This First Christmas Night

September 26, 2016
From the opening page, Godwin (the Doll People series) directly addresses readers, beckoning them to witness the sights and sounds of the first Christmas through their senses. “See this small gray donkey,/ this long, dusty road,/ this promising star,” she begins, and a quiet urgency builds with successive phrases (“Feel the frost on this clear Bethlehem night/ See this inn with no room”) until the final spreads reveal the miracle: “Welcome this tiny baby boy./ Feel this hush./ This peace on Earth./ This first Christmas night.” An inky sky serves as the backdrop for Low’s (Daytime Nighttime) commanding digital paintings, brightened only by the stars far above and a chorus of angels who appear in the final pages, showing the family with golden light. It’s a lyrical and understated account of the Nativity that will leave readers feeling as though they are witnessing something momentous. Ages 2–6.

October 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-"See this small gray donkey, this long dusty road, this promising star," the story begins, as Joseph guides Mary on toward Bethlehem. The spare poetry of this book lovingly captures details of Christ's birth, like the smell of hay, the sounds of the animals inside the manger, and Mary's contented sigh as she holds her son in her arms. Then time stands still as viewers see the large, sweet face of "this tiny baby boy" being adored by visitors in the silence. As the picture pans out onto the rural landscape of the first Christmas night, the scene conveys an overarching sense of peace. Low's gorgeous use of dark colors serves to highlight the luminous glow of the angels, stars, and baby Jesus, setting the ideal mood for this lyrical meditation on the Christmas story. VERDICT Wonderful for bedtime and lapsit storytimes, this book is a gentle retelling of the Nativity for very young readers who are learning about Jesus for the first time.-Rita Law, Los Angeles Public Library

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