What are the best children’s books on the nativity?
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Version 0 of 1. In the run up to Christmas we have been telling all kinds of seasonal stories. Now we have set up the Christmas tree and want to have some good stories about the nativity to put under it so that we can be reminded of what is really being celebrated, which are the best ones? For a breathtaking visual take on the nativity, Jan Pienkowski’s The First Christmas is hard to beat. And it will be returned to again and again. The story is told in a series of stunning silhouettes each of which is full of wonder , mystery and humour. To add a touch of tradition, the very brief words of the text are taken from the King James Bible. The beautiful illustrations in Brian Wildsmith’s A Christmas Story are evocative in a quite different way and they are equally skilful in bringing the story of the birth of Jesus to life. Brian Wildsmith tells the story form the point of view of a baby donkey who makes the journey to the famous stable with a little girl on his back. On their way they meet several other animals who join them on their journey. How all the animals come to celebrate is a touching story firmly rooted in the real world which makes the special birth appear to be more grounded and rather less mysterious. In The Christmas Story by Ian Beck there is more awe and wonder with radiant skies filled with cheerful angels making wonderful music providing a background to the traditional story of the birth in a stable. The Nativity Story by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean is a simply and affectingly told version of the traditional story with illustrations by Sophy Williams. Geraldine McCaughrean keeps close to the Bible, making this a version of the nativity which will ensure the family know the important parts of the story which are celebrated in some of the most familiar carols. Nicholas Allen takes a far more iconoclastic approach in his wonderfully witty Jesus’ Christmas Party which is told from the point of view of the inn keeper. Short of sleep, all the inn keeper wants is some peace and quiet so that he can close his eyes and rest. His prosaic approach makes an entertainingly human contrast to the miraculous birth that is taking place in his stable. As the range of titles shows, the nativity story is very flexible in the number of ways in which it can be told and in the size and variety of its cast of characters. Nowhere is that flexibility more evident than in any school’s nativity play which has to accommodate to the variations in size and skill of a possible cast. Roles in the nativity play from the starring ones of Mary, Joseph and the Innkeeper to the lesser ones of shepherd, sheep or even spider can all be embraced. The Nativity Play by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen humorously captures the creativity that is the essence of every performance of the nativity and the vital role all those involved play in making it a success. This selection of nativity picture books can be given a rich background and a wider context by an anthology of stories to read aloud. Michael Morpurgo’s Christmas Stories is a selection of his own stories on the theme, illustrated by a variety of artists which includes Christmas stories from many traditions. Of particular relevance this year is the famous story of the football match that took place in the trenches in the first world war. Alternatively, The Oxford Book of Christmas Stories complied by Dennis Pepper covers a wide range of Christmas themes as told by authors from Charles Dickens to Jacqueline Wilson. Funny, poignant and even ghostly these will bring a different kind of awe and wonder to story of the nativity. Do you have a question for the Book Doctor? Email childrens.books@theguardian.com or pose it on Twitter @GdnchildrensBks using #BookDoctor. If you are under 18 and not a member of the Guardian children’s books join here, we’re packed full of book recommendations and ideas. |