The Stable Rat and Other Christmas Poems

This is one of the most beautiful children's books I have ever seen. Showed it to a friend (aged 45) who then went out and bought a copy--for herself. It really is a book for all ages. Wonderful poetry, gorgeous illustrations.

In STABLE RAT, Julia Cunningham is at her poetic best. Here, her unique voice is evident, singing strong and clear. Cunningham has an astonishing ability to see the world from an animal's point of view. Even a lowly rat is elevated to beauty as he shares the holy stable on the night of Jesus' birth. "I am a shadow, gray, gray, gray--never lightened by scarlet or splotched gold or even a dot of the green I see when I gaze from the cracks peering out of my necessary night." Another poem in the collection, "A Sheep Speaks", and a personal favorite of mine, begins: "I stand within my wool and wonder. There's been a great scurry ever since the sky blued and the wind stilled. Our leader looked up, pointing his nose at a star." Anita Lobel's astonishingly vivid illustrations make a perfect match for the poetry. Both are reverent and lyrical. Both leap beyond the limits of the expected and flash into brilliance.