The Legend of the Christmas Rose [Library Binding]

Selma Lagerlof (Author), Ellin Greene (Author), Charles Mikolaycak (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1990

In hope of getting her husband pardoned, an exiled outlaw's wife agrees to reveal to an old monk the miracle in Goèinge Forest, where every Christmas Eve a beautiful garden blooms in remembrance of the birth of the Christ Child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this splendid retelling of a traditional Swedish folktale, an outcast family stops one day at a cloister to admire the abbot's private garden. Robber Mother tells the abbot of a far more glorious garden she knows of deep in the forest, one that blooms each Christmas Eve in remembrance of the Christ Child. The abbot longs to see it, and promises to ask the bishop for Robber Father's pardon if she will show it to him. In due course Robber Mother takes him there, but the young monk he has brought with him spoils the visit through his jealousy and fear. Though the Christmas garden never blooms again, each year at holiday time the Christmas rose sends forth its white blossoms. Greene's prose is crisp and elegant, and Mikolaycak's slightly brooding illustrations--in somber browns and greys--tie in well with the story's myth-like elements. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

The Robber Family, banished for the father's theft of a cow, live in a cave in the forest. When the mother and her children enter the cloister garden to admire the flowers, a lay brother asks them to leave. They refuse, and the old abbot is called. Mother Robber tells him of how the forest is transformed on Christmas Eve into a beautiful garden, a Christmas miracle that the old abbot longs to see. The bishop agrees to a pardon for Robber Father if he can see a flower from the Christmas garden. The following year the old abbot and the lay brother come to the forest to see for themselves; here the old abbot dies, clutching a handful of root bulbs. The lay brother plants them, and they bloom the following Christmas and forever after. This long legend, faithfully and smoothly retold, is set in the Middle Ages. Mikolaycak's attention to period detail as well as his dramatically composed pictures are evident, but the complexity of the setting and subject matter make the book of dubious interest to children.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 28 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823408213
• ISBN-13: 978-0823408214
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,418,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great holiday book--Rachel F. from Santa Barbara's favorite, December 2, 2005

By 

esar (Santa Barbara, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of the Christmas Rose (Library Binding)

My seven year old daughter loves this and just did a book report on it. An interesting, somewhat complex storyline with magnificant illustrations throughout. There are definitely religious themes herein, all within the historical context of medieval Sweden. Higly recomended.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Moralistic Story about Religious Self-Righteousness, August 15, 2009

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of the Christmas Rose (Library Binding)

This story is one of several Swedish legends explaining why the Christmas Rose blooms in winter. Robber Father has been exiled from his village for stealing a cow. One day, while Robber Mother is admiring the local abbot's garden, she tells him that every Christmas Eve part of the forest blooms. The abbot, taking this is a sign of God's favor, persuades the bishop to pardon Robber Father if the story is true. The abbot witnesses the forest blooming, but before he can pluck a blossom as proof, the lay brother with him cuts the miracle short with an outburst of unbelief and the bishop dies in the snow, grasping two shriveled flower bulbs. The lay brother plants the bulbs in the abbot's garden, and they bloom the next Christmas Eve. Robber Father is pardoned, and the lay brother spends the rest of his life in meditation and prayer, hoping to gain forgiveness.

Although the story is well written and beautifully illustrated, biblically-centered parents will need to consider it closely. The story hinges on whether Robber Father can be forgiven, and in the end he is pardoned on the basis of the miracle, with no expression of contrition for his theft. The lay brother, in contrast, having realized his error in judging Robber Father, spends the rest of his life in penitence. Robber Father is met with warm acceptance, the lay brother with clinging guilt. This leads me to conclude that this is not so much a story about forgiveness, but is more of a moralistic story about religious self-righteousness.

Two sins are dealt with here -- stealing and self-righteousness -- but only the latter requires repentance. Neither is considered in light of the basis for Christian forgiveness, which is that Jesus' death enables God to forgive sinners, and sinners are commanded to forgive others (1 Peter 3:18; Matthew 18:32-35). Apart from the grace that comes through the Cross, neither sin can be addressed biblically, and forgiveness rings hollow.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Rose, August 19, 2002

By 

Jay - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legend of the Christmas Rose (Library Binding)

This is a Swedish legend that explains the origin of the flower known as the Christmas Rose. Lagerlöf was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature in 1909. This legend, retold by Ellin Greene, originally appeared in a magazine in 1907. The illustrations are beautiful. They capture the emotions of the characters splendidly. The story is not too long for advanced second graders to read in a single sit-ting. Younger children will be able to listen to it. Several times however the layout alternates from a two-page spread of text to a two-page illustration. The text pages can appear overwhelming for young readers, and because there is not an illustration on every page, it can be cumbersome to use in a read-aloud. The story does, of course, have a mention of the Christ Child and central characters include a Bishop, Abbot and lay priest. There is no attempt to influence the reader on behalf of the Christian faith however. Still, it may create some difficulties in a public school classroom. A well-written and illustrated legend, it is a shame the design features make it less appealing and it may create some trouble in a public school classroom.

Why 4 stars?:
This is a nice story, but has some logistical design flaws. The illustrations are well suited and many children will most likely enjoy it. However, the subject material may not always be accepted in a public school classroom.