(2) K-3 Illustrated by Karin Littlewood. Author and illustrator imagine a small addition to the Nativity story: young Leah, who meets Joseph and Mary, arriving in Bethlehem for the census, after getting an unfortunate kick from their donkey. Leah's father is the innkeeper who finds room for the family in the stable. Otherwise, the story ­proceeds according to the Gospel of Luke, with Leah a helpful but theologically unobtrusive presence. Realistic watercolors capture both tenderness and drama.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Will Moses. Folk artist Moses (Grandma's great-grandson) uses the first two and a half verses of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" as the text for his depiction of the ­Nativity story. The homespun quality of the oil paintings serves the tale well, with the manger a warm and comfortably crowded birthplace for the Baby Jesus. Although the carol gets a little abstract from the third verse on (all four verses are appended, along with a ­simple choral arrangement), Moses ­follows the Holy Family on their ­successful journey out of Bethlehem, the star still shining above.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 DePaola distills the Nativity story of the Three Wise Men in this gorgeous book first published in 1983, the sumptuous acrylic paintings glowing with blues, greens, and pinks. A brief text follows kings Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar as they discover and follow a new, unfamiliar star; consult with the malign Herod; proceed to Bethlehem to deliver their gifts to the baby Jesus; and then, having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, return to their home countries. An informative note describes the evolution of the story, beginning with its first, detail-less written account in the Gospel of Matthew (the names and number of the Wise Men were added later). A welcome reissue of another title in dePaola's copious Christmas oeuvre.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) PS Illustrated by Annie Won. In Berry's soothing, lullaby-like rhyming text, a modern-day mother compares the details of the Nativity story to the relationship she has with her own baby. Won's lush, vibrant, evocative illustrations alternate between the two parallel (and perhaps overlapping) narratives, highlighting a loving cast of characters, both past and present, with a variety of skin tones. This timeless story is full of tender sentiment.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Aisato. This is a lyrical meditation on Christ's birth, told by His mother Mary as the newborn sleeps in her arms. "Can you believe it? God's anointed one upon my breast, with milk, just there, at the corner of his tiny mouth." Although unduly ponderous for a picture-book audience, the text reads aloud beautifully, and the watery, speckled illustrations convey the humble humanity of mother and Child alike.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) PS With gouache paintings rendered into collagelike illustrations via Photoshop, Hawthorne's version of the Christmas carol notably features Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as a brown-skinned family. The text includes all three verses of John Freeman Young's English translation, thoughtfully divided and carefully placed. The figure and animal drawing is supple, with good contrast between the black and midnight-blue sky, the angels' white wings, and the delicate coloring of textiles.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 An orphan drummer boy gives the gift of music to the newborn king. This version of the Nativity story isn't set in Bethlehem, however, but in what looks like a Germanic village in winter. The snow-dusted landscape in a pastel palette evokes a picturesque scene, but the winter setting for the well-known story seems incongruous. Information about the Grimm brothers is mistakenly appended.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) K-3 When a splendid procession led by the three Wise Men passes by Old Befana's house, she attempts to catch up. She never does--but is transformed into a Christmastime visitor who leaves gifts for children and sweeps their rooms clean. DePaola's ink and watercolor illustrations use flowing lines and glowing colors to propel the story (based on Italian legend) and attract the eye.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1980; November, 2017

(4) K-3 A group of animals gathered in a warm stable on a snowy night welcome in a man and pregnant woman. When she gives birth to a baby boy, a "star appeared above the stable." The swirling pictures are abstractly rendered in a snowy palette, and young readers may struggle to interpret them. Still, this Italian import offers a subdued version of the Christmas story.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Illustrated by William Low. This new board-book edition retains all the quiet reverence of the original picture book, a very simple yet lyrical retelling of the Nativity story. The smaller trim size does not detract from the luminous illustrations that perfectly match the text, which directs listeners to "welcome this tiny baby boy. / Feel this hush. / This peace on Earth. / This first Christmas night."

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Selecting relevant sections of medieval and Renaissance paintings and pairing them with the story of Christ's birth as told in the stately language of Isaiah and the Gospels of Matthew and Luke from the King James Bible, the Met has created a handsome gift book. On glossy paper, the large reproductions sometimes bleed across the gutter and small vignettes are placed above the text.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) PS Rylant uses the most humble of painting techniques to illustrate a picture book that is half Nativity, half Beatitudes. Adapted and abridged from Matthew and Luke, the medley isn't particularly coherent, but the pictures, setting bits and blobs of naively conceived sheep and people against expansive landscapes rendered in broad strokes, are homely in the best sense, providing calm and quiet to the season.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Feridun Oral. An owl describes how Baby Jesus bestowed upon the birds a "special song of blessing, of joy and good will." "'Why don't we sing it anymore?' asked the robin. 'People don't listen,' said the partridge." The birds decide to restore their song's hope and promise by singing to children. In this small-trim edition, delicate naturalistic illustrations capture the hush of winter and the transformative power of love.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(4) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Elschner's retelling of the Epiphany story (with its yearly celebration detailed on the last page) focuses on the Magi and their journey to and gifts for the "new-born king." Children might require additional context to connect this to the Nativity story (Jesus is unmentioned by name). The various handsome Renaissance images may require adult elaboration, as they don't always clearly illuminate the meaning of the poetic text.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) PS Illustrated by Anna Dewdney. First published in 1952, Brown's simple rhyming couplets tell the Nativity story as a baby is welcomed by a barn full of animals. Dewdney's new illustrations for this edition, created using oil paint, pastel, pencil, and marker, are more blurry than gauzy, with a muddy contrast between light and dark colors on many of the double-page spreads.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1952

(2) PS Illustrated by William Low. Direct-address text pulls listeners into this super-simple yet lyrical retelling of the Nativity story: "See this small gray donkey, / this long, dusty road, / this promising star... Hear these angels singing. / Welcome this tiny baby boy." Illustrations perfectly match the text, evoking the humble setting yet also reinforcing the sense of reverence and import. A moving and memorable Christmas story.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) PS Animals try to persuade a little fox to visit a newborn baby in a stable, but the fox doesn't have a gift and would rather play. Finally, a donkey convinces the fox that its presence is gift enough. Loosely painted, carefully rendered characters are placed within a snowy landscape. This homey take on the Nativity story delivers a warm tale of love and humility.

Reviewer: Madoka Fukai | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 No stranger to holiday pop-up books (Chanukah Lights; The 12 Days of Christmas; etc.), Sabuda's treatment of the biblical first-Christmas story is rather modest, for him. Unadorned pastel-colored pages provide the backdrop for the pop-up scenes--all white, with gold and off-white accents--of the Nativity story. The paper engineering is, as always, impressive, and comparatively sturdy.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff. In his only children's book, secular humanist Vonnegut tells the Nativity story as only he could: "It saw a sun, / which was Its mother's shoulder, / and then the moon of the midwife, / and then a star, / which was Joseph at the doorway / with a lamp," etc. Chermayeff's handsome, starry, cobalt-blue-heavy art conjures Matisse's famous cutouts.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Giotto. The Christmas story is retold to accompany close-ups of frescoes by Renaissance artist Giotto. Like the art, Elschner's text is formal (if a bit awkwardly translated), and it is more detailed than the familiar Gospel of John. Handsome bookmaking will appeal to an audience looking for a classical interpretation of the birth of Jesus.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth