Bethlehem: Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, Catholic Edition

The text, which is abridged from the RSV, is very readable. It maintains the language of the Gospels but shortens it for a child's attention span. My almost-two year-old and three and a half year-old both enjoy listening to it. I love the fact that it doesn't water down the Bible as some children's Christmas books do but presents it to them full strength. The illustrations are beautiful, inspired by stained glass. The children enjoy their bright colors and will spend time staring at the pages. I find them conducive to a prayer and meditation and find myself flipping through the book when the children aren't around. This is my favorite version of the Nativity story that I've found so far.

The glorious stained-glass cathedral windows of England inspired Fiona French to create this wonderful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The words, directly from the book of Luke from the King James Bible, are brought to life with bright beautiful designs. Although the traditional words may be too advanced for very young readers, they will be drawn to the book for the illustrations. This concise version of the Nativity would be an asset for personal collections.

The familiar text is augmented by brightly colored illustrations reminiscent of modern stained glass windows.This is an outstanding holiday book to add to collections in church and public libraries or for personal giving to Christians of any age.

The familiar text is augmented by brightly colored illustrations reminiscent of modern stained glass windows. This is an outstanding holiday book to add to collections in church and public libraries or for personal giving to Christians of any age.