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Angela and the Baby Jesus
"When my mother, Angela, was six years old, she felt sorry for the Baby Jesus in the Christmas crib...."
Amazon.com Exclusive
Angela and the Baby Jesus, the first Christmas book from beloved author Frank McCourt, is an unprecedented event, with a children's edition published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and an adult edition published by Scribner. Set in Ireland, the story is about the childhood of Angela, of Angela's Ashes. Each edition has the same story written by McCourt but is illustrated by a different artist. Raul Colon illustrated the children's edition and Loren Long illustrated the adult edition. Amazon asked both artists to write about their experiences illustrating the same scene from McCourt's story to get an inside look at how they interpreted McCourt's words.
Raul Colon on the Fireside Scene from Angela and the Baby Jesus:
[image]This image for Frank McCourt's Angela and the Baby Jesus picture book came to me just by thinking of a warm fireplace on a cold night.
Frank McCourt's first Christmas book is by turns tender and heartwarming, and wholly unforgettable. Angela is six years old and worries for the Baby Jesus on the altar of St. Joseph's Church near School House Lane in Limerick, Ireland, where she lives. December nights are damp and cold, and the church is dark. The Baby Jesus' mother doesn't even have a blanket to cover him. The Baby is sure to need Angela's help, even if she is not allowed to step near the altar, especially by herself.
Filled with the character and incident that have made Pulitzer Prize recipient Frank McCourt internationally renowned and beloved, Angela and the Baby Jesus is a timeless story of family--and all of its joy, tradition, love, and incongruity--and a book for the generations to cherish.
Amazon.com Exclusive
Angela and the Baby Jesus, the first Christmas book from beloved author Frank McCourt, is an unprecedented event, with a children's edition published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and an adult edition published by Scribner. Set in Ireland, the story is about the childhood of Angela, of Angela's Ashes. Each edition has the same story written by McCourt but is illustrated by a different artist. Raul Colon illustrated the children's edition and Loren Long illustrated the adult edition. Amazon asked both artists to write about their experiences illustrating the same scene from McCourt's story to get an inside look at how they interpreted McCourt's words.
Raul Colon on the Fireside Scene from Angela and the Baby Jesus:
[image]This image for Frank McCourt's Angela and the Baby Jesus picture book came to me just by thinking of a warm fireplace on a cold night.
In this particular scene the family sits around the fire to chat after tea. Angela's little brother is giving up the secret that the "Baby Jesus" is in the bed upstairs. Angela shows a bit of worry in her face, since she quietly snuck the "baby" into the house. Surely she'll be in trouble now.
Throughout the story I hardly show any of the adult faces, focusing mainly on the children's world. Hence, Mother's back is turned toward us. I also cut off the little brother's face by having Mother's turn-of-the-century hairdo get in the way (A little thing I learned from the great artist Degas.) It gives the scene intimacy, as if the viewer is there taking a snapshot with his camera. All in all a fun and rewarding book to illustrate. It was an honor to turn McCourt's words into actual pictures. --Raul Colon
Loren Long on the Fireside Scene from Angela and the Baby Jesus:
[image]Usually little Angela would want to be right in the middle of the action as the family sits by the fire and talks. But not this time--she has a secret upstairs.
At this point in the story, I'm giving the reader a seat behind the family in the shadows away from the fire. At the same time we, the readers, know about Angela's secret in the bedroom upstairs and we see her hanging back from the others, sneaking peeks up the staircase. We can see that she has something more important on her mind than her family's chattering.
In my visual interpretation of Angela and the Baby Jesus, I wanted to tap into Frank McCourt's sophisticated blend of gritty realism and subtle humor. For this reason, I specifically chose a limited color palette. I worked with acrylics on canvas and tried to keep the paintings a bit edgy and raw.
Choosing images came naturally when working on this story. I was taken with the balance of reverence, innocence, and humor in Frank's text and I simply tried to come up with creative ways to portray these elements in a subtle but hopefully profound way. --Loren Long
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Frank McCourt
49 books2,428 followersFrancis McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela's Ashes, a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
December 28, 2025
A sweet and funny picture book by Frank McCourt and romantically illustrated by Raul Colon about McCourt's mother who at six (we are told) felt sorry for the nearly naked and probably freezing baby Jesus in the creche at St Joseph's, hid out in the confessional (nice touch!) til no one else was around, stole it, and brought him home to warm him in her own bed. Her brother Pat told on her, but when the family got caught by the priest and a copper trying to return it to the church, he stood up for her and said he would agree to go to the Limerick jail in her place.
Sweet?! And a little quirky (I love her multiple attempts to throw the baby Jesus over the fence to get it in her yard), and I like how you hear a wink in Frank McCourt's Irish brogue as he tells it. Perhaps with a bit of the blarney?
Sweet?! And a little quirky (I love her multiple attempts to throw the baby Jesus over the fence to get it in her yard), and I like how you hear a wink in Frank McCourt's Irish brogue as he tells it. Perhaps with a bit of the blarney?
August 6, 2009
I picked this up the day Frank McCourt died, but couldn't read it until today. Having read all of McCourt's other books, I've been saving it for the right moment, and for some reason it felt like the right moment just now. Reading it felt like getting one last Christmas present from a much-loved uncle.
Delightful book. It is Frank, at his tender best. The artwork is fabulous. To think there were a million other wonderful stories inside him, and now they're all gone. I miss 'im.
I know this sounds crazy, but I would love to see the Wallace and Gromit people (Aardman?) animate this as a movie short. It would be touching and hilarious at the same time, just as Frank would have wanted.
Delightful book. It is Frank, at his tender best. The artwork is fabulous. To think there were a million other wonderful stories inside him, and now they're all gone. I miss 'im.
I know this sounds crazy, but I would love to see the Wallace and Gromit people (Aardman?) animate this as a movie short. It would be touching and hilarious at the same time, just as Frank would have wanted.
December 27, 2019
When Angela sees the Christ Child lying in his crib at St. Joseph's Church, near her home in Limerick, Ireland, the young girl believes that he must be terribly cold. Determined to spare the child a form of suffering which which she is all too familiar, she steals him, taking him home in order to keep him safe and warm. Her brother Pat discovers her secret, and eventually gives her away to the family, who insist that the statue must be returned to the church. But what will the parish priest and the local policeman do, when they are discovered trying to return him...?
Originally published in 2007 as Angela and the Baby Jesus , this lovely holiday picture-book from Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the memoir, Angela's Ashes , was reprinted this year (2019) as Angela's Christmas. I greatly enjoyed McCourt's memoir, many years ago when it was first published, but I never read the sequels, nor was I aware until recently that he had written a children's story, based upon one of his mother's childhood experiences. I'm glad that I have discovered this, as I found the story equal parts humorous and heartwarming, and appreciated both the moving conclusion, and the beautiful artwork by Raúl Colón. Recommended to fans of the author, and to anyone looking for deeply felt Christmas stories for children, that are both entertaining and poignant.
Originally published in 2007 as Angela and the Baby Jesus , this lovely holiday picture-book from Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the memoir, Angela's Ashes , was reprinted this year (2019) as Angela's Christmas. I greatly enjoyed McCourt's memoir, many years ago when it was first published, but I never read the sequels, nor was I aware until recently that he had written a children's story, based upon one of his mother's childhood experiences. I'm glad that I have discovered this, as I found the story equal parts humorous and heartwarming, and appreciated both the moving conclusion, and the beautiful artwork by Raúl Colón. Recommended to fans of the author, and to anyone looking for deeply felt Christmas stories for children, that are both entertaining and poignant.
November 23, 2010
Riding on the popularity of his Pulitzer award-winning book, Angela's Ashes, two years before his death, Frank McCourt (1930-2009) wrote this book, Angela and the Baby Jesus. According to Wiki, this is based on his mother's story when the latter was a small girl in Limerick, Ireland.
The book is an easy 15-minute read. It is about a girl who thinks that the statue infant in the manger of their church is real. Since it is cold in Ireland in December and she, the dirt poor girl, feels cold, she thinks that the half-bare infant must really be freezing and could die anytime. So, she picks up the statue and brings it home.
Well. I enjoyed Angela's Ashes and listed it among my favorite memoirs. However, my brother told me that the story of McCourt growing up as a boy in Limerick was not true. Check Wiki, he says. True enough, McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York and not in Limerick as he claims in the book. If it is a work of fiction, I understand but he won the Pulitzer under "Biography and Autobiography" and Angela's Ashes is told in first person narrative. Well, he is dead already and I enjoyed the book so why bother to question.
Anyway. I enjoyed Angela and the Baby Jesus because of the girl's innocence and the flying Jesus. The sketches in the book are also nice to look at especially the flying scene and the one with girl about to take the baby from the manger. The choice of the style in those sketches is unlike the usual one that you see in children's books: colorful, distinct and characters always smiling. This one appeals more to adults but children might enjoy it as well.
The book is an easy 15-minute read. It is about a girl who thinks that the statue infant in the manger of their church is real. Since it is cold in Ireland in December and she, the dirt poor girl, feels cold, she thinks that the half-bare infant must really be freezing and could die anytime. So, she picks up the statue and brings it home.
Well. I enjoyed Angela's Ashes and listed it among my favorite memoirs. However, my brother told me that the story of McCourt growing up as a boy in Limerick was not true. Check Wiki, he says. True enough, McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York and not in Limerick as he claims in the book. If it is a work of fiction, I understand but he won the Pulitzer under "Biography and Autobiography" and Angela's Ashes is told in first person narrative. Well, he is dead already and I enjoyed the book so why bother to question.
Anyway. I enjoyed Angela and the Baby Jesus because of the girl's innocence and the flying Jesus. The sketches in the book are also nice to look at especially the flying scene and the one with girl about to take the baby from the manger. The choice of the style in those sketches is unlike the usual one that you see in children's books: colorful, distinct and characters always smiling. This one appeals more to adults but children might enjoy it as well.
December 14, 2008
This story was based on a true story about the author's mother. I liked the family interaction in this book and enjoyed the sweetness of the little children. Angela's brother is willing to go to jail for her (she stole the baby Jesus out of the nativity because she thought he was cold) because he loves Baby Jesus and he loves his sister. Too sweet! There were also some really funny lines that we all laughed about.
The illustrations were unique and very beautiful!
The illustrations were unique and very beautiful!
December 4, 2019
This may be a new Christmas favorite of our family!
December 21, 2018
Frank McCourt narrates this himself! A touching Christmas story involving a theft of baby Jesus from the local church nativity because 6-year old Angela was afraid he was cold. There’s an illustrated picture book edition I’ll have to check out as well.
Re-read Dec 2018: Borrowed the picture edition from the library and the illustrations are lovely. Still enjoy the narrated audiobook very much though.
Re-read Dec 2018: Borrowed the picture edition from the library and the illustrations are lovely. Still enjoy the narrated audiobook very much though.
November 11, 2020
This is my new favorite Christmas book. That's saying a lot because I'm a bit of a connoiseur of Christmas picture books. Lovely and hilarious narrative with fantastic dialogue. Beautiful illustrations. Touching and moving, but not sappy at all. Just a delight. I cannot wait to share this one with my family and friends.
January 1, 2018
I liked this concept, but the execution was a bit long winded and complicated for a two year old. It was also a bit confusing if you are not a catholic family. But Angela was cute, and her siblings were funny, and I liked the ending as well as how the other nativity figures were given « feelings. »
December 19, 2020
A new Christmas favorite for me...although published several years ago now. This precious true story is about a little girl, Angela, who is so concerned about the welfare of baby Jesus in the manger in a cold church, that she "kidnaps" him to warm him up! The sweetness and kindness is what Christmas is all about. And the adults in the story are touched by a child's innocent point of view. So love this!
December 8, 2021
A favorite Christmas read. I purged my Christmas book collection with a heavy hand last year; passing many along to my grandchildren with the remainder going to the local friends if the library group, but this treasure stays with me. Humorous, tender, delightful.
December 9, 2020
Cute innocent story. The illustrations were a little scary. I liked the narrator though (Irish accent, need I say more?)
There is a Netflix movie, which is way better than the book illustrations, so, I am going to watch that.
There is a Netflix movie, which is way better than the book illustrations, so, I am going to watch that.
January 6, 2009
A wonderful book about Frank McCourt's mother who, as a little girl, worried that the baby Jesus was cold in the manger at church. So she sneaks him home. The book is also, tangentially but quite touchingly, about her intellectually disabled brother.
The illustration of the baby Jesus flying over the garden wall is quite something to behold. A great gift for children (and Godchildren).
The illustration of the baby Jesus flying over the garden wall is quite something to behold. A great gift for children (and Godchildren).
January 26, 2010
Story about THE Angela of Angela's Ashes.
I wish Frank McCourt had penned more children's books before he died, this one is a treasure, and has brought the word "whingeing" into our verbage.
I wish Frank McCourt had penned more children's books before he died, this one is a treasure, and has brought the word "whingeing" into our verbage.
November 13, 2011
This beautiful book was given to me on my birthday this year by a dear friend.
It will make a wonderful addition to my Christmas collection.
It will make a wonderful addition to my Christmas collection.
November 21, 2017
Ages: 5 - 9
#christmas
#christmas
December 30, 2017
Sweet, true story about his mother as a little girl riding on the success of McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. The edition I read has soft, evocative illustrations by Raúl Colón.
August 3, 2023
Leí por primera vez a Frank McCourt con 13 años (Las cenizas de Ángela, 1999) cuando le compramos el best seller a mi padre como regalo y nunca lo leyó. Yo comenzaba a leer ya libros de adultos y gracias a la sensibilidad con la que escribía y a su vez transmitía, y a la manera tan sencilla y natural que tenía para contar las cosas, se convirtió en uno de mis escritores favoritos.
Pronto le comuniqué a mi madre que me quería comprar todos los libros del autor, si es que tenía alguno más publicado en mi país, e iba periódicamente a la papelería de mi pueblo a comprar cosas para el instituto o algunos libros y preguntaba si había alguna novedad.
Una de ellas fue esta, Ángela y el niño Jesús. No era del estilo en el que estaba acostumbrada a leer a Frank, la novela, sino que esta vez y por petición popular, se animó a escribir un cuento de Navidad basado en una anécdota que le había ocurrido a su madre cuando tenía tan solo seis añitos.
Ángela, madre de Frank, a sabiendas de que las Navidades en la ciudad de Limerick (Irlanda) eran bastante crudas, no pudo soportar ver al niño Jesús en el pesebre de la Iglesia local, vestido tan solo con escasas ropas que desde luego no eran las más adecuadas para la época y creyendo que el bebé estaba pasando mucho frío, decide llevárselo al calor de su hogar.
La peripecia no durará mucho tiempo puesto que es una niña demasiado pequeña para mantener tal secreto y es su hermano Pat, a quien al principio no terminan de creer (se deja entender que tiene una leve discapacidad mental), quien descubrirá todo el pastel y quien termina chivando a toda la familia lo que estaba sucediendo. Teniendo en cuenta que la intención de Ángela fue buena y pura y que no existió maldad alguna y sumado todo ello además de su corta edad, el acontecimiento, cura y policía mediante, no pasa a mayores.
Definitivamente es un cuento precioso con unas ilustraciones a la altura.
Pronto le comuniqué a mi madre que me quería comprar todos los libros del autor, si es que tenía alguno más publicado en mi país, e iba periódicamente a la papelería de mi pueblo a comprar cosas para el instituto o algunos libros y preguntaba si había alguna novedad.
Una de ellas fue esta, Ángela y el niño Jesús. No era del estilo en el que estaba acostumbrada a leer a Frank, la novela, sino que esta vez y por petición popular, se animó a escribir un cuento de Navidad basado en una anécdota que le había ocurrido a su madre cuando tenía tan solo seis añitos.
Ángela, madre de Frank, a sabiendas de que las Navidades en la ciudad de Limerick (Irlanda) eran bastante crudas, no pudo soportar ver al niño Jesús en el pesebre de la Iglesia local, vestido tan solo con escasas ropas que desde luego no eran las más adecuadas para la época y creyendo que el bebé estaba pasando mucho frío, decide llevárselo al calor de su hogar.
La peripecia no durará mucho tiempo puesto que es una niña demasiado pequeña para mantener tal secreto y es su hermano Pat, a quien al principio no terminan de creer (se deja entender que tiene una leve discapacidad mental), quien descubrirá todo el pastel y quien termina chivando a toda la familia lo que estaba sucediendo. Teniendo en cuenta que la intención de Ángela fue buena y pura y que no existió maldad alguna y sumado todo ello además de su corta edad, el acontecimiento, cura y policía mediante, no pasa a mayores.
Definitivamente es un cuento precioso con unas ilustraciones a la altura.
March 26, 2019
This is a turn for Frank Mc Court, this is a sweet, compassionate story from him. A beautiful Gift book.When Frank's mother Angela was 6 years old and growing up in Limerick, Ireland.In her church at Christmas she noticed Baby Jesus in the nativity scene and assumed because he had no blanket he was cold.So Angela snuck the poor nativity baby Jesus into her large family's home and into bed to keep him warm. Mom finds out and Angela and her brother and mom return him to the church.But out walks the priest and a policeman. The policeman asks Angela why did you take Baby Jesus home and she siad because he was cold.The policeman said I cannot arrest the tiny girl. So Mom and Angela leave the baby in the nativity scene. I do not think poor Angela meant anything but good.She just loved baby Jesus and wanted to keep him warm. Do we love Baby Jesus enough to think about him every day?
March 3, 2025
Make sure you have your box of tissues at your side when you read this beautiful book. The family dynamic is so deeply touching. Six year old Angela is concerned for the baby Jesus lying there in the cold crib by the alter. So she takes him home with her to put him in a warm blanket. Her brother sees her and tattle-tales to their mother. Their mother, horrified, gathers them all up and marches them, with the baby Jesus, back to the church. There they find the priest and a policeman investigating the disappearance of the baby Jesus. What happens next will melt the coldest heart. This is a fabulous read!
Raul Colon’s illustrations are out of this world glorious! Their textured and muted artwork is stunning. I would love to know how they managed to create those rich delicate patterns.
This gets my Huggable Book Award AND 3 big Gold Stars!
Raul Colon’s illustrations are out of this world glorious! Their textured and muted artwork is stunning. I would love to know how they managed to create those rich delicate patterns.
This gets my Huggable Book Award AND 3 big Gold Stars!
November 25, 2021
Angela sees Baby Jesus lying in the manger and he must be so cold! She takes matters into her own hands to help keep him warm. When her family finds out, they tell her she must return him.
This is a sweet story from the perspective of a little girl who's just trying to do what she thinks is right--keep the barely clothed Baby Jesus warm! I enjoyed how she "talks" to him and could picture any little girl playing with a doll talk and act the same exact way. Especially heartwarming is the ending with her big brother .
This is a sweet story from the perspective of a little girl who's just trying to do what she thinks is right--keep the barely clothed Baby Jesus warm! I enjoyed how she "talks" to him and could picture any little girl playing with a doll talk and act the same exact way. Especially heartwarming is the ending with her big brother .
December 28, 2020
A beautiful story about the true spirit of Christmas! I have read this with all of my children and they all relate to Angela wanting to get the baby warm and take care of him. It is so endearing and then they made a cartoon of this called Angela's Christmas and it is even more endearing and touching. This year I read it to the kids and we watched the movie a few days before Christmas! Grandma provided the beach house and it was a wonderful memory!
March 22, 2019
This is a nice Christmas story that tells of the innocence of a little girl and her wanting to do the right thing. Angela and her family are very poor and Angela, herself, is cold on this night. When she sees the statue of the baby Jesus in the church, she thinks it is real. Since it is not dressed warmly, she thinks he must be cold too which is why she steals it.
January 4, 2024
A heartwarming Christmas story based on a story McCourt's mother, Angela, told him. When Angela was six, she stole the baby Jesus from the church's nativity set because the baby looked cold. McCourt is a master storyteller and tells a beautiful story about faith, family, and Christmas. A timeless picture book for all ages!
August 10, 2017
This is such a sweet book. Frank McCourt wrote this short story about his mother when she was a child. Angela sees the baby Jesus in the manger at her church and believes he is cold. She takes him home to keep him warn.
October 27, 2017
Frank McCourt recreates a Christmas story he heard from his mother in Ireland, and it is enlarged and enhanced by stunning artwork, and a gentle, lullaby-like, cadence. A masterpiece from the master storyteller himself. One of my most precious collectibles of children's books.
January 13, 2018
A wonderful true story by a beloved author!
Frank McCourt writes about young Angela, his mom, and how she agonized over Baby Jesus lying naked in the Christmas Church crib and catching a cold, so she had to act fast...
A tender, heartwarming Christmas read!
Frank McCourt writes about young Angela, his mom, and how she agonized over Baby Jesus lying naked in the Christmas Church crib and catching a cold, so she had to act fast...
A tender, heartwarming Christmas read!
January 3, 2018
This is a beautifully-told story with lovely illustrations.
Six-year-old Angela is worried that the baby Jesus doll will be cold. What she does to warm the doll leads to the whole family getting mixed up in the priest's consternation.
Six-year-old Angela is worried that the baby Jesus doll will be cold. What she does to warm the doll leads to the whole family getting mixed up in the priest's consternation.
April 15, 2018
A true story of Frank McCourt's mother. Angela thought the baby Jesus in the church nativity must be cold, so she hatched a plan to warm him up. Heartwarming, and in parts hilarious, this book is perfect for Christmas or anytime we need a little Godly inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews