We Three Kings [Hardcover]

Gennady Spirin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

We three kings of Orient are;

Bearing gifts we traverse afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star.

Over two thousand years ago, three great kings journeyed across the desert, riding through the heat of day and dark of night. Each from a different region, each beckoned by the same gleaming star, each bearing treasures, each wishing to welcome a newborn asleep in a manger's hay -- a baby named Jesus, who would change the world.

This beloved Christmas carol, written in 1857, celebrates the wise men's journey and the first Christmas night. Internationally renowned artist Gennady Spirin pays his own type of homage with paintings so exquisitely detailed and wrought that they, too, are a gift -- to that baby in the manger and to you.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Opulence befitting royalty characterizes Spirin's (The Tale of the Firebird) lush, jewel-hued watercolor-and-colored-pencil interpretation of the beloved carol about the three wise men (and their extensive entourages) who traverse afar. A spread rendered in an antique-like palette and featuring a host of singing, trumpeting angels in an inky, starlit sky marks each refrain of the familiar tune. Although younger readers will need help understanding some of the phrasing, they'll be happy to read or hum along, or just gaze at the sumptuously outfitted parade of camels, elephants, horses and kings making their way to Bethlehem. All ages. (Oct.)
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068982114X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689821141
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXQUISITELY WROUGHT ILLUSTRATIONS, October 14, 2007

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Three Kings (Hardcover)

Russian born Gennady Spirin is one of the most gifted, imaginative artists working today. His illustrations are lush, rich, intricately detailed from the largest image to the smallest accouterment. Looking at some of the 30 books he has illustrated, it is as though one is looking at fine art. In fact, his works are found in private collections as well as museums throughout the world.

Mr. Spirin's awards are numerous - four gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, the Golden Apple from the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava, and first prize at both the Bologna and Barcelona International Book Fairs.

First written in 1857 We Three Kings is one of our most beloved Christmas carols as it tells of the wise men's journey to visit the manger in Bethlehem. Done in watercolor and colored pencils, Mr. Spirin's paintings for this carol appear bathed in a golden light. All are full page and exquisitely wrought, an illustrated edition of this traditional Christmas song which is sure to become a family keepsake.

- Gail Cooke

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars pretty but too short with repeated pages, December 8, 2009

By 

late night reader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We Three Kings (Hardcover)

The illustrations are beautiful but I was disappointed to see that the chorus page is repeated five times. When I say repeated, I mean the exact 2-page illustration is repeated, not just the chorus words. So every other page you turn, you see the exact page you saw 20 seconds earlier. It's a short book (20 pages of story content) and when half of the pages are repeats, it makes it even shorter. My children were confused and kept saying "we already saw that." I probably wouldn't have bought it if I had seen it beforehand.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Artwork!, December 23, 2007

By 

Terri B. Speier "Terri" (Santa Barbara) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Three Kings (Hardcover)

The words are simple from the song of "We Three Kings." The book is beautifully illustrated! My kids love it.