The Christmas Story with Ruth J. Morehead's Holly Babes

by Ruth J. Morehead

Illustrations in full color. The curly-haired, toddler-sized Holly Babes put on a Christmas pageant presentation of the Nativity in this sweet, simple holiday story.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Picture Books, Christian, Holiday, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cringe when a picture book gets a story wrong on the very first page. I know this is a children's book, but there is no reason to tell children that Mary and Joseph were married and had set up house when the angel appeared. That ruins the miracle of the story. It cheapens the truth that Jesus was the Son of God. Even if you are going to tell the story with cute pictures, tell an accurate story!

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightfully told version of the old story ... with wonderful pictures featuring Ruth J. Morehead's Holly Babes, who are as cute as can be. Simple reading, suitable for early readers!

Loved this again!!!

[Kissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice retelling of the biblical story of Jesus' birth. While the artwork is adorable, some details of this retelling were either changed to a more positive tone or over simplified, resulting in some details from the original to be lost. It's a good selection if you are looking for a quick read during the holiday season.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really get having all the characters be babies. It's supposed to look like a play they are putting on but then some scenes are not staged but in real settings? The simplicity of getting the story across works but I have other versions of this story that are more realistic for children that I prefer over this one.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adorable short interpretation of the Christmas story. But I can't stop thinking about how "Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to pay their taxes." I always thought it was for a census...

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely little story about the story of Christmas with Mary and Joseph, the angel, the stable, the shepherds, and the three wise men bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. It's perfect for a child to understand.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable telling of the story of the Jesus Christ, which I've read to my children and grandchildren many times. I enjoy the illustrations that remind me of Precious Moments figurines. It has a tenderness to the telling of the story and the illustrations are precious.

[Alyssa Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why in the world would someone attempt to write a nativity story and change what the source material says? Book says Mary and Joseph were married when she was told she was pregnant with Jesus. Not true, she was a virgin. Avoid.

[Raegan Fredrickson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes. Mary and Joseph are married in this book “but have no children”. Also they refer to baby Jesus as “our lord” but have no mention of why he is our lord or that he is God. This dilutes the Gospel into something that isn’t miraculous at all. I can’t get behind this book…

[Eric Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple enough for the very, very young to begin to understand what Christmas is actually all about (before the seculars try to ruin it for them).

[Set · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary and Joseph were kin and they were not married. They didn't live together and they skipped over Joseph's dream of the angel. The illustrations are precious, remind me of precious moments.

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le grand élan de nostalgie que je viens de vivre omg, un grand merci à ma cousine qui m'a retrouvé cet album de mon enfance 😌

[Alison McGavran]

"The Christmas Story" explains the events of Mary and Joseph, their travel to Bethlehem, and the birth of baby Jesus. It is a simple retelling of the Christmas Story according to Matthew and Luke. Morehead tells the story using simple vocabulary in an honest, sensitive tone. The main setting is in the stable, late at night, where Jesus is born. Morehead illustrates each of the characters as cartoon little children using pastel colors and very round shapes and lines. She created the illustrations to look like the story is a play: the curtain is closed at the beginning, it opens for the plot, and the characters are bowing in the end showing the end of their performance. This version of the Christmas Story is appropriate for preschool to second grade children in order to teach the basics of Jesus’ birth before the child learns specific details as he/she gets older.

[Emily Shazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a really good book to read to a kid that is trying to understand the concept of Christmas and the story that goes behind it, but it is not very accurate. They left out a lot, which was necessary since it was just a picture book, but they also changed a few minor things, probably to make it more kid-friendly and easier for a child to understand. I would not read this in my classroom because some parents may not want their kids to know about the Christmas story, and it may make other kids feel uncomfortable if they are from a different religion which does not believe in this.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and adorable. I bought this from the library cast offset because I have another Holly Babes book Christmas is Coming with Ruth J. Morehead's Holly Babes from my childhood that I have always loved. This book is the story of the nativity but it is odd to me that it States specifically that Mary and Joseph were married before the Angel even came to her.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this simple telling of the Christmas Story, accompanied by the most adorable pictures ever. In the setting of a Christmas Pageant, the true story unfolds and takes over. Our family has collected enough copies of the book for each of us to hold as we read the story every Christmas Eve. We have the cassette that was produced, as well, which has a perfect combination of story telling and carol singing.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, simple book to tell the story of Christ's birth to young children.

[Marita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet favorite form my firstborns first Christmas!

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations and a very simplified version of the Biblical Christmas story. I would have preferred a little more accuracy.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great picture book about the story of Christmas (nativity story). The pictures remind me of Precious Moments! Highly recommended.

[Sarah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great simple version of the Christmas story featuring beautiful illustrations as if the story is told by preschoolers in a play. Beautiful and simply told.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The traditional Christmas story told with the cute little Holly Babies.

[madziar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierwsza książka o Bożym Narodzeniu. Ilustracje zapełnione pulchnymi aniołkami.

[Sarah]

Own

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the art.