What do you think?
Rate this book
A Child Is Born: A Christmas Story
A beautifully illustrated Christmas legend of a shepherd boy and the three kings, retold for young readers.
- GenresChristmas
30 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1985
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
December 11, 2018
Joel had never seen such a star, nor such travelers as the three which approached his hut through the snow. Welcoming these kingly visitors, he hears from them the tale of a special young child whose birth the star above heralds, a special child destined to become a king for both the rich and the poor. Unable to forget the story, once the travelers leave, Joel sets out in pursuit, determined to see this unusual king for himself, and to offer the only gift he has - the playing of his flute. Along the way he encounters a number of people, each of whom question him about his journey, and give him gifts in exchange for his beautiful music. When he finally arrives at his destination, and meets the child, he gives everything he has - both the gifts he has collected along the way, and his music - to the babe...
Originally published in German as Ein Kind ist geboren, this lovely holiday picture-book is styled, in the translation I read, as being "from an old Christmas legend," leading me to suppose that there is some folkloric antecedent or source for the tale. Unfortunately, no further information as to source or origin is given, which is a keen disappointment, as I had a strong sense of recognition whilst reading, and would have liked to know more about the story's background. Not only does A Child Is Born remind me of such stories as The Legend of Old Befana , which also features a protagonist (female, in that case) who runs after the Three Kings, after an initial delay, but it also strikes me as being akin to the story of The Little Drummer Boy , in which a young drummer likewise follows after the Magi, and just like Joel, offers the Christ Child his music. I know that this song, written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, is supposed to be based upon an unknown Czech carol, and given the fact that Jindra Čapek is Czech, it made me wonder whether this book too was based upon the same unnamed unknown carol. Sadly, no further information is given here, leaving me unable to pursue that line of thought.
Leaving aside issues of source material and attribution, A Child Is Born is still a very appealing Christmas story, one which pairs an engaging "following the Magi" story-line with fascinating artwork. Čapek's illustrations strike me as one part medieval (in perspective and proportion), one part surrealist, and all parts engrossing. Recommended to anyone looking for central European (is this Czech? Is it German? Neither? Both? I have no idea...) Christmas stories.
Originally published in German as Ein Kind ist geboren, this lovely holiday picture-book is styled, in the translation I read, as being "from an old Christmas legend," leading me to suppose that there is some folkloric antecedent or source for the tale. Unfortunately, no further information as to source or origin is given, which is a keen disappointment, as I had a strong sense of recognition whilst reading, and would have liked to know more about the story's background. Not only does A Child Is Born remind me of such stories as The Legend of Old Befana , which also features a protagonist (female, in that case) who runs after the Three Kings, after an initial delay, but it also strikes me as being akin to the story of The Little Drummer Boy , in which a young drummer likewise follows after the Magi, and just like Joel, offers the Christ Child his music. I know that this song, written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, is supposed to be based upon an unknown Czech carol, and given the fact that Jindra Čapek is Czech, it made me wonder whether this book too was based upon the same unnamed unknown carol. Sadly, no further information is given here, leaving me unable to pursue that line of thought.
Leaving aside issues of source material and attribution, A Child Is Born is still a very appealing Christmas story, one which pairs an engaging "following the Magi" story-line with fascinating artwork. Čapek's illustrations strike me as one part medieval (in perspective and proportion), one part surrealist, and all parts engrossing. Recommended to anyone looking for central European (is this Czech? Is it German? Neither? Both? I have no idea...) Christmas stories.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review