Customer Reviews

Mortimer's Christmas Manger

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book for my 18 month old daugther in Dec. 2005. I was so excited when I saw the description for Mortimer's Christmas Manager because it talked about Christmas trees and twinkling lights AND the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Jesus Christ. So many Christmas books were either completely secular or completely religious. Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with completely religious (one of my daughter's favorite books is her toddler bible) but since she was so young - I wanted a story that would help her associate the overwhelming icons of Christmas (Trees, lights, Santa, etc.) with Jesus. This book did just that. It is a great story with beautiful meaning that we both love!

I bought this book for my 5 and 2 year old. They loved it, almost as much as I did. The pictures are wonderful, the concept simple and beautiful. It was a nice way to retell one of the basic values of Christmas - making room for Jesus, and how He always has room for us. This will be a Christmas tradition to read each year together.

I've started a Christmas picture book collection for my son, and I purchased Mortimer's Christmas Manger along with Bear Stays Up For Christmas to add this year. This is such a cute story - Mortimer dislikes his cold, lonely mouse hole and when he finds the manger scene he thinks it is the perfect replacement. Such a great way to talk about the Nativity. The writing is a little more lengthy than the Bear books, but still just as good. I haven't found a Karma Wilson book yet that we don't love!

Very cute Christmas Book about a little mouse who moves into a manger, moving everyone else out. Later, as he hears the family tell the Chrismas Story he realizes that the babe in the comfy manger is Jesus and moves them all back in. He gets his own reward for his kindness in the end.
It's a very cute book. The characters, drawn by the same illustrator as the "Bear Snores On" books are sweet and the story itself has a good message. My two girls love "Mortimer" and we read it almost non-stop after we received it. Being Christian, I especially appreciated that the author was willing to use the name Jesus and to keep it tied to the true meaning of the season.

Mortimer is a mouse, living in a dark hole under the stairs. In his opinion, his hole is "too cold, too cramped, too creepy." One night, as he's sneaking around the big house looking for crumbs that the human family may have left behind, Mortimer finds what he thinks will be a perfect new home for him -- the stable in a Nativity scene. The excited mouse struggles to drag all the Nativity figures out of this stable, and he nestles himself down in the manger. The next day, as he's out prowling for crumbs, he comes back to find that someone has put the figures back into the stable! Annoyed, he drags them out again, and so it goes for several days, until one evening, Mortimer overhears the human father reading the Christmas story to his children, about how there was no room for them in the inn. The little Mouse realizes that the statue he has been dragging out of the manger each day is a statue of baby Jesus. Touched by the story, Mortimer decides that he wants to make room for the baby Jesus, and carefully puts all the figures back in their places. And in the end, Mortimer own prayer is granted. He finds a home that is just right for him!

If you and your children loved all of the Bear books you will love this one too. The book is beautifully illustrated and Mortimer the mouse presents a very sweet and age appropriate telling of the Christmas story.

I wasn't looking for a super-religious story, but wanted to explain to my four-year old that Christmas is about more than making a list of presents and expecting them to appear on Christmas day. He loves this story and wants me to read it to him over and over. Although he's not reading independently yet, yesterday he "read" the book to me and clearly had absorbed the story. It's very sweet and touching and somewhat tells the Christmas story. My only objection is that it throws out lines such as "Jesus was born to save the world" without giving them any context. Still, it is rapidly becoming a favorite Christmas story in our household.

I stumbled on this book @ the bookstore fall 2005, & came home & ordered several copies for us & as gifts for others. The illustrations are precious & very colorful. The angle of the story being told, & some illustrations being from the point of view of a mouse is clever & engaging. For Christians, it is especially poignant when the mouse discovers that the figures he has been hauling out of what looked to him like a great new house (nativity stable), actually represent those present @ the birth of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. It is an excellent short & appealing story for children, w/ a focus on the real reason for Christmas.

My daughters are 2 and 4 and they LOVE this book. We pull out our nativity set (the one they can play with) while we read this book, and they love to play along as Mortimer luggs and tuggs the members of the nativity set out....what a cute story, and a sweet message. Perfect for ANY child.

What a wonderful, sweet, Christmas story! I've already ordered two more to save for Christmas gifts next year. Great for children, but equally enjoyable by adults.