In all the holiday brouhaha, it’s sometimes tempting to skip over the season’s simple, obvious joys. The Stable Where Jesus Was Born is one of those obvious joys. Beautifully illustrated by Susan Gaber, it tells the story of Jesus’s birth in rhymed couplets: “This is the stable where Jesus was born . . . “.
Each couplet zooms out from an intimate scene in the stable until finally, the heavens are involved and the whole earth, and then the arc begins to fall back to that stable, where two new parents hold the earth’s greatest joy, surrounded by humble animals.
I love the illustrations; I love the language. But more than anything, I love that shifting perspective. (And my daughters love the animals, so this is a great story of the Nativity to share with the littlest readers.)
On a Related Note
Advent, that season of expectant joy, is the perfect time to be nine months pregnant. Not because our schedule is clear or our house is clean, but because our hearts are awaiting God’s great gift to all of mankind while also awaiting that little, tangible gift given to our family in particular. We don’t know her name or her birthday, but she’s due to join us any time.
That said, I wanted to give you a peek at my plans for this blog’s future: I’m hoping to take a few weeks to a month off and then work my way back up to weekly posts over the next few months. God and the baby may disagree with me, but those, my friends, are my plans. I promise to share a post with you when the baby is born, and in the meantime, your prayers for our family are greatly appreciated. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to sharing more books with you after the New Year!
The Stable Where Jesus Was Born
Rhonda Growler Greene, Susan Gaber (2002)