Thanks to Reader Support, Donkey In the Living Room Makes Top Lists

PLEASE NOTE: Although this began as a simple self-publishing title, a new, fully illustrated and more widely distributed version of this book will soon be available through B&H Kids. Although the actual paper books won’t be released until 2014, during this 2013 holiday season, B&H Kids will unveil the e-book which you can buy here.

Donkey in the Living Room Visits New Homes

Thirteen days ago, we released my first children’s book, the Donkey in the Living Room, which can be used with any manger scene to introduce a new Christ-centered Christmas tradition for kids. I told the backstory behind the book here.

Thanks to reader support and word of mouth, the book has been holding steady as #2 on Amazon’s Christmas release list. It’s also currently #10 on the hot new releases list in all of children’s non-fiction.

That, of course, is fabulous, but not for the reason the world would guess.

In our consumer culture, numbers like these released by powerhouse stores like Amazon seem like the validator of an idea. But as I pause today to thank friends and friends of friends who’ve purchased the book (thank you, thank you, thank you!), I am happy to remember that the timeless meaning of Christmas–God’s gift of a Savior to the world–is valid on it’s own, far overshadowing any best-selling lists and existing long before and after Amazon.com.

This book was a family tradition shared on a whim. So what is most moving is not the numbers at all but the stories behind those numbers. The little boys and girls all over the world who will crawl up onto their parents’ laps in the days leading up to Christmas, open their manger scene figures and tell the Christmas story together this year. And that next year and the year after that, they may continue, eventually passing down this meaningful tradition to their children just as we are.

You Can Help Spread This Tradition

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, please consider bestowing one on the loved children in your life this Christmas.

For those of you who’ve picked up a copy, please feel free to share blog posts or Amazon reviews with others. Those that do so by December 15th will not only be joining me in spreading a Jesus-centered tradition, but they’ll be entered in a special drawing for another meaningful holiday item that can be used with the story–one of several manger scenes along with an autographed book.

Your Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest posts are appreciated as well. (The Donkey even has a new Facebook page and he’d be grateful for your likes!)

Thank you all of you for living your faith with me this Christmas.