The Story of Christmas

The text is right out of Scripture, so what could be better? The art is gorgeous. I have given this as a gift to many nursing mother friends with other young children. Every year at Christmas we read it aloud on my mother's side of the family. It's a lovely tradition. Note* There is a picture of Mary latching baby Jesus onto her bare nipple, which is an excellent example of appropriate nudity in art for children and adults. Beware those with other views on breastfeeding and nudity if you are considering giving it as a gift or reading it aloud to a group.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I received this book as a gift when my children were small, and we have been reading it every Christmas Eve since. Even my teenagers like to sit close to look at the vivid, inticate drawings as we read aloud the familiar words of the Christmas story. I have given it as a gift to many people, always with enthusiastic reports. I love that it shows Mary nursing, that the wise men are of varying hues, and I especially love the angels! When they were small, my kids would want it read over and over, and were engaged by the pictures for long periods of time. Get it in hardcover!

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, with bits of gold & maps incorporated into the images. The text is taken from the bible and is lovely in its very "basic-ness" -- so many children's Christmas books try to "explain" the story in a childish way rather than allowing the ancient mystery of the story to be absorbed. This book is so lovely.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. This is really a "heirloom book"! Mary is shown nusing baby Jesus, which I thought was a great statement. The passages per page are short enough for a 2-year-old to follow. Our family can highly recommend this book!

Jane Ray's beautiful illustrations make this book a Christmas treasure. Especially notable is that Mary is shown nursing baby Jesus.