The Little Bell That Wouldn't Ring: A Christmas Story

by Heike Conradi, Maja Dusïkovï (Illustrator)

Overview

Christmas is coming!

In a church tower, three bells practice ringing for Christmas Eve. But the newest and smallest bell in the tower is silent. What could be wrong? The dove, the wise crow, and all the other animals find good words to try to encourage the little bell to ring. But nothing works . . . until Christmas Eve when they find the words that inspire the little bell to ring out—“Peace on earth.”

An inventive story about the meaning of Christmas, with ethereal illustrations by Maja Dusíková.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735843868
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Heike Conradi studied piano and elementary music education before going on to teach at a music school and at several nursery schools. Every week she would find herself in the company of happy, sad, lively, quiet, shy, and boisterous children full of music and fantasy—and they all loved hearing stories. Having lived and worked in Frankfurt, Freiburg, Chicago, Hamburg, and Singen, she has now settled down with her husband in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Maja Dusiková was born in Piestany, Czechoslovakia, and now lives in Florence, Italy. She has illustrated many books for both children and adults, including Advent Storybook and Silent Night, Holy Night.

Editorial Reviews

09/21/2020

Dusíková’s gauzy holiday scenes in a snowy village square bring to mind old-fashioned Christmas cards featuring all-white children, helping to tell the story of how a reluctant church tower bell finds its sound. The tower’s three older residents—gold, silver, and bronze bells—have started practicing for Christmas, but they can’t get the newest, smallest bell to join in. When basic encouragement doesn’t work, tower regular Felidia the dove hears from a feathered friend that “nice words will help.” So begins a sweeping search led by flocks of doves and pigeons to find phrases that might do the trick. After “morning sun,” “cake crumbs,” “Christmas pudding,” “smelly cheese,” and “I love you” all fall flat, a light from Bethlehem seen in the Christmas Eve sky proves the best catalyst. It delivers the special message that inspires the little bell to ring out loud and clear with a message of peace. Conradi’s tale accessibly ties together secular and religious aspects of Christmas. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2020-08-18
A Swiss import with a Christmastime message for the whole world.

A church with a bell tower stands in a cozy town square, and in that tower are four bells that “were very, very old. Except for the smallest one, which was new.” The old bells ring out their songs, but as anticipated by the title, the little bell won’t ring. A dove named Felidia wants to encourage the bell to ring, and a wise old crow tells her that “nice words always help.” But which nice words will move the little bell to ring? Felidia and other birds chirp, “Morning sun” and “Cake crumbs!” and even try “Christmas pudding, fairy tale, chocolate, snowflake,” but none of these nice words provoke chiming. Birds fly around the world learning to say “Merry Christmas” in different European languages, but this doesn’t work; nor do the names of various cheeses listed by a group of mice, nor the words “I love you,” learned from a young couple who appear White (as do all other depicted people). On Christmas Eve, stillness descends, and text describes “a tiny light…crossing the sky.” Unfortunately, the art doesn’t clearly show this “light from Bethlehem [that] goes all around the world with a message of peace.” (Also unfortunate is the low-contrast placement of black text on evening-blue sky.) Nevertheless, this message of peace finally inspires the bell to ring, delivering a satisfying conclusion to the tale.

Nice words, indeed. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews