The First Christmas Night
An Angel Came to Nazareth
Anthony Knott
Pictures by Maggie Kneen
Chronicle Books, 2010, 2004
From the back of the book, “As the First Christmas draws near, four travelers must make their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. An angel asks four animals to choose which traveler they would like to carry. And only one will choose to carry the greatest of them all.
“Through its simple rhymes and lavish illustrations, this book conveys the very special spirit of the season.”
This is, indeed, a beautiful book. The copy I read was miniaturized into a board book, but there was so much detail, gold stamping and embossing on each page, I feel sure it was originally published as a regular sized picture book. Reading a book this sumptuous loses a lot of impact as a tinier version.
The rhyme is thoughtful and has an easy cadence, one that would be easy to memorize, if one had a mind to. But it’s difficult to read the words when the you’re so busy looking at the illustrations.
Rating 4 out of 5 paws – lovely rhyme, gorgeous book!
Reviewer:
Simon