Joyfully Retired

by Barbara Robinson

HarperCollins, 1972

My Rating: A

I’m a huge fan of reading Dicken’s Christmas Carol at this time of the year but – there is also a great American Christmas classic that’s fun to read too. Fun is the operative word here.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale — the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating — has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year’s pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

My evaluation:

The addition of the Herdman kids changes a pageant that has been the same every year into something completely different. Those horrible Herdman kids could ruin the whole Christmas pageant but the rest of the kids can’t wait to see what “those kids” will do next: steal from the collection plate or cause fights or bring out the fire department, again, or all of the above.

Do you see how I just wrote the paragraph above? It’s as if I know the Herdman kids. I think they were in my classroom when I taught public school or maybe it was a Sunday School class. Anyway, I have a feeling you will recognize them too.

This is a good read-out-loud and laugh-out-loud book for the holidays. It may even make your eyes mist over. It’s perfect for all ages. It’s actually written for children in grades 3 to 6 but even this Nana still loves reading it. Find this one and share with others. It will bring pleasure to your Christmas traditions.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is available at Amazon

Source: My own purchased copy. I am an Amazon Associate.