A Song for the King by Katrina Nannestad illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Day Twelve 12 Christmas Donkeys

"Oh, how Netta loved to sing. 

From dawn to dusk. 

In villas and vineyards. 

In stables and streets. 

In taverns and tents. 

In markets and meadows. 

And from the top of the hill that overlooked the town."

Publisher blurb: Netta the donkey loves to sing with her friends, Esther the sheep and Uzi the camel. They frolic around town from dawn till dusk, braying, bleating and gurgling. But sadly, not everyone likes to listen. Netta falls silent until something so wondrous happens that her song bursts forth once more.

Reviews:

This is a heart-warming story that will gladden the hearts of those who read it or listen to it. I loved how the narrative vividly described what was happening with the animals and how enthusiastic they are about singing and how despondent they are when they are taken to market. Blackwood’s soft water colour illustrations complement the text. The three baby animals are the focus of the story and I loved their expressions, the enjoyment they had in singing and working together. The illustrations also brought the countryside, the people and the markets to life, while adding depth with tiny details like chickens flying and a gorgeous little cat curled up on the stable. Read Plus

A book filled with love and joy to share at any time of the year. Story Links

I have talked about nearly every book by Katrina Nannestad on this blog - click on the label for this post. Read more about Freya Blackwood (our IBBY Australia honour book recipient for Banjo and Ruby Red and her book features in the IBBY Silent Books collections). Freya generously donated a postcard sized art work for our recent IBBY Australia mini masterpiece art auction - and YES I am now the proud owner.

Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson illustrated by Jane Chapman

Book seller blurb: It’s Christmastime, and Mortimer Mouse, unhappy in his cramped, cold hole, goes in search of a new home. He spies a nativity scene that looks just right for him, so he moves the statues out and settles himself into the manger! But when he hears the Christmas story being told and realizes that the statues are of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, he understands that the crèche is meant for them and returns everything to its rightful place. Then, suddenly, a Christmas miracle occurs and Mortimer discovers a new home, at last!

This book was published in 2005 but hopefully you can find a copy in a library - that's how I found this copy. Take a look at the Kirkus review.

After you have shared the nativity story with your family this Christmas try to find Mortimer's Christmas Manger. Reading this book will be made even more perfect if you also set up a nativity set in your home. My friend has a truly special one with knitted pieces and another friend has one with special European carved characters sitting in a small barn that she made herself.

Here are some other books by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman:

I previously talked about The Gift of Christmas. Here are some of her other Christmas books:

A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith

Today is Christmas day.  I recently gifted a copy of this book A Christmas Story to some grandparents. I picked up a copy at a charity book sale for just AUS$1. This morning the delighted grandmother and grandfather took the time to phone me and exclaim with delight telling me how much they loved this book and how perfect it will be for their precious granddaughter.

The traditional Christmas story of Mary and Joseph and their journey to Bethlehem and the "people" who also travel along - the wise men, the shepherds, the star and the angels - are all well-known but Brian Wildsmith lifts this story to another level in two ways. Firstly, he makes the story personal for the reader by adding the character of Rebecca who has been asked to care for a baby donkey. She follows Mary and Joseph who are riding the mother donkey and along the way Rebecca asks the various nativity characters for help to find the way. This is such a gentle and as I said, personal way, to retell the story for a young child. Secondly, this book is filled with the most glorious art. I explained to the grandparents that picture books can be a way to give a young child a very special art experience long before you take them to a more formal art gallery. Every child needs to see and experience books illustrated by Brian Wildsmith.

There are huge landscape scenes in this book echoing the enormity of this story and on some pages little Rebecca and her baby donkey are portraited as tiny characters in a corner of the scene and yet somehow, they remain the focus of the illustration. Brian Wildsmith also fills his pages with gold and there are pages that just seem to shimmer and shine.

"Once, a long time ago, in a town called Nazareth, a little donkey was born."

"So the little donkey and Rebecca went on. Suddenly glorious music filled the sky. And then they saw a great star shing down on the little town of Bethlehem."

Here is a video of the whole book.  This book has been published several times - here are some of the other covers. You could also click on the label Brian Wildsmith at the bottom of this post to read about the exhibition I visited in Barnsley.

Here are two review quotes:

The detail in the pictures means that each turn of the page brings something interesting to talk about. If you are looking for a book to bring more to the Christmas celebration than presents and Santa then A Christmas Story is for you. Enjoy it! - The Bookbag

The beautiful illustrations ... are evocative in a quite different way and they are equally skillful in bringing the story of the birth of Jesus to life. - Julia Eccleshare, The Guardian online

Ruby the Christmas Donkey by Mirabel Cecil illustrated by Christina Gascoigne

"The little animals were usually fast asleep now, but they could not rest while their old friend Ruby was so unhappy. They decided that since she could not make a warm winter coat for herself, they would make one for her."

This is a deeply poignant story about an old donkey who spends her summers giving rides to children at the beach but now it is winter. It is bitterly cold and usually Ruby and the other donkey named Scarlett are able to grow a warmer coat as they spend winter in a farm paddock but this year Ruby just feels too old to grow her coat. The wild animals are deeply concerned and so they weave Ruby a beautiful coat from various forest materials.

When the neighborhood children come to select donkey for their Nativity play they see Ruby in her magical coat. She looks perfect for the play and so she is led away to be the star of the show with the promise of a happy but not specified happy ending. 

Ruby's friends think her as precious as the gem she's named after in this deft tale of generosity, compassion and love. An aging donkey no longer able to grow a warm winter coat, Ruby faces her last days in icy misery. But the donkey's woodland pals literally give of themselves to weave Ruby a warm, colorful coat. To boot, her newly stylish appearance earns her a starring role in the Christmas pageant. Chipper animals rendered in soft, earth-toned watercolors, brighten the stark snowy landscape. Publisher's Weekly

Here is the hardcover edition:

This book is from 1980 and so it is long out of print. I picked up a copy at a charity book sale in 2019 for just AUS$1. I have seen a new first edition copy of Ruby the Christmas Donkey is for sale for US$65. I haven't been able to find out very much about the illustrator Christina Gascoigne except that she and Mirabel Cecil were neighbors in Norfolk UK. Mirabel Cecil died aged 80 in 2024.  Here is another of their books: 

Here in Australia it is the end of the school year and many school libraries take the opportunity to 'weed' or cull their book collections. Of course, this is necessary, but I would hope that the staff especially the teacher-librarians involved in this process might take the time to read the picture books they think need culling. A tiny insignificant book like this could easily be culled but that should not happen. This is a sweetly emotional story about kindness, empathy and Christmas with soft colour pencil illustrations. I do hope you can find a copy in your local or school library and while it might be too late this year perhaps you can share it next Christmas.

One Starry Night by Lauren Thompson illustrated by Jonathan Bean

This book has a minimal text perfect for sharing with a young child, but the standout features are the wonderful illustrations which I am sure are quite different from other Christmas books you might be sharing this season. 

The text has two parts - it reads like a conversation: One starry night a sheep watched over her lamb, a cow watched over her calf, a nanny goat watched over her kid, a pig watched over her piglet, a cat watched over her kitten, a dog watched over her pup, a donkey watched over her foal, a dove watched over her doveling. 

"On this starry night Mary and Joseph watched over their newborn babe and the world was filled with love."

On each page there is text in an italics font: I am here always near never far wherever you are caring for you whatever you do day and night my love is bright beloved one God's will be done Amen

This year for my Christmas posts I am focusing on older books (all of which are sure to be out of print sadly). Hopefully one or two might be in your local or school library.

Bookseller blurb: One starry night, a cow watches over her calf, a nanny goat watches over her kid, and a pig watches over her piglet. For this one moment, every family in the animal kingdom is peaceful, just like Mary and Joseph watching over their own newborn nearby. This simple yet profound book perfectly captures the universal nighttime vigil of parents everywhere while gently alluding to the presence of a nurturing creator who watches overall. Lauren Thompson is at her lyrical best, while Jonathan Bean's gorgeous, artisanal illustrations are the perfect match for this beautifully serene story of a truly Peaceable Kingdom.

“This arresting story of the first Christmas has a succinct, powerful, rhyming text and striking illustrations unlike any other version of the Nativity story, with art and words perfectly matched in an artistic tour de force. This unforgettable interpretation stands out as a bright, multifaceted star in the crowded constellation of Christmas Eve stories.” –Kirkus reviews (starred)

“This tender, poetic retelling of the age-old story takes the form of a whispered prayer as it highlights the nurturing given to babies of many species. The art and the words strike just the right tone of reverence and delight. A lovely offering.” —School Library Journal (starred)

"In Thompson’s poetic, reverent text, two voices tell of the night Jesus was born. This peaceful ode to parental love is just right for bedtime reading. Bean’s digitally colored pencil illustrations portray the calm nighttime scenes in black, beige, dark gray-blue, and a sprinkling of white. The gentle words are beautifully matched by the strikingly composed art; both are infused with meaning and are powerful in their simplicity." --The Horn Book

Here is another book by Lauren Thompson with art by Jonathan Bean

I also adored this book by Lauren Thompson:

Polar Bear Night

The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Blurb: The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. In it we meet a boy who is learning his father's trade; a man who gathers resin from certain trees; a merchant in the marketplace; and three strangers in brightly colored robes who are shopping for a gift for a baby. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this simple, moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

"My father collects tears. This is what they are called: the pearls of sap that seep out of a tree when the bark is cut. Maybe they are called tears because it seems as if the tree is crying."

What are these tears? What is this tree? How does this relate to the Nativity story? Think about the wise men and the three gifts. Gold - you know what that is but what about frankincense and myrrh?

Frankincense and myrrh are both resins extracted from trees in the Burseraceae family, also known as the torchwood or incense family. Frankincense comes from the dried sap of Boswellia trees, while myrrh comes from the lifeblood of the Commiphora. ... If you held the finished product in your hand, frankincense would look like golden raisins, or fossilized popcorn. It’s a small, dried, and slightly shiny yellow globule. “I liken it to grading diamonds,” Daly says. “It’s about color, it’s about clarity, it’s about shape.” Myrrh, meanwhile, is rougher, brown, perhaps more scatological, though fundamentally similar in size and sheen. Popular Science

This boy and his father are collecting Myrrh. The end notes explain this is usually associated with funerals as an embalming oil. As a child Linda Sue Park wondered about this word - myrrh but she didn't dare ask any questions. I think I had the same reaction - I just assumed this was a mystical substance from ancient times - I had no idea it came from tree sap. If you can find a copy of this book it would be a wonderful addition to your own Christmas collection and it would also be a terrific book to read to a group of students in your school library both in a secular school and a religious school. 

This lyrical tale of few words and magnificent artwork is a keeper for anyone who loves tales of lives in different parts of the world, and for anyone who loves Christmas.  Kids' Book Review

The scenes in this book reminded me of Mirror by Jeannie Baker and this different Christmas story, The Third Gift, reminded me of this one:

I am a huge fan of Linda Sue Park. I treasure my memories of reading A Single Shard; Prairie Lotus; The One thing you'd Save; The Firekeeper's Son; The Kite Fighters; and See Saw Girl.

Bagram Ibatoulline was born in Russia and educated at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute. His first book was Philip Booth's Crossing, named a 2001 Best Book by Publishers Weekly. He is best known for his books with Kate di Camillo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Great Joy.  Bagram lives in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania.

I am a bit late beginning my Christmas blog set. I should have begun on 1st December and today is the 3rd.  Today our small IBBY committee bundled up over fifty precious post card sized art original from our Australian illustrators. Our 2023 IBBY fund raiser has been a huge success. The Third Gift was published in 2011 but I have seen it listed on the site of an online book seller - unfortunately it is listed for more than AUS$40.

Christmas 2022 book selection

 

I've posted my Christmas book choices over recent days. This year I didn't try to have a theme - I just gathered a random selection of Christmas books to share here on my blog. Some are old, some are new, some are long out of print, a couple are Australian, and hopefully nearly all of them will still be in a school or public library. I found a few of these at a recent charity book sale and others I borrowed from a very well stocked school library. 

A Small Miracle

The Snow Angel

Christmas Magic

A House for Christmas Mouse

Strega Nona's Gift

Merry Christmas, Blue Kangaroo!

The Polar Bear who Saved Christmas

The Polar Express

The Animals' Christmas Carol

Green is for Christmas

e-mail Jesus @ Bethleham

The First Noel

Emily Brown and Father Christmas

Grace and the Christmas Angel

Dasher

Check my past Christmas books by clicking Christmas on my sidebar. 

Grace and the Christmas Angel by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker illustrated by Jane Ray

Bookseller blurb: It's Christmas Eve. The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped and it's a big day for Grace. She is singing a song in the nativity show, and her fisherman daddy has promised to be back in time to watch her. But when a storm blows up at sea, Grace walks out on stage to find Daddy is not there. She's very worried. But luckily, Grace has someone watching over her. Will Hope, the Christmas Angel, be able to help Daddy get home safely for Christmas morning?

Grace and the Christmas Angel was published in 2021. This book is the first in a planned series entitled Guardian Angels. The two covers above are the paperback and hardcover editions. 

The illustrations by Jane Ray are truly special in this longer format picture book which will be enjoyed by readers aged 8+. It would make a beautiful family read aloud book.

Read more about books by Jane Ray here. 

Here are two other books I enjoyed where children take part in a Nativity play:

Angel Mae

Shine