A New Day / Un Nuevo Dia: The Timeless Story of the Nativity / El cuento clasico de la Natividad

by Don Bolognese

Set in the Southwest near the Mexican border, this bilingual novel adapts the Christmas story to contemporary times. Jose and Maria are farmworkers heading back to Mexico after working the harvest. Maria is about to have a baby and they can’t find a hotel or motel to take them in, so they take shelter in an abandoned service station. Word of the new baby spreads and three cowboys come to visit him, followed by many other people. Eventually, the police ask Jose and Maria to leave and they continue their journey to Mexico, promising to return to see their many new friends. The text is presented on each page in both English and Spanish.
For grades k-4.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Don Bolognese was born in New York City to immigrant parents and grew up in an atmosphere of art and Italian culture. A graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art, he determined early on that he would be an illustrator, and after illustrating works by many other authors he decided to write his own books. Among them are several series combining art, history, and adventure, many of which were done in collaboration with his wife, Elaine Raphael, an author and artist. Several years ago he teamed up with Ms. Raphael to design and illustrate Letters to Horseface, the story of Mozart's travels through Italy, by F. N. Monjo. Retracing the young composer's footsteps gave him a firsthand look at the birthplace of the Renaissance. That experience provided the inspiration for The Warhorse. In his spare time Don Bolognese is an avid gardener and a cautious collector of wild mushrooms.

Reviews

[Kara Burks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is a modern take on the christmas story. On each page the story is written in both English and Spanish. The story is good for younger students because the language is kept simple and is in a way that young students can understand it. The art is very dark color wise and it made it hard to discern what was happening in some of the pictures. Pictures also showed very stereotypical depictions of Mexican people. Only in the back matter does it mention that this is a take on the christmas story but it is blatantly obvious for anyone who remotely knows the story. I personally did not enjoy this take on the christmas story. The story gave no reason for such celebration of a baby being born and I think it could have at least listed a reason for why everyone was celebrating. The book left me wishing there was more depth to it. The Characters were not fleshed out at all. Being written in both Spanish and English gives the sense that both languages are equal but the pictures tell a different story. I would not have this book in my classroom.

[Caitlyn]

I loved this new tale on the birth of Jesus Christ. I have never read a story such as this one.

[Doug Glenning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the nativity story using modern examples of a poor family in Mexico 🇲🇽 near the border.