A gorgeous, poetic new version of the Nativity story Wondrous things are happening in this humble little stable. The animals are gathering round. Shepherds and wise men and angels are coming from afar. All of them are flocking to see the Christ child, born this night in Bethlehem. Illustrated in the gorgeous tropical hues of the region and told in lyrical verses perfect for reading aloud, this is a retelling of the Nativity that will be treasured for many Christmases to come. PreSchool-K–This lovely picture book combines beautiful artwork and a seamless, thoughtful The house that Jack built style to tell the story of the Nativity. The rhyme is sweet but never forced. Bettoli uses a mixture of pastels, primary colors, and earth tones to create pictures that are bright and imbued with fanciful elements such as winglike clouds and a face in the star of Bethlehem. A sense of place is well established by sand dunes, desert shrubs, and palm trees. The variety of animals and the multiethnic cast of people and angels are all rendered with lifelike energy and expression. A gentle, comforting selection. –Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. "This is the stable, dusty and brown, in a quiet corner of Bethlehem town" begins this slim, attractive retelling of the Nativity. Written in repetitive phrases and rhythms reminiscent of "This Is the House That Jack Built," the book's brief couplets introduce each part of the story--the manger, the watchful animals, the holy family--always returning to the refrain of the "quiet stable." The rhymes feel a bit forced in a few of the couplets: "This is the mother, her manner so mild, singing and rocking her newborn child," for example. But the pace is just right for participatory read-alouds, and Bettoli's attractively patterned, gem-colored paintings amplify the sense of devotion and joy in scenes of winged angels and stars beaming love and light. Like Rhonda Gowler Greene's The Stable Where Jesus Was Born (1999), this is a good choice for larger collections. Gillian Engberg Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved * "With a gentle, perfectly rhyming text, this cumulative tale presents the Nativity story in a beautifully illustrated version just right for younger children." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "This lovely picture book combines beautiful artwork and a seamless, thoughtful style to tell the story of the Nativity." -- School Library Journal Cynthia Cotten has written several books for young readers, including Abbie in Stitches , At the Edge of the Woods and Snow Ponies . She grew up in Lockport, New York, a small town on the Erie Canal. She didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer—she dreamed of being a teacher, a marine biologist, a U.N. interpreter and a jockey—but she always loved reading. “My idea of the perfect summer vacation,” she says, “was to go to the library once a week, check out as many books as I could fit into my bike basket, and spend the rest of the week sitting someplace cool, reading.” Cotten lives in Montclair, Virginia. Delana Bettoli studied art in Boston University and Los Angeles. She lives at the foot of Oregon’s Cascade Range. Used Book in Good Condition