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The First Christmas
While shepherds watched their flocks by night the baby Jesus was born at Bethlehem.
Simple and colourful, this comic-strip retelling of the Nativity is the perfect introduction to the Christmas story.
Simple and colourful, this comic-strip retelling of the Nativity is the perfect introduction to the Christmas story.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Marcia Williams
74 books50 followersMarcia Williams began to develop her distinctive comic-book style at an early age: "When I was about ten and wrote home to my family from boarding school," she says, "I never wrote normal letters. I tried to tell my family about what I was doing in a way that was more fun. Also, my parents didn't let me read comic books, so I decided to create my own."
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 7, 2023
The pictures are great! They are drawn in a comic style with four images/frames per page, with a caption below each image. The characters appear diverse in skin and hair color. The simple images are emotionally expressive and a sense of excitement pervades the book.
The story is a fairly plain retelling of the popular Christian Christmas story derived from combining the gospels of Matthew and Luke. I would have preferred a little more narrative embellishment, but I imagine other readers might be more comfortable with this version for staying closer to the gospels.
The book concludes with connecting the gospel story to the actual practices of celebrating Christmas: going to church, giving presents, singing Christmas carols, feasting with friends and family. This is an important connection not often made explicitly.
The story is a fairly plain retelling of the popular Christian Christmas story derived from combining the gospels of Matthew and Luke. I would have preferred a little more narrative embellishment, but I imagine other readers might be more comfortable with this version for staying closer to the gospels.
The book concludes with connecting the gospel story to the actual practices of celebrating Christmas: going to church, giving presents, singing Christmas carols, feasting with friends and family. This is an important connection not often made explicitly.
June 10, 2021
Not sure how this got on my list... I guess I was curious to see if the author's 'prot0-graphic novel' style would enhance the story. Nope. Just same old.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews