| Birth of Jesus in Kids' Books Nov 12th 2011, 10:08 There are some excellent children's books about the birth of Jesus, particularly Christmas picture books. If you are looking for the best kids' books about the birth of Jesus, here are a number of Christmas picture books and one special pop-up book about the Nativity that the whole family will enjoy. In some cases, the story of the first Christmas is told directly from the Bible, generally the King James version. 
Simon & Schuster The words of Christmas Is Here come from the King James Bible. Lauren Castillo is the illustrator of this Christmas picture book for ages 4-8. The story begins and ends with scenes of a modern family with two small children enjoying a live Nativity scene. In between, the location shifts to Bethlehem and the story of the angel appearing to the shepherds and the shepherds following the star to the baby Jesus in the manger. Castillo has done a nice job of illustrating what a live Nativity scene symbolizes. (Simon and Schuster, 2010. ISBN: 9781442408227) Read my review of Christmas Is Here. 
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers The Nativity: From the Gospels of Matthew and Luke is an illustrated picture book that combines the words of the Bible from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke with the beautiful oil paintings of Ruth Sanderson. Her publisher notes that "Ruth finds inspiration for her art in icons, Renaissance paintings, illuminated manuscripts, old engravings and woodcuts," and this book is a reflection of that. Each double page spread contains one page of text with a different motif in the border of the panel of text facing a detailed painting with an intricate border. Reading this book with your family is a lovely way to share the Bible story of the birth of Jesus with all ages. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2010. ISBN: 9780802853714) 
Candlewick Press Jan Pietnkowski reaches new heights in artistry and paper engineering with his exquisite book The First Noel, which will be treasured by children and adults alike. The cover, with its silhouettes of the holy family, gives only the slightest clue as to the treasures inside this Christmas carousel pop-up book. This unique Christmas pop-up book would make a terrific gift for the entire family. (Candlewick Press, 2004. ISBN: 0763621900) Read my review of The First Noel. 
Abrams Books for Young Readers  In The Christmas Story from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the Bible story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus is accompanied by exquisite artwork from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The text, from the King James Version of the Bible, includes selections from Isaiah and from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Each double-page spread features full-page art on one page and an excerpt from the Bible, along with a detail from the featured painting, on the facing page. (Abrams Books for Young Readers, An Imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2009. ISBN: 9780810980020) Read my review of The Christmas Story from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. 
Workman Publishing The Story of Christmas: Storybook Set & Advent Calendar is an unusual Advent calendar. For each day of Advent, it includes a miniature illustrated board book. Each board book contains a retelling of a portion of the story of the Nativity, ending on Christmas Eve with the story of the birth of Jesus. Each miniature book provides a small piece of the Christmas story through the retellings by Mary Packard. Even small children who may not be able to thoroughly comprehend the stories will enjoy the artwork by Carolyn Croll and the novelty of miniature books. I recommend it for all ages. (Workman Publishing, 2008. ISBN: 9780761152507)Â Read my review of The Story of Christmas. 
HarperCollins The simple rhythmic text by Margaret Wise Brown is coupled with the gentle watercolors of Caldecott Honor artist Diane Goode in Christmas in the Barn. While the heart of the story remains true to the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, details that might confuse a young child have been left out of both the text and the illustrations. This is a calm and soothing story, a good book to share at bedtime with ages 3-6. (HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN: 9780060526368) Read my review of Christmas in the Barn. 
Hyperion Books for Children Dennis Nolan’s gentle, soft focus watercolors complement the lyrical text by Pam Muñoz Ryan. It’s often hard for the young children who are used to cold weather and snow during the winter to understand how very different it was on the first Christmas. By starting with scenes of three children in the snow and contrasting that modern scene with text, then artwork and text, about the birth of Jesus, the reader is transported to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. (Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. ISBN: 0786854928)  | |
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