Review by New York Times Review
This simple retelling of the Nativity opens fittingly with a moon-faced owl, whose hushed watchfulness sets the tone for the book, which doubles as a bedtime tale. Told largely through the gathering of the animals, as befits a Christmas story for very young readers, Thompson's rendition emphasizes mood and setting. Bean's atmospheric illustrations, in earthy tones of black, taupe and slate blue, give this quiet tale of maternal devotion a distinctive and appropriately lovely look. A CHRISTMAS GOODNIGHT By Nola Buck. Illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright. 24 pp. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) "Goodnight to the angel choir./Goodnight to the star above./Goodnight to the Holy Family./Goodnight to the ones we love," run the couplets of this pleasing bedtime book, which grounds the Nativity story in the young reader's own familial experience. (On a very good night.) A debut for Wright, the illustrator, "A Christmas Goodnight" features sweet-faced children and animals and an especially cozy-looking manger, which work well with Buck's graceful rhymes. THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER By Barbara Robinson. Illustrated by Laura Cornell. 40 pp. Harper/HarperCollins. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Their subject matter may be solemn, but Christmas pageants are opportune moments for comedy. This picture book adaptation of Robinson's popular 1972 novel of the same name features the Herdmans - "the worst kids in the history of the world" - and their takeover of the town's annual pageant. The frantic, comedic drawings by Cornell, who illustrates Jamie Lee Curtis's children's books, suit this tale of holiday misbehavior and unanticipated generosity, which she amplifies in scribbly, animated style. THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS From the King James Bible. Illustrated by Pamela Dalton. 32 pp. Handprint/Chronicle. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Dalton's extraordinary illustrations for Katherine Paterson's retelling of "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" won rave reviews this past summer. Here, she uses the same intricate cut-paper artwork set against a dramatic black background, to great effect. Shimmering as in an illuminated text, the angel Gabriel, the Wise Men and the Virgin Mary reflect medieval iconography as well as the American folk art tradition. Children will enjoy contemplating the serene scenes to the cadence of the archaic language in the text. THE THIRD GIFT By Linda Sue Park. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. 32 pp. Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) Park, a Newbery medalist, strikes a highly original note in this beautifully told and exquisitely illustrated story about a boy who learns from his father how to cultivate myrrh in the Arab desert. Myrrh, drops of which the father and son call tears, is drawn from tree sap, then used as medicine, flavoring, salve and funereal incense. "When you smell the tears at a funeral, you know that someone truly beloved has died," the boy explains. Today's collection is destined for three men in fine robes, who add it to their stock of gold and frankincense. "The gifts are for a baby," they tell him. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 4, 2012]
Review by Booklist Review
For tots who won't relinquish their Goodnight Moon at bedtime, here is a similar view with a Christmas theme that is centered on a young boy saying good-night to each of the people and animals in a manger scene. The rhyming text begins: Goodnight to the baby in the hay. / Goodnight to the doves, coo coo. / Goodnight to the sleepy mother. / Goodnight to Joseph, too. The story thread encircles each creature and builds to the final spread, which depicts the boy and his parents sitting on his bed as he places a figure of the baby Jesus in a model manger. Wright's pastel illustrations are the sort of soft-edged stuff of Sunday school lessons, including a night sky full of swirling designs. There is nothing at all new here, but sometimes that is what makes for a cozy holiday read; no doubt plenty of families will appreciate this gentle version of the Christmas story.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Christmas Eve calls for extra-strength bedtime books for excited kids, and Buck offers one that will go down sweetly (and lend itself to repetition). Saying good night takes place first in scenes set at the birth of Jesus, and then in a snowy contemporary location, where a child settles down to sleep by a Nativity display in his bedroom that includes the figures from the earlier illustrations. Buck (Christmas in the Manger) and debut illustrator Wright produce a book that deserves special status, to be kept off-season with other holiday decorations and then brought out each year at Christmas. Great for grandparents to give. Ages 2-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A simple spin-off of Goodnight Moon with the scene shifting from the baby Jesus's birth in a barn to a modern child placing the manger figures by his window on Christmas Eve. The rhymes are straightforward ("Goodnight to the angel choir./Goodnight to the star above./Goodnight to the Holy Family./Goodnight to the ones we love."), and the colorful illustrations are sweet if somewhat generic. A quiet offering for those looking for a noncommercial take on the holiday.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Saying goodnight to all the participants in the Christmas story ("Goodnight to the baby in the hay. / Goodnight to the doves, coo coo. / Goodnight to the sleepy mother. / Goodnight to Joseph, too") turns out to be the Christmas Eve practice of a little boy with his manger scene before he goes to bed. As the narrative migrates from the nativity to the boy's snowy rural home, the creative twist in the plot naturally reveals itself. The soothing rhyming text and soft palette of the illustrations is ideal for bedtime read-alouds while also serving as a straightforward introduction to the important characters in the story of that first Christmas. cynthia k. ritter (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A preschool-age boy plays with his Nativity crche figures on the cover of this quietly charming bedtime story that integrates the little boy's world with the Christmas Eve story of the birth of the Christ Child.The soothing text follows the pattern of saying good night to each character and to some of the natural elements as well, in the manner of that other, most famous good-night story. He bids good night to each of the characters in the Nativity story, and then the text shifts to a snowy scene of a moonlit farm with a country church in the distance. ("Goodnight to the golden glowing moon" is a tip of the hat to the story's thematic predecessor.) The little boy reappears to put Baby Jesus to sleep in the manger, nicely tying the Nativity story to the child's personal world. Softly shaded, realistic illustrations are appealing in a quiet, pleasant way, with engaging touches. The little boy's stuffed lamb echoes the sheep appearing in both the Nativity scenes and in the final spread of the farm on Christmas morning, for instance. The double-page-spread format makes this a fine read-aloud for a group of little ones, but it's also a cozy choice as a December bedtime story.A terrific introduction for preschoolers who are just learning about the Nativity story.(Picture book/religion. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
