Écoutez, Dit l'Âne: Le Récit Du Premier Noêl

by Jean Little

In a stable in Bethlehem, five animals - a donkey, a camel, a cat, a sheep and a puppy; scared, tell how they got there. When the soldiers of King Herod come seek Jesus, the puppy comes out of hiding just in time to prevent the stable-boy of tell them where they could find Mary and Joseph. A touching story Christmas tells how a lost puppy freedom to save the child Jesus.

Genres: Christmas

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jean Little (January 02, 1932 - April 06, 2020) was a Canadian author, born in Taiwan, but who lived most her life in Guelph, Ontario.

Little's work mainly consisted of children's literature, but she also wrote two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within.

She is a Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Jean Little Public School, in Guelph, Ont. is named in her honour.

Little had been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and was frequently accompanied by her guide dog. While her death occurred during the onset of the pandemic, it was not attributed to COVID-19.

Reviews

[SBF · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, there are far too many Nativity-themed picture books that tell the story from the stable animals' perspective. There's nothing wrong with taking that approach, but it's used a lot. So when I saw this one, I almost disregarded it, then I saw the author's name. Jean Little is a talented Canadian children's author, and I like and respect her work. Intrigued, I picked this up and it's an excellent story. It's a cross between a picture book and a chapter book, with each section told by a different animal, as they discuss their version of the events they witnessed. Donkey, camel, dog, cat, each get a turn, and they don't all share the same opinions, either. If you want quality writing and a real story to follow, try this Nativity book. It was a pleasant surprise.

[Kristina]

The story is told by the donkey, lamb, camel, cat, and dog. This book is far too long and wordy to be read in one sitting.