No one liked the Herdman kids. They were rude. They cursed and smoked cigars! Even the girls. The one place everyone got a reprieve was at church on Sundays until the Herdmans decided they wanted to come to church and join the Christmas pageant.
Everyone was shocked. No one was happy. Except for the Herdman kids, who somehow managed to snag every important role in the Christmas pageant. This was definitely going to be the worst Christmas pageant ever. Or was it?
Length: 128 pages
Read-Aloud age: 9+
LJR’s Thoughts on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Can we just start with the first line? “The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.” We’re in for a wild ride with the Herdmans and the very first line lays it out perfectly.
We read this book in one long afternoon sitting with some hot chocolate. All of our littles loved it (10, 7, and 5). Only our 10-year-old daughter made it through the whole book. Our 7-year-old daughter almost made it. And our 5-year-old boy? He did the best he could. If you spread this out over several days, it may be better. We chose 9+ as the recommended read-aloud age mostly because of this. I would wait until your oldest is probably 9 though, especially considering the notes below.
Check out the Noteworthy and Discipleship sections though because this is not a great independent read for younger ones. When a character repeatedly said “My G-d” and when the pastor mentions rumors the Herdmans “only talk about s-x and underwear,” I changed the wording.
It is a wonderful read and all the horrible things the Herdmans do are definitely seen as horrible (though funny at times). The Herdman children’s transformation throughout the book, though minor, is wonderfully done. And it’s not just the Herdman’s who change in this book. I may or may not have cried at the end.
LJR Rating
Noteworthy for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
In our usual LJR fashion, we try to find what Christian families may want to know about to address, skip, or dig deeper into. Take a look at what we found below. Our take on Discipleship Opportunities is at the bottom of the review.
First, this review is only for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is the first in a three-book series, including The Best School Year Ever and The Best Halloween Ever.
The whole first chapter tells us all of the horrible things the Herdman kids do. Sure, they’re setting up the characters but it’s still discussing stealing, smoking cigars, cussing at adults, taking the Lord’s name in vain. All things that make them the worst. And these types of things are mentioned throughout the book. They are not glorified but are definitely the reasons why the Herdman kids are “the worst kids in the history of the world.”
Narrators mention these things are why they are “headed straight for hell.”
The Herdman kids are discovered to have been abandoned by their dad.
Mary is said to be “great with child” and explains to the children that means she was “pregnant”. One girl says she shouldn’t talk to people about being pregnant and should tell her mother.
Language: “dumbbell” used as an insult; “my G-d” used multiple times
There’s mention of killing baby Jesus and Herod killing “all kinds of people” and he “even killed his own wife.”
Mention of “dirty books” in the basement of the library but doesn’t mention what makes them dirty. I told my kiddos they were inappropriate when they asked.
The pastor says he heard rumors “the Herdmans only talk about s-x and underwear.”
Discipleship Opportunities
The Reverend early in the book says, “When Jesus said suffer the little children to come into me, Jesus meant all; including the Herdmans.” Matthew 19:14 Do you know some kids who seem like the Herdmans? Do you feel like you might be like the Herdmans? Matthew 19:14
The Herdman dad abandoned the family. A great place to start with this is discussing how God will never leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5-6 says this and even quotes the OT in Deuteronomy 3:16.
When people from within the church get frustrated about all the questions the Herdman kids have about the Christmas story, someone jumps in and asks “How would they even know about it?” It can be easy to think everyone has heard the Gospel so this is a great time to discuss why it’s so important to talk to others about Jesus.
Obviously, as a Christmas story and more specifically one depicting Jesus’ birth, you would be remiss to not read the birth of Jesus as written in the gospel of Luke 2. You may also want to check out The Light of Christmas.
Imogene Herdman went to look up more in the Bible. Talk to your kiddos about the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15.
One girl is keeping records of every little thing the Herdmans do wrong. It may be a good time to discuss the Pharisee who focused so much on how he wasn’t as bad as the tax collector. Luke 18:9 – 14. Or in 1 Corinthians 13 about love not keeping a record of wrongdoing. Or even Matthew 7:5.
A child in the pageant asks, “What if the wise men went back to Herod?” and then discussion ensues. This would be a great chance to discuss God’s sovereignty and He knew how to keep Jesus safe. While you read Luke 2, you can discuss this. God sent angels to warn Joseph and keep Mary and Jesus safe.
This quote from late in the book provides a time of reflection. “For years, I’d thought about the wonder of Christmas, and the mystery of Jesus’ birth and never really understood it. But now, because of the Herdmans, it didn’t seem so mysterious at all… Christmas just came over [Imogene] all at once, like a case of chills and fever.” Take some time to reflect on whether you’ve taken the Christmas story for granted like this because you’ve heard it so many times. And reflect on how you can look at the Christmas story with fresh eyes.
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“High in the mountains, where the clouds lie on the ground like great cotton balls, is the Christmas town of Noel.”
Alexander’s mom is sick so he must travel to the lighting of the flame alone hoping he is chosen by the Keeper of the Flame as the new person to light the torch, the person who gives “the truest gift of Christmas.”
But Alexander meets an old man in need of help outside the city gates, he risks getting shut out and missing the lighting of the torch.
Jonathan Toomey rarely smiled and never laughed but what the village didn’t know was a small secret made him that way. He lived his life as a lonesome woodcarver, some say the best in the whole valley. And that brought the widow McDowell and her son, Thomas to Mr. Toomey’s door.
Susan McDowell hires Mr. Toomey to make a nativity scene to replace the one she lost in her recent move. When Thomas wants to watch Jonathan work, he is allowed; but will he be scared away by the curmudgeon or will Thomas and his mother soften Jonathan Toomey’s hard heart?
