Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Evocative new art enlivens poetic telling of Nativity story.
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Why Age 4+?
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What's the Story?
CHRISTMAS IN THE BARN begins with a barn and its animals as a bright star rises. "Two people who had lost their way" (the unnamed Mary and Joseph) arrive to sleep in the hay "Because there was no room at the inn." The animals and the new couple are "all safe and warm all together in that ancient barn." As the star burns bright in the night, a newborn babe is born. The shepherds with their sheep plus the three wise men arrive to watch the newborn in the manger.
Is It Any Good?
Evocative new art enlivens this reissue of the rhythmic, poetic telling of the Nativity story by masterful children's book author Margaret Wise Brown. In Christmas in the Barn, Brown uses her full arsenal of kids' book know-how to tell the story of the birth in the manger, mesmerizing readers with rhyme and repetition. She also adds to the classic feel by seamlessly weaving in fragments of lyrics kids will recognize from well-known Christmas carols, for instance, "Away in a manger, no crib for his bed." The story talks about, but does not name, the human characters -- Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the Wise Men -- and draws in young readers by emphasizing all the animals present at the crèche scene.
The art, by another beloved children's book creator, Anna Dewdney, is rendered in oil paint that evokes the dusty desert landscape in which the babe was born. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are pictured with somewhat darker skin, though one might wish they looked more clearly and consistently Middle Eastern. All in all, a lovely introduction to the classic Nativity story for young readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the characters in Christmas in the Barn. Do you know the names of the characters? Since the author never names them, how can you tell who they are?
Where do you think this story takes place? What clues can you find in the art?
Do you recognize any of the words in the book from Christmas carols you've heard or sung? Which sentences or phrases sound familiar to you? What songs are they from?
Book Details
- Author: Margaret Wise Brown
- Illustrator: Anna Dewdney
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Holidays , Horses and Farm Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: September 20, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback
- Last updated: October 18, 2017
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