Publishers Weekly
09/24/2018
Three “very wise men who were all sitting in their own countries, minding their own business,” find a common purpose: “a bright star lodged in the right eye of each one of them.” So begins theologian and Episcopal priest Taylor’s version of the Nativity, which she casts as the Magi’s quest for enlightenment. She imagines their journey in great detail, including the men’s encounter with King Herod, who is described as “lumpy and rumpled... His skin looked a funny orange color and sickly, as if his bile had gotten the best of him.” Though Taylor’s tone occasionally strikes an overly adult note, her contemporary turns of phrase, paired with mixed-media paintings by Cataldo (The Stranded Whale) set against a backdrop of biblical times, provide an intriguing approach to the oft-examined story. Ages 8–10. (July)
From the Publisher
Perfect for gift-giving . . . an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, Sunday School, and community library Christmas-themed picture book collections for children.” —Midwest Book Review
“[Taylor's] contemporary turns of phrase, paired with mixed-media paintings by Cataldo (The Stranded Whale) set against a backdrop of biblical times, provide an intriguing approach to the oft-examined story.” —Publishers Weekly
“A perfect holiday gift, Home by Another Way: A Christmas Story beautifully retells the three wise men’s journey to readers of all ages.” —San Francisco Book Review
“The transformation that the child effects in each of the wise men is tender, and the illustrations are equally gentle...adults who are fans of Taylor may find it as edifying as children do.” —Christian Century
“Truly lovely illustrations in soft tones capture the reverent atmosphere and the sense of an ancient time and place.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Barbara Brown Taylor has a way with words. She has long been known for the eloquence of her sermons and books for adults, her ability to delve into a biblical text and to carefully examine and uncover the deeper meaning, layer by layer. In Home by Another Way, Taylor brings her skills to the world of children's literature. This delightfully fresh and creative story follows the journey of the wise men as they follow the light of a mysterious star that leads them to a small town town in the Middle East, and to an unlikely newborn king. The wise men bring the child their expensive gifts, but they are the ones who leave all the richer with gifts they could never have foreseen. Their lives are forever changed by the holy baby who will end up upending the world."
—Kathleen Long Bostrom, award-winning children's book writer of What Is God Like? and Stories from the Bible
Kirkus Reviews
2018-08-20
The story of the Nativity is told from the perspective of three not-so-wise men with literal stars in their eyes.
The three, each with a star "lodged in his right eye" and each "glad for a reason to get out of town," meet one another on their way to bring gifts to a king. They arrive at Herod's palace. Herod picks his fingernails and has breath that smells "like Pine-Sol." He doubts that the men are fulfilling any prophecy but directs them to Bethlehem. The colloquial tone of the lengthy text—"But sure, why not?"—seems to be an attempt to make the story relevant; its success will vary from reader to reader. The clueless men follow the star to a humble home, where they kneel before a baby because "it was him, then, whoever he was." The next day, the guiding stars are gone, the men's maps no longer work, but they are wise enough to avoid Jerusalem and Herod on their way home. Truly lovely illustrations in soft tones capture the reverent atmosphere and the sense of an ancient time and place that the tongue-in-cheek text seems to reject. The Wise Men are diverse, and the other people have skin tones in varying shades of brown.
This attempt to straddle the line between modern and traditional elements misses the mark. (Picture book. 3-7)
