A Song in Bethlehem

October 22, 2007
This tender tale of a street urchin's wondrous encounter with the Holy Family hits all the right holiday notes. Naomi, a beggar girl eager to spy the royal visitors rumored to be in a nearby stable, rushes over only to find a sleeping woman and a baby—and some gold coins. She's caught stealing, but rather than meting out punishment, the man who apprehends her offers Naomi a meager meal and an invitation: “Come. There's someone I want you to see.” Naomi is entranced by the newborn, and before the family heads from the manger out into the night, she is astonished to receive from them a special gift, a wooden flute that she almost instantly knows how to play. Cockcroft's (Room for a Little One
) photo-realistic acrylics set a dreamy tone. Accents of nearly transparent flecks of paint create the effect of watching the drama unfold in a snow globe. Ages 5-8.

October 1, 2007
Gr 1-4-When Naomi, a hungry beggar girl, goes to the inns stable to see kings, she finds a couple with a newborn child and steals a shiny coin. Instead of punishing her, the adults feed and befriend her. They introduce her to their child and give her a blessed wooden flute, which was given to him. She plays it so sweetly that people give her coinsa solution to her poverty. Cockcrofts photorealistic and luminescent paintings are filled with a sparkling atmosphere and further heighten the miraculous feeling of the story. Unfortunately, the book is marred by grammatical errors and some awkward wording."Maureen Wade, Los Angeles Public Library"

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