The Gifts of the Animals: A Christmas Tale

by Carole Gerber, Yumi Shimokawara (Illustrator)

Overview

The gentle beasts of sky and earth

prepare their stable for Christ's birth. 

With a beautiful narrative by author and poet Carole Gerber and stunning and intricate art by renowned Japanese artist Yumi Shimokawara comes one of the most anticipated Christmas gift books ever published. The Gift of the Animals shares the miraculous offerings the humble animals in the manger gave to the baby Jesus. 

The birds on the roof of the lowly shed 

prepare a pillow for His head, 

with feathers pulled from downy breasts . . . 

mice carry them to where He'll rest.

Celebrating the Savior's birth, this full-color, gold-embossed hardcover is must-have addition to a family's Christmas library and Christmas Eve traditions. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641701594
Publisher:	Familius
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Poet and author Carole Gerber has written sixteen picture books, three chapter books, and more than one hundred elementary science and reading texts for major publishers. Her most picture recent book, A Band of Babies, was named a 2017 Best Book for Children by Amazon editors. She holds a BS in English education and an MA in journalism from Ohio State, and has taught middle school and high school English as well as college newswriting and factual writing at OSU. Learn more at www.carolegerber.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/07/2019

“Loosely based on a 12th century Latin song” turned English Christmas hymn—“The Animal Carol”—this story imagines how the animals in the celebrated Bethlehem stable might have made way for Jesus’s birth. In realistic illustrations, each docile beast offers its own preparation in turn: “The ox that stands in the drafty shed/ drops straw into a manger bed”; “The sheep tear loose bits of their wool/ to make the bed feel soft and full.” A tired Mary and Joseph are welcomed in, and Christ is born before being set in the animals’ carefully prepared trough. Hospitality and joy emanate from the lowly scene, drawing the creatures, angels, and local shepherds in to celebration. Gerber’s gentle rhyme flows seamlessly, while Shimokawara’s softly hued art sets a peaceful, sleepy scene, making it ideal for bedtime reading. Postscript includes a condensed retelling of Christ’s birth from the book of Luke. A sweetly wrought spin on the traditional Nativity story. Ages 3–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Gifts of the Animals, loosely based on an old Latin hymn, tells the sweet, fictional tale of how animals in the stable where Jesus was born went about preparing it for His birth. The author shares theKing James Bible verses describing Christ’s birth after concluding her story. The beautiful illustrations and rhyming text combine to give this book the potential to become a family favorite. I can’t wait to share it."
- Jane Mouttet, librarian and blogger, Library Lady’s Kid Lit Reviewer

"Carole Gerber once again crafts a beautiful tale with rhyme and rhythm. The Gifts of the Animals: A Christmas Tale gently shows how the animals prepare a manger for the birth of Christ, and the subsequent celebration of His arrival. Yumi Shimokawara’s muted color palette and realistic illustrations are stunning, and a lovely accompaniment to Gerber’s text. A perfect Christmas book for young readers worldwide."
- Terry Pierce, author of over 20 children’s books and a UCLA Extension Writers’ Program instructor
 
"Carole Gerber’s new Christmas book is stunning! I have always admired her skill for writing verse, which shines in this beautiful story. Her words are brought to life by Yumi Shimokawara’s gorgeous watercolors. Readers will enjoy pouring over each page to savor all the details."
- Christina Wald, illustrator of over 50 picture books and illustration professor at the Cincinnati Art Academy and Northern Kentucky University
 
"A handsome, imaginative volume for Christmas bookshelves."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Gerber's gentle rhyme flows seamlessly, while Shimokawara's softly hued art sets a peaceful, sleepy scene, making it ideal for bedtime reading."
- Publishers Weekly


 

From the Publisher

Carole Gerber’s new Christmas book is stunning! I have always admired her skill for writing verse, which shines in this beautiful story. Her words are brought to life by Yumi Shimokawara’s gorgeous watercolors. Readers will enjoy pouring over each page to savor all the details.

illustrator of over 50 picture books and illustrat Christina Wald

Carole Gerber once again crafts a beautiful tale with rhyme and rhythm. The Gifts of the Animals: A Christmas Tale gently shows how the animals prepare a manger for the birth of Christ, and the subsequent celebration of His arrival. Yumi Shimokawara’s muted color palette and realistic illustrations are stunning, and a lovely accompaniment to Gerber’s text. A perfect Christmas book for young readers worldwide.

author of over 20 children’s books and a UCL Terry Pierce

The Gifts of the Animals, loosely based on an old Latin hymn, tells the sweet, fictional tale of how animals in the stable where Jesus was born went about preparing it for His birth. The author shares theKing James Bible verses describing Christ’s birth after concluding her story. The beautiful illustrations and rhyming text combine to give this book the potential to become a family favorite. I can’t wait to share it.

Jane Mouttet

2019-08-18
A poetic imagining of gifts from the Nativity animals to the newborn baby Jesus.

Gerber's lilting rhymes reinterpret biblical text from the book of Luke, Chapter 2, verses 1-16 in the King James Version (reproduced in the back of the book). The frontmatter notes that they draw inspiration from "a 12th century Latin song, which became known in England as ‘The Animal Carol' "; within, the author imagines what the Nativity animals might have done to "prepare their stable for Christ's birth." She writes that an ox "drops straw into a manger bed." Then "sheep tear loose bits of their wool / to make the bed feel soft and full." Birds on the stable's roof give feathers, which mice carry to the manger. A cow finds a blanket and adds it to the bed, too. Mary and Joseph appear with the baby, and the realistic-style illustrations depict the trio as olive-skinned with dark hair, and the shepherds have a similar appearance. The first angel to appear seems white, but the heavenly host singing in exaltation includes at least three angels of color (albeit ethereally washed-out). The book proper closes with shepherds and animals gathered around the Holy Family as they "all sing: ‘Glory to our newborn King!' " Shimokawara glories in textures, making the whorls in the animals' fur and the folds in human characters' robes seem touchable.

A handsome, imaginative volume for Christmas bookshelves. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews