Saturday, December 19, 2015

#StorytimeChristmasCountdown Day 19: The Christmas Baby



The Christmas Baby
by: Marion Dane Bauer
Board Book

Makes Jesus just another Baby
This was a super disappointing book. Sure, shepherds and angles and kings appear at "the baby's" birth (never mentioned by name), but the rejoicing is simply that there was a baby born. Nothing salvivic or communicating the true nature of the Christmas story. Further, the "kings" weren't at the manger, but came later (though this is a common mistake in books). The book starts to get things right when it notes that this baby smiled with God's own smile, but it immediately continues by noting that since this birth every baby's  birth has been likewise celebrated by family and angles and that the babies have smiled with God's own smile. Yes, we are all made in the image of God, but it seems the book's purpose is to un-deify Jesus and make him just another baby.

The illustrations are alright, nothing special, but not bad - save for those of angels. Those are just strange.

Cannot recommend.

Text: 1 star
Illustrations: 2 stars
Average: 1.5 stars


To see other books in the #StorytimeChristmasCountdown Collection, click here.

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