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The Christ Child
Book by Maud Petersham, Miska Petersham
63 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1931
About the author
Maud Petersham
186 books3 followersMaud Fuller was the daughter of a Baptist minister, She grew up with three sisters in a parsonage. The family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Newburg, New York, and finally to Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a child, she loved picture books and to draw. After graduating from Vassar College she studied at the New York School Of Fine And Applied Art. Her first job was in the art department at the International Art Service, an advertising firm, where she met her husband, Miska Petersham.
The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, a book of American songs, rhymes, and games in the tradition of Mother Goose. Often they traveled to foreign lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to do research for their books. They had a close working relationship with their juvenile editor and were allowed to plan their own books entirely from making the dummy to choosing the format, layout, colors, and type. Their routine consisted of Maud writing the stories and doing the roughs; then Miska would finish, doing the color separations on acetate and all the tedious hand work.
The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors. When Miska died in 1960, Maud sold the Woodstock, New York, house in which they had lived and worked for forty years and moved to a smaller home in Woodstock. In addition to the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, the Petershams also received the 1942 Caldecott Honour Award in 1942 for "An American ABC".
The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, a book of American songs, rhymes, and games in the tradition of Mother Goose. Often they traveled to foreign lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to do research for their books. They had a close working relationship with their juvenile editor and were allowed to plan their own books entirely from making the dummy to choosing the format, layout, colors, and type. Their routine consisted of Maud writing the stories and doing the roughs; then Miska would finish, doing the color separations on acetate and all the tedious hand work.
The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors. When Miska died in 1960, Maud sold the Woodstock, New York, house in which they had lived and worked for forty years and moved to a smaller home in Woodstock. In addition to the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, the Petershams also received the 1942 Caldecott Honour Award in 1942 for "An American ABC".
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 23, 2021
I have been reading this to my family for many years on Christmas Eve and it has become a cherished Christmas tradition. The text is taken directly from the King James Bible, the author beautifully intermingles Old Testament prophecies with the New Testament accounts of Jesus's birth and early childhood. The illustrations are superb . I have two editions of this book. One is a 1931 hardback that was used in a children's play and it has the names of the children that played each part. The other is a paperback , so when I'm reading the story the children can read along with their own book and see the wonderful illustrations, too. I'm looking forward to reading it to my granddaughter this year.
February 19, 2011
The beautiful illustrations touched with gold and the text from the King James Bible make this my favorite nativity story of all time, from childhood on.
July 7, 2023
Alternates color and black-and-white spreads, as was typical at the time. The colors are striking and many of the illustrations are worthy of framing. One might think this is yet another Nativity picture book - ho hum. Nope - amazingly, this covers the whole deal, all of Jesus' life (that we are told) before adulthood. Text is straight from the King James Bible (Luke and Matthew) with the appropriate thous and shalts and is presented with plenty of white space. Occasionally there is a full page of just text, but it's only ten lines max. The book is divided into seven "chapters" - but the whole thing could easily be read to a child in one sitting. This is an exceptional production, long acclaimed and justly so.
August 12, 2023
I am not certain how I stumbled upon this one but I am grateful that something caused me to order a copy. This is a gorgeous book that tells not only the nativity story but the story of Christ's childhood as well. I love the illustrations and was especially pleased with the way Mary was drawn in the two pages that reference her "pondering" scriptures.
December 9, 2019
This is a 1931 edition. Very special to have and be able to read on this December night. The illustrations are in color on every other page as children's books were printed at this time. It is the King James version of the Bible of the Christmas story. What a treasure.
December 8, 2018
Great illustrations to accompany the King James version in the text.
January 4, 2019
Beautiful illustrations!
January 23, 2022
Beautifully illustrated!
December 31, 2009
This is gem!
This is the story of Christmas told in the words of the New Testament (okay, the English translation of Matthew and Luke). The illustrations are gentle and stunning. The story begins before the birth of Jesus and continues the tale until Jesus is 12 and found in the temple.
The pages are laid out in an open, easy to read fashion. The illustrations are mostly full page, and the story is broken up into sections like chapters, but it might take about 10 minutes to read the whole book.
I love the old world feel of the text and the illustrations. It is an annual favorite in our home.
This is the story of Christmas told in the words of the New Testament (okay, the English translation of Matthew and Luke). The illustrations are gentle and stunning. The story begins before the birth of Jesus and continues the tale until Jesus is 12 and found in the temple.
The pages are laid out in an open, easy to read fashion. The illustrations are mostly full page, and the story is broken up into sections like chapters, but it might take about 10 minutes to read the whole book.
I love the old world feel of the text and the illustrations. It is an annual favorite in our home.
November 28, 2014
This book is gorgeous. I believe it is out of print. I bought a used copy that came in good condition. The title is "The Christ Child" and inside the book is a sub-title" As told by Matthew and Luke." Lovely illustrations. The book was arranged in 7 short little chapters or sections, starting with Prophecy. A wonderful way of introducing the words of the bible to a child. I will treasure this one!
July 12, 2016
Beautiful illustrations. Tells the story of Christ's birth with text from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Starts with prophecy of the Messiah and follows the story until Jesus is age 12.
February 27, 2014
Notes:
gorgeous book with excellent text
truly a Bible story without embellishment
some illustrations have 'religious' imagery like halos
gorgeous book with excellent text
truly a Bible story without embellishment
some illustrations have 'religious' imagery like halos
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews