'I am Mary, quick and slow. Tight as a drum. We're so far from home, and my baby will be born tonight.' An innkeeper, an ox and a donkey, shepherds, wise men, angels, a star, Herod, Mary and Jesus himself all speak their part in this resonant and original retelling of the Nativity story. Set in the Middle East and filled with visual references to the place and time, the poetic text marries beautifully with the exquisite jewel-coloured paintings of Peter Malone.

 

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 2006 by Hachette Children's Group .

Peter Malone has illustrated a number of picture books for Orion. He was commissioned by the Royal Mail for a set of Christmas stamps. He lives in Bath with his wife and two daughters. Kevin Crossley-Holland is well-known as a poet, broadcaster, and writer for children. He won the Carnegie Medal in 1985. For Oxford, he has written The Green Children and adapted Beowulf for children.