Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Ages 5-8. A lovely blend of words and pictures presents the Christmas story from an angel's point of view. Daring in its attempt to explain the idea of eternity, the book rises above the mediocre as an angel explains how the supernatural has interacted with the real world to bring truth. The angel remembers events on Earth leading up to the Nativity, but he explains that in heaven, where there is no time, it is eternally the first Christmas night. Kiesler's illustrations provide a subtext to this difficult concept. Her pleasing palette, suffused with light, ranges from the golden tones of the desert to the bluish hues of dusk. Doves, found among clouds, as shadows cast in the sand, represented by feathers adrift on the wind, or on a pendant around Mary's neck, constitute a playful motif. A fine choice despite the recent glut of books on the subject of angels. -Shelley Townsend-Hudso