Customer Reviews

Angela and the Baby Jesus (Adult Edition)

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Written by Frank McCourt, ANGELA AND THE BABY JESUS is a retelling of a true story that McCourt's mother relayed to him about an event she was involved in as a child. There are two editions of the story, a children's version and an adult version. The children's version is filled with more illustrations. This review is focused on the adult version of the book that has illustrations by Loren Long.

Little seven-year-old Angela sees the baby Jesus alone in the manger at church and decides that he must get cold laying where he is and decides to take him home and warm him up. However, it's not an easy task as one might think.

I love McCourt's writing and I am thankful to him for sharing about his life and now an episode from the life of his mother. McCourt's books are very sad and full of dark humor. However, ANGELA AND THE BABY JESUS isn't quite like that. There is some humor involved, but overall it's a heartwarming story full of the love, joy, and peace that surround the Christmas season.

This book is short and very appealing to young readers. The message is universal. It's about love.

"Angela and the Baby Jesus" is a delightful light, but moving book suitable for all ages --both children and adult. Although children might enjoy the larger colorful illustrations by Raul Colon in the special children's edition of the book better.This book is a petite 6 3/4 by 6 3/4 inch book which makes it an ideal Christmas stocking stuffer. The very dark illustrations by Loren Long are done in the Chris Van Allsburg style. Just about every other page is a full page full color (even though they are mostly dark --grays, browns, blacks and shades of blue) illustration. Based on his mother's true experience, Frank McCourt weaves a delightful and sentimental Christmas tale between the pages of this book.

Frank McCourt's tale centers around his mother who sees the baby Jesus in the nativity scene in St. Joseph's Church near School House Lane. Because Angela was no stranger to the cold and darkness, she was touched by the fact that the Baby Jesus was cold in the crib at St. Joseph's Church. Angela secretly takes the baby Jesus home and tenderly places Him in her own bed and covers him with warm blankets. At the urging of her brother Pat, her mom discovers the baby Jesus and takes Him and Angela and her brothers Tom and Pat and her sister Aggie to the Church. When they arrive they are met by the parish priest and a policeman who have been looking for the baby Jesus and the thief who took Him. When the priest and the policeman asked who took the baby Jesus, Angela readily admits it and tells them that the Baby Jesus was cold and that she took Him home to warm Him up. Both the policeman and the priest are touched by Angela's act of kindness. That in itself woud make a delightful Christmas story. But the real storyline is what happens next. Her brother does something that captures the true meaning of Christmas that causes even the priest and policeman to cry. You, too, will shed a little tear when you read about what her brother did.

This book captures the true beauty of the Christmas spirit and can be enjoyed by both adults and children in this edition. The description says this is the adult edition but please don't let that deter you from giving the book to someone in 4th Grade or above. Actually I prefer the illustrations in this adult edition over the ones in the children's edition. They seem to be more mysterious and convey the life of Angela more realistically.

Once more Frank McCourt has delved into his youth - or rather, his mother's - to write a terse, engaging Christmas saga which will remind readers of his Pulitzer Prize-winning "Angela's Ashes". Young Angela Sheehan is six years old, and wonders about the baby Jesus in his crib. This is yet another heart-felt, memorable tale from Frank McCourt that is replete with his crisp, lyrical prose. While I won't predict whether this will be a perennial favorite at Christmas, it should be a most delightful saga enjoyed by everyone this Christmas. This adult edition of "Angela and the Baby Jesus" features superbly executed illustrations from illustrator Loren Long. Without question, this wee book promises to be a favorite of McCourties (diehard fans of Frank McCourt) and of others interested in the McCourt family saga. Having heard first hand Frank's eloquence as a spellbinding raconteur while I was a prize-winning student of his at New York City's elite science and mathematics-oriented Stuyvesant High School, let me say that his skill is all too evident in this fine little book.

my entire family loved this book! My son's received it first & thought it would be a great gift for our uncle who is a priest! The only difference between the children's version & the adult is the art work. It's a lovely story!

I LOVE Frank McCourt's books. There is no story more emotionally riveting and profound than "Angela's Ashes". I just wish his newer books had better endings. This most recent book just dwindles away at the end. I was waiting for something more, and it merely dropped off. Frank is truly the best story teller of our lifetime. I hope he writes many more books about Ireland.