leaves and it looked magical when finished. Slowly they took the coat off Ruby and put it on her. Ruby was elated and her happiness was boundless. She proudly displayed her coat and thanked all with a joyful heart. It was Christmas and Ruby had a chance to display her coat for a wonderful nativity play in the village.
I love the message, the story brings one drop of kindness and empathy to others will make a huge difference for them.
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