When Ashtar the Wise sees a new star in the East he knows immediately what it signifies. He sets off to find the new king, and uses his wisdom to help all he meets on the way. But somehow, his great knowledge keeps tripping him up. He misses each important clue about the purpose of his journey and fails to see the events of the first Christmas unfolding right before his eyes. Rich colour illustrations complement the story, showing readers what Ashtar is missing and adding to the gentle humour of the text.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2001 by Lion Hudson Plc .

ALAN MACDONALD, compiler of Whispering in God's Ear and The Essential Christmas Book. Actor, poet and author of several anthologies and picture storybooks. ANDREW ROWLAND's work has been shortlisted for the Macmillan Children's Illustration prize. Alan MacDonald lives in Nottingham. He writes both non-fiction and fiction as well as writing for radio and TV. He has a particularly good track record for writing page-turning and accessible historical books.