One Winter's Night [Paperback]

John Herman (Author), Diane Dillon (Illustrator), Leo Dillon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

It is a cold winter’s night, and Martha is looking for shelter. Even a cow needs a safe, warm place to give birth to her baby. The house she finds is abandoned; the barn she finds is locked. Then one bright star guides Martha to a stable. There, a man and a woman have found shelter as well—and another very special baby is about to be born. Leo and Diane Dillon’s beautiful art blends seamlessly with John Herman’s lyrical text in this tale of two mothers’ miraculous journeys on the first Christmas night.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A cow lost on a cold and snowy night searches for a safe place in which to give birth. When she finally finds a stable, she is welcomed by a young couple who have also taken shelter there. Predictably, both mothers-human and bovine-give birth to "two glorious babies on one winter's night." A lyrical narrative and radiant watercolor-and-pastel illustrations lift this parallel Nativity story above the more hackneyed versions that are widely available. The Dillons present the cow's story in full-page naturalistic paintings on the right side of each spread while the journey of the human couple is pictured in monochromatic pictures resembling woodcuts above the text on the left. This is a good choice for read-alouds in family and church settings.-V. W.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. This artistic, bifurcated representation of the nativity night relates how Martha, a lost, pregnant cow, follows a single star in the sky until she finds a shed where "the starlight gleamed down like silver." Inside is a bearded man kneeling beside a radiant woman. Illustrations on the right-hand pages, in elegant style and colored in beautiful blues with bright highlights, depict Martha's search for shelter; opposite, across the top of the page and colored in sepia tones, are woodcuts showing Joseph and Mary's travels. The parallel journeys intersect in the shed, where both Mary and Martha give birth, "two glorious babies on one winter's night." The simple, lyrical text makes no biblical references other than the man calling the woman Mary. The use of contrasting art styles is interesting although it sometimes interrupts the narrative flow. Still, there is both tenderness and poignancy in this original and unusual presentation. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142404586
• ISBN-13: 978-0142404584
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,436 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 Gloriously soothing, November 24, 2004

By 

John Wetterholt (Woodstock, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Winter's Night (Hardcover)

This is a very gentle story, enthrallingly soothingly told, with illustrations that make you feel cozy despite the preponderance of snow depicted on every page. The parallel between Martha the cow's birth story and the sparely told Nativity is just right--not overdone, never preachy. The willingness of the human couple to exercise concern for Martha is a nice touch and lends a magical feature to the story. My 15-month-old son is just beginning to develop an interest in story time, and this is one he insists on almost every night!

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Story, July 14, 2006

By 

Chris - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Winter's Night (Paperback)

I read this book to my little sister when we got it from the library. The story is well-written and conveys a great message. It's pace and wording flows easy when reading aloud, and I highly recommend it for younger kids.