Christmas in a Manger: The Story of the Birth of Jesus told by an Animal in the Stable

This paperback book has double-paged illustrations and is oversized - 8.5 x 10 inches

A "delightfully written story" of the birth of Baby Jesus from the viewpoint of one of the animals in the stable. It is told respectfully but in a way that children can relate to.

This nativity scene begins as Mary and Joseph enter the stable and finishes with the shepherds arriving. There are two pages of the wise men but not in the stable.

The narration (from the viewpoint of Betsy the cow) is very similar to a child's thinking (the author has taken from her own children and grandchildren's questions when they were read a story about the birth of Christ) - wondering what all these things are about and why. The adults in the story seem to know what is going on, but the animals don't.

The author didn't want to just retell the same story that children have already been told, but wanted to try to see it from a child's point of view.

This book has incorporated gentle humor that an adult, reading to their child, can appreciate, but at the same time has made the story simple enough for small children to understand and follow.

Christmas in a Manger also leaves some questions unanswered that a parent can talk to their child about.

This book would be a wonderful gift for a toddler or a child up to a 6-7 years-old, or an ideal book for Grandparents to have in their library for when their grandchildren come.