The story of Christmas [Paperback]

Vivian French (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

This simple retelling of the story of the birth of Jesus captures all the wonder and excitement of the first-ever Christmas Day.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

French's simple yet reverent retelling of the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth is an excellent choice for very young children. The language, easy but never condescending, retains a certain freshness: "A long time ago God called for the angel Gabriel and gave him a very special message to deliver," the story begins. The acrylics star a kindly cast with sweet smiles and shining black-dot eyes; the tone is friendly from cover to cover. Ages 4-up. (Oct.)

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-This story of Jesus's birth begins with the angel Gabriel's appearance to Mary and proceeds through the journey to Bethlehem and the visitation to the manger by the shepherds and wise men. The straightforward retelling is made accessible to beginning readers through its controlled vocabulary, large print, and brief text. It also makes a good read-aloud for young children. The cartoonlike watercolor paintings nicely complement the presentation with just enough detail to flesh out the simple narrative. A joyful and readable introduction to the Nativity.-M.W.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 21 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439187869
• ISBN-13: 978-0439187862
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,209,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely little Christmas story, October 25, 2011

By 

Church Lady (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of Christmas (Paperback)

I loved this little book. It is simple enough for the pre-K Sunday School class to understand but still captures the attention of our 4th grade class as well. It is well written and wonderfully illustrated. I was looking for a new book instead of rereading the same ones every year, and I am very pleased with this selection!

5.0 out of 5 stars simply told and accurate, October 14, 2008

By 

Hilary (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Christmas (Paperback)

I love this story book as it tells the story of Christmas cheerfully, simply and accurately in language comprehensible to under fives. It starts with God sending the Angel Gabriel to Nazareth to speak to Mary, then Joseph. It explains clearly why they had to go to Bethlehem, what happened when they got there, going on to angels appearing to very ordinary looking shepherds in the fields. It ends with the wise men visiting, and the angels celebrating in heaven that God's Son was born. There is none of Mary and Joseph knocking on every door with "no vacancies" signs, or pious sounding rhymes which obscure the true meaning. Instead, Mary and Joseph meet up with uncles, aunts and cousins in Bethlehem. The greek word so often mistranslated as "inn" is in fact the same word used to describe the "upper room" (i.e. the main room of the house), hence the need to sleep in a stable. It is great to find a Christmas story that takes account of this.