Celebration Song

by James Berry, Louise Brierley (Illustrator)

Set against a Caribbean background, a poem by the award-winning author of Ajeemah and His Son resonates with the cadences of the West Indies as it creates an intimate portrait of Mary and Jesus as Mother and Child.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Poetry, Christian

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

James Berry, OBE, Hon FRSL (1924-2017) was a black Jamaican poet and writer who settled in England in the 1940s. His poetry is notable for using a mixture of standard English and Jamaican Patois.

Reviews

[Mathew]

In his first picturebook, Berry celebrates Jesus' first birthday by having his mother, Mary, recount his birth and the impact he has already had on the world. Written in a poetic form that rolls across the page upon long, thin banners, Berry's first-person poem is gentle at times and halting in others. Brierley's art sees a Caribbean landscape gloriously imagined and places the characters in a new and exciting setting which works so well.

[Deanna Donald]

This is a great book! I would definitely read this to my students during Christmas to show that this is one way people believe during the holiday season. I would also have other stories that talked about other cultures and religious beliefs during the holiday season to be to encompass all students and to also allow students to see things outside of themselves. I would love to also read this in my sunday school classroom to children, as it is a great way to teach the Christmas story to young learners.

[Kasmarine]

One stone - three birds. Celebration Song set against a Caribbean background with a touch of the cadences of the West Indies.
It is a story of the birthday of Jesus in rhyming song. Wow. One can use this book to learn about the life of Jesus, about poems, and about rhyming. The illustrations synchronized very well with the lyric which made reading enjoyable.