Illustrated by Jonathan Bean
Margaret K. McElderry, 2011
$16.99, ages 1-6, 32 pages
The story of Jesus's birth feels like a whispered lullaby in this breathtaking book that alternates line by line between two poems.
In the first poem, author Lauren Thompson describes nativity animals keeping vigil over their young, while in the second, she assures a child she'll always stay near.
The effect is lovely, and it allows the adult reading the story aloud to draw the reader in in a very intimate way.
When Thompson writes that on a starry night, a sheep watches over her lamb, the words, "I am here," echo afterwards in italics, as if spoken in a hushed voice to a child.
