Synopsis
Illustrated with stunning, jewel-toned art, and featuring a festive foil-trimmed jacket, this gracefully written picture book captures the true Christmas spirit in a way children can easily understand. In tender verse that flawlessly incorporates simple counting, Joy Hulme describes the night Jesus was born in a manger, surrounded by animals and with only straw to pillow his head. From the eight shepherds watching their flock to five angels singing, from three wise men bearing gifts to two parents looking with tender love upon one small baby, each image evokes what’s most meaningful about this special day.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-Soft, dreamy, oil and digital illustrations are the strength of this counting book. Starting with 12 doves cooing in a stable, the simple text counts down in rhyming couplets. For example, "8 shepherds wrapped in woolen robes/watch over their flock by night./7 soft sheep are still awake/and see the stars grow bright." Finally, "2 parents look with tender love/upon a manger bed/at 1 small baby lying there/with straw to pillow his head." The sweet animals have a greeting-card quality, the rhymes are uninspired, and the stable looks like a nice little vacation cottage with its glowing windows and palm trees.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
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