Itsy Bitsy Christmas

September 16, 2013
Lucado (The Crippled Lamb) tells the Nativity story from the point of view of mice siblings Itsy and Bitsy, who are marveling at all the people traveling through Bethlehem “to be counted.” Daniel the donkey says it’s a “big day, indeed,” because “The King is coming to Bethle-hem.” Snippets of mouse humor (“I’ve never seen inside the nose of a donkey”) add levity and personality to this rendering. Trained in animation, Merz (My Friend the Weather Monster) illustrates from the mice’s perspectives, using a loose, painterly style with subtle details in muted earth tones. Ages 4–7.

October 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-Itsy and Bitsy have never seen Bethlehem so busy. When Daniel the donkey tells them that there is a King coming into the city, the mice siblings are determined to find him despite being scoffed at by the animals that share their stable. Their journey through the streets, hotels, and the market is depicted in a way that loosely mirrors Mary and Joseph's search for lodging. Exhausted at the end of the day, they return home to find that their stable is THE stable, where the newborn baby Jesus exudes love for even the smallest of creatures. It's a sweet enough message, made more precious by the cartoon illustrations, though the story brings nothing new to the "Nativity through the eyes of the stable animals" genre.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

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