Brown baby Jesus

Williamson composes a story of faith across generations and locales, twining Jesus's upbringing with pivotal biblical tales. The story begins not with the manger, but with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus having fled from Bethlehem to Egypt, where they hope to escape King Herod's wrath. There, the family--portrayed with brown skin in Ellis's slick, portrait-focused art--avoids soldiers and walks along the Nile, as Mary spins wool into yarn. Mary and Joseph also detail Bible stories that interweave like "colorful threads that make a beautiful cloth": of Moses and the Israelites and Rahab and Jerusalem, among others. Across all the tales, the text posits, "God kept showing up for His people," and "made His home with humankind when Jesus entered the world wrapped in the brown skin of a newborn baby." Though the stories' intersections may not be clear to those not already in the know, they successfully portray a many-stranded family tree for a much celebrated child, whose "wooly hair and bronze skin are a beautiful part of how God made You." Ages 3--7. (Sept.)

Mary and Joseph made their way through the Egyptian marketplace with their brown baby Jesus in tow. Jesus's eyes took in the traders from near and far. His little nose filled with the scents of fruit, bread, and spices. His face lit up at the sight of children threading colorful clay beads. Just weeks before, Magi from the east had visited the family in Bethlehem, bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh to honor Jesus as the king of the Jews. Excerpted from Brown Baby Jesus: A Picture Book by Dorena Williamson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.