Customer Reviews

An Angel Came to Nazareth (Templar)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the most beautiful books one could ever own. It's the story of the first Christmas told in lilting verse through the eyes of the animals. Richly illustrated with special embossed details make this book a treasure for many, many generations. I am proud to own it in my own personal collection, and will purchase many copies as Christmas gifts for my family and friends.

In ancient Nazareth an angel had a riddle for the barn animals. Who was the greatest of the four travelers and which would carry him? One by one the creatures answered--the horse first picked the soldier. Two other animals answered before the donkey told the angel, "the lady waiting here who needs bearing most of all." The three other travelers and their beasts of burden followed the donkey to the stall where Jesus was born.

This retelling of the Christmas story flows gently through a simple poem. It is stunningly illustrated for young children. With thick embossed pages, and rich colors, many will buy the book for the illustrations alone. Its simple message will become a classic in many households. - Carol Stratton, Christian Book Previews.com

I was given this book as a gift. Words cannot describe how amazingly beautiful the illustrations are. The pages are high quality and textured so the kids love how it feels. The colors are vibrant and it is a nice and easily understandable version of the story of the first Christmas.

Pretty book? Absolutely.

"A Story of the First Christmas?" Not at all.

Most of these illustrationswould make beautiful Christmas cards. But the story is only vaguely related to the actual Christmas story.

This is a wonderful choldren's book with a nice new angle on Christmas that is superbly illustrated. I believe it is best for children up to about 8 years old. I loved reading it with my daughter and feel it will be part of our Christmas traditions for a long time.

I was so happy we ordered this on our child's Scholastic choices for the month! The illustrations are gorgeous as previous reviewers have said. They are almost kind of medieval in appearance.

The book is written in verse and has a beautiful lyrical quality to it.

Of course, the best part is the message. An angel goes to a stable and calls out some animals. Each of the animals has to choose what it will carry. It starts with the horse who chooses the strongest looking person. It then goes to a "lower" animal who chooses the good Samaritan. Although the Samaritan is good, he's not the best. The next animal chooses one of the wise men. The angel acknowledges he is wise and will discover what's at the star. The lowest animal, the donkey chooses Mary because she needs to be carried. The angel says that's the best choice as Mary is carrying the best of all. What a cute way of sharing the story of Jesus! I found myself just as entranced as my children!

This is one of the most beautiful books one could ever own. It's the story of the first Christmas told in lilting verse through the eyes of the animals. Richly illustrated with special embossed details make this book a treasure for many, many generations. I am proud to own it in my own personal collection, and will purchase many copies as Christmas gifts for my family and friends.

I gave this book to my 3 1/2 year old son for Christmas and was afraid it would be too sophisticated for him. But he loved it as much as I do because of the rhythm of the lovely poem and the absolutely gorgeous artwork with golden accents and embossed pages. A book not only to read and look at but also to "feel". It is different from the many other Christmas books and I highly recommend it.