Are you looking for a child’s picture book that highlights the Christmas story and connects the newborn Jesus to his adult life and work? If so, Dandi Daley Mackall’s new book The Tiny Baby Jesus may fit the bill.
About The Tiny Baby Jesus
In rhymes, this picture book tells the story of the baby Jesus and the works of the Jesus as an adult. Each set of pages partners a rhyme about the newborn baby with a rhyme about Jesus as he moves from child to adult. For example, Mackall pairs “tiny baby shoulders wrapped in swaddling clothes” with “now the lame and lepers find their victory, leaning on the shoulders of the man from Galilee.”
About Dandi Daley Mackall, Author of The Tiny Baby Jesus
Mackall is the author of over 400 books. Her books span American folk tales, religious themes, and short fiction for older children. Her secular picture books range from books on children’s life experiences like The First Day of School to funny books for the whole family, like the bedtime book Time for the the Blanket Show. Mackall lives in Ohio with her three children.
What Readers Will Love About The Tiny Baby Jesus
The soft illustrations by Julia Noonan are the highlight of the book. These full-color illustrations are soft and sweet, the perfect bedtime story or snuggletime book illustrations. Noonan has illustrated books by Jane Yolen, Laurence Yep and Jacquelyn Mitchard. I know her best from Baby Bat’s Lullaby and the Scholastic Hare and Rabbit books, and her illustrations are always striking and simple.
What Readers Need to Know Before Buying The Tiny Baby Jesus
Mackall lovingly writes about the newborn baby Jesus, his little fingers that would become a carpenter’s hands, and his tiny mouth that would give words of love to others. While the connections between the baby Jesus and his adult self are logical, sometimes they feel a bit stilted. While the descriptions of the newborn baby Jesus are lovely and very suitable for a young child, the connections between the baby and the man would require discussion. This would be a good book for a Sunday school class or for a one-on-one discussion with your child, but it definitely requires some interpretation on the part of the parent or religious educator.
Those who are looking for a simple version of the story of the birth of Jesus may not find a good fit here, while those who want to make connections between the Christmas story and the work of Jesus will find fodder in this new book by Dandi Daley Mackall.
The Tiny Baby Jesus (2009, 32 pages) is published by Zonderkidz. It is aimed for children 4–8. It retails for $16.99, but can often be found for less. ISBN-13 978-0210717997.
**This book was provided to the Untrained Housewife for review.**
