Words from the King James Bible announcing the birth of Jesus are paired with illustrations by Lauren Castillo that visually frame the Biblical story with a contemporary one of a young child visiting a Living Nativity in a twenty-first-century town. The child peers into the manger where Baby Jesus lies, and with a turn of the page time and locale shift: The contemporary town is gone, snow is no longer falling, a gray day has become a dark winter night, and shepherds are tending their sheep in the fields. On subsequent pages the shepherds are visited by an angel and then follow the light of a star to a stable, where a baby lies in a manger. With another turn of the page, the story is back in modern times as the child’s family and other members of their community gather at the Living Nativity and sing. Castillo’s expressive lines and softly colored palette brim with warmth and feeling. (Ages 2–5)

And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

Audiences from religious and secular worlds alike are familiar with the comforting words from the second chapter of Luke in the King James Bible, most memorably featured in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Just as Linus reminded his community of the real meaning of Christmas, this touching tribute to an ancient text reminds us to focus on family and our fellow man instead of on gifts and indulgences. Accompanying the timeless, reassuring text is sweet, nostalgic artwork from acclaimed illustrator Lauren Castillo that embraces today’s ever-changing definition of family.