Christmas Book Review

Come and See: A Christmas Story by Monica Mayper, ill. Stacey Schuett

We have several Christmas storybooks for kids, and this is by far one of my favorites. It tells the story of Jesus' birth by describing a sense of anticipation among everyone who came to the stable. It is poetic, full of appealing repetition. Each page is covered with rich, dusky images of people leaving the fields, coming out of their homes, going to meet Jesus.

"In the hills was sudden music

Come see

Come and see

The sheep and shepherds heard."

By the end, a village of people & animals are gathered outside the stable celebrating quietly, letting the baby sleep. It looks and sounds to me like a prayer for unity among all who follow Jesus.

"Shepherds, strangers

Travelers, townsfolk . . .

Quietly in the starlight

Come dance

Take hands and dance

We all begin to dance.

Around the sleeping baby

We all, together, dance."