Three Great New Kids Books! – Christmas 2024
By Lindsey Cornett
Englewood Press Managing Editor
& Connoisseur in Books for Young Readers
The following three picture books were published in the last two years and each seek to retell the Christmas story in an engaging, perspective-expanding way. I’ve chosen to highlight each of these books because of their diversity: No white Jesus is featured in these pages, nor any angels with flowing blond hair. The authors, illustrators, and the narratives themselves reflect diverse traditions, adding a layer of depth to Christmas literature. Though I think they vary in the effectiveness of their storytelling, they all have the potential to be valuable additions to your family’s Christmas traditions.
Holy Night and Little Star
Mitali Perkins and Khoa Le (illustrator)
Hardback: WaterBrook, 2023
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Mitali Perkins is a National Book Award nominee and a prolific author of books for children and young adults, and Holy Night and Little Star is such a beautiful addition to her body of work.
In creating the character of Little Star, Perkins gives young readers another point of access to the Christmas story. Meredith Ann Miller (a pastor who focuses on helping parents explain Christianity in new and fresh ways for children, often tells children that “God’s favorite way of doing things is to invite people to help,” and while many children might find it difficult to relate to the way Mary is invited to participate in the incarnation, they will find it very easy to empathize with Little Star’s emotions throughout the story. Little Star, along with all the other heavenly bodies (moon, sun, and planets all make appearances) can sense that “Maker” is up to something, but this is scary. On the story’s third page, we are given a sense of Little Star’s trepidation: “What was happening? Big changes? She hoped not.”
Reading this as an adult just after the November 2024 election, those simple sentences brought a tightness to my chest and tears to my eyes. I, too, have often felt like Little Star: unsure of what God is up to, content with my place in the universe, fearful of what might be asked of me in the days ahead. Young children, to whom the book is targeted, will likewise resonate with Little Star’s smallness and fear, held in tension with a desire to be seen and valuable.
By the end of this brief book, Little Star has indeed found her place in the Christmas narrative. She has a moment of deep intimacy with the Christ Child, when she sees his eyes for the first time and immediately recognizes the eyes of her Maker. This, too, filled me with emotion. How I long to see the image of God in Christ this Christmas season, as well as in the eyes of every person I encounter!
The illustrations in this book, by artist Khoa Le, are excellent. They add to the story and never distract; I found them to be beautifully layered and transportive; children will no doubt find them to be engaging, imaginative, and full of interesting details. One image, in particular, of Mary holding baby Jesus, is one I would not hesitate to hang in my home during the Christmas season. Many readers will be happy to see the holy family depicted as people of color. The book does not have a dust jacket, and the navy blue color with gold foil details are beautifully done. I’m grateful to see that a similar title for Lent is available, which I will certainly be adding to my family’s library. Mitali Perkins has deservedly become a trusted voice in children’s literature, and Holy Night and Little Star shows why. Absolutely add it to your family’s Christmas collection.
Birth of the Chosen One
Terry Wildman and Hannah Noel Buchanan & Holly Buchanan (illustrators)
Hardback: IVP Kids, 2024
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This is an indigenous retelling of the Christmas story, adapted from the First Nations Version scripture translation.
What is missing from this book for me is an explanation of the symbolism and meaning of the illustrations. The end matter does notably include a guide to the names of story characters, and I would have loved similar discussion of the illustrations. Why, for example, do bald eagles feature prominently? Is there significance to the patterns in Bitter Tears’ (Mary’s) clothing or the eight-pointed stars that appear throughout? This desire, of course, is rooted in my own ignorance (as a non-Native white woman) of American indigenous cultures, and a quick Google search answered some of these questions for me. But in reading a book aloud to young children, it is helpful for parents to have these answers readily available, rather than disrupting the storytelling experience.
There is something about the illustrations that I can’t quite pinpoint but diminishes their quality. It may be the muted colors or the soft edges of the watercolors, but the illustrations appear almost pixelated or fuzzy. This may be the fault of the book designer or publisher, rather than the author and illustrators. Certainly, I’ve seen plenty of children’s books with watercolor illustrations that don’t give this same impression, and so I’m not sure what the issue is exactly. On the other hand, the illustrators are two sisters who are members of the Miami Nation of Indiana, and I in no way want to diminish the importance of their account.
As mentioned, the text is adapted from The First Nations Version, an indigenous translation of the New Testament. As an adult, I have found such resonance with how The First Nation’s Version interprets the names of God and the names of biblical figures. For example, to call Jesus “Creator Sets Free” imbues such theological significance; when Herod is referred to as “Chief Looks Brave,” we learn much about his character. However, while the version for adults includes the more familiar names in parentheses, this children’s adaptation removes those parenthetical annotations. This results in sentence structures that are, in my experience, confusing to children and sometimes challenging for the adult reading the book aloud.
There is immense value in helping our children see and understand that the story of the incarnation is a universal one, with meaning and significance across culture and geography. In the process of exposing our children to a diversity of stories, we can and should be challenged. When it comes to literature for children, I believe there is a balance to be struck between the challenge and an enjoyable reading experience, and I am not sure Birth of the Chosen One strikes that balance quite right as a book meant to be read aloud to children.
Lullaby for the King
Nikki Grimes and Michelle Carlos (illustrator)
Hardback: Beaming Books, 2023
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Nikki Grimes is a prolific author of children’s and young adult work across genres: memoir, poetry, nonfiction, novels, and picture books. For adults who want their children’s libraries to feature the work of African-American authors, Grimes is essential, and Lullaby for the King is a great place to start if you are unfamiliar with her work.
This picture book follows a parade of animals who are heading to Bethlehem to bring gifts to the newborn King. The first page says, “A season of celebration can begin!” And from that point forward, the book is full of celebration: bright colors, valuable gifts, flowers and flourishes, creatures of every size and shape uniting with common purpose. Animal-loving children will delight in this book (the parade of creatures calls to mind the opening scenes of Disney’s The Lion King), as will those who enjoy unique language.
Some phrases are full of rhyme, (“The caravan traveled through wilderness/uphill and down, for hours that spun into days/Then at last, glittering diamond-bright/Bethlehem appeared through the haze,”), while this device is absent entirely on other pages. In reading other reviews online, I noted that some reviewers refer to text as poetry while others refer to it as prose, and this may be why. The inconsistency of rhyme and rhythm may prove cumbersome to an adult reading the book aloud to children, especially on repeated reads. Nevertheless, the story is lovely and the right kids will remain engaged nonetheless.
All that being said, it’s the illustrations that really shine in this book. Filipina illustrator Michelle Carlos has done this collaboration proud. The paintings are so richly detailed and heavy with symbolism, both adult and child could spend hours or days taking them in. Each animal is drawn realistically, which grounds the reader in the reality that the birth of Jesus was, in fact, a true historical event, but they are also full of whimsy. They are rendered in bright and sometimes unusual colors, and the gifts they carry–things like shawls, silver spoons, and a skein of white wool–give each creature an almost-human quality. Certainly, they feel vivid and alive.
Both language and picture help ground the book firmly in Jesus’s Middle Eastern context–foods like pomegranate, dates, and olive oil; references to places like the Plain of Sharon and Yarmuk River. The biblical references do not stop at the traditional Christmas narrative (sheep, shepherd, star, etc.), and though children may not pick up on every use of biblical allusion or language, the book can help lay a foundation which children will bring to scripture as they grow. If this story becomes a part of a family’s Christmas traditions, perhaps one day when the children encounter words like “shofar,” or “vermillion,” or “alabaster” in their Bible reading, they will call to mind this lovely Christmas book.
In the meantime, children can be enraptured by the gorgeous illustrations and lovely rhythms, while adults can reflect on the rich and artful symbolism. In that way, this book becomes a gift to the whole family.
Lindsey Cornett
Lindsey Cornett is a loud talker, obsessive coffee drinker, and lover of the written word who lives in downtown Indianapolis with her scientist husband, 3 kids, and crazy Bernedoodle. Most days, you’ll find her wrangling the dog, managing snacks, reheating her coffee, and trying to savor as much joy and gratitude as she can in the middle of these very full days. Lindsey writes a monthly-ish email newsletter about the intersections of faith, community, and curiosity at lindseycornett.substack.com.
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