• A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children

  • By: Jennifer Carter
  • Narrated by: Jeffrey W. Goodrich
  • Length: 24 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

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A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children  By  cover art

A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children

By: Jennifer Carter
Narrated by: Jeffrey W. Goodrich
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Publisher's summary

Rediscover the Christmas story.

These tales look at the real Christmas story by those who saw it. Four short stories look at the story of the birth of baby Jesus as seen by the donkey in the stable, the shepherds on a hillside, the star gazing down on the little town of Bethlehem, and the baby's mother, Mary.

Based loosely on the Bible story about the arrival of the baby Jesus, these tales take a refreshing look at the nativity story at the heart of Christmas.

Develop your children's imagination, allowing them to create pictures in their minds and travel to a distant land.

A sweet and simple story of Christmas for children.

©2015 Jennifer Carter (P)2015 Jennifer Carter

What listeners say about A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children

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Four Precious Stories About the Birth of Jesus

"A Christmas Surprise" was such a wonderful audiobook. I loved it myself and can't wait until my grandchildren get to listen to it. Four different perspectives on the birth of baby Jesus. They were all so precious. I think I liked the donkey's story the best but they were all so neat. I myself will listen to this again because it made me feel good. This is what Christmas is all about to me. I love how it began. Just close your eyes and listen. Great writing by Jennifer Carter and the narration...

Jeffrey W. Goodrich did an outstanding job reading these stories. He has a delightful, pleasant voice that goes perfectly with the book. Through these two amazing artists, this is an excellent way to teach children about Jesus.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely story this time of year and, perfect length

What did you love best about A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children?

The story is classic and my nieces 6 and 8 loved it!

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children?

The donkey and the Beatnik Shepherds were fun. I think it is a thoughtfully written story from a great perspective for kids.

What does Jeffrey W. Goodrich bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I believe he brought the characters to life in a fun way and was not over the top. Nice warm approach.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The characters made my nieces Laugh and got a smile out of me.

Any additional comments?

Perfect length of a story for little ones. well Written and Well Performed. I would recommend this for a nice bedtime story as the title says. Kudos

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Christmas Story for Children

What did you love best about A Christmas Surprise: A Read-Aloud Bedtime Nativity Story for Children?

A simply written and heartfelt rendering of the Christmas story told from multiple perspectives. The narrator did an excellent job of drawing me into the individual stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the perspective of the donkey and his expressive voice.

Any additional comments?

This is a perfect bedtime story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

On the cheesy side. I like the idea of the multiple points of view, but unfortunately, none of them add new insights. It just makes it confusing since you keep jumping around in time. If you didn’t already know the story, I think you’d be really confused!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My kids loved this!

Purchased this on a whim on Christmas Eve and my kids loved it. They are very familiar with the story but this is really fun and different (though still true to the book of Luke.) Please make more like this :)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

More Entertaining than Most Nativity Stories

Sadly, Christian literature has a bad reputation for boring nativity retellings—like it is a sin to be entertaining (not true!). Thankfully this collection of stories breaks that mold.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Concept....

but there were some things I just didn’t like and wish the author had done differently. While I appreciate this being told at a child’s level, I didn’t like the use of slang during the shepherds’ story and Joseph being referred to as “Joe” during Mary’s story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A fun Christmas story

Cute versions of the Christmas story with an excellent narrator, and we are picky about narrators!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

so good

such a fun perspective and way to tell the story of Christmas. a new tradition for us

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Fun Way to Teach Perspectives to Children

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Sure, but not necessarily the audiobook.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked the idea of multiple perspectives on the Christmas story. The story was a little choppy, but it got the idea across.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jeffrey W. Goodrich?

I enjoyed the narration. It would be fun to hear him in a different genre.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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