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How Many Miles to Bethlehem?
Two modern masters illuminate the Nativity story, creating a sumptuous gift book for families to cherish.
Mary, great with child. The lively donkey. The dignified wise men. The glorious angels. All the beloved figures of the nativity story are given new life by acclaimed poet and novelist Kevin Crossley-Holland, who links their tales into a chain of voices revealing the miracle and meaning of Christmas. Peter Malone's illustrations glow with the same majestic grace. This is a book for art lovers to admire, poets to praise, and families to read together and treasure.
Mary, great with child. The lively donkey. The dignified wise men. The glorious angels. All the beloved figures of the nativity story are given new life by acclaimed poet and novelist Kevin Crossley-Holland, who links their tales into a chain of voices revealing the miracle and meaning of Christmas. Peter Malone's illustrations glow with the same majestic grace. This is a book for art lovers to admire, poets to praise, and families to read together and treasure.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
47 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Crossley-Holland
206 books245 followersKevin Crossley-Holland is an English poet and prize-winning author for children. His books include Waterslain Angels, a detective story set in north Norfolk in 1955, and Moored Man: A Cycle of North Norfolk Poems; Gatty's Tale, a medieval pilgrimage novel; and the Arthur trilogy (The Seeing Stone, At the Crossing-Places and King of the Middle March), which combines historical fiction with the retelling of Arthurian legend.
The Seeing Stone won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal. The Arthur trilogy has won worldwide critical acclaim and has been translated into 21 languages.
Crossley-Holland has translated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, and his retellings of traditional tales include The Penguin Book of Norse Myths and British Folk Tales (reissued as The Magic Lands). His collaborations with composers include two operas with Nicola Lefanu ("The Green Children" and "The Wildman") and one with Rupert Bawden, "The Sailor’s Tale"; song cycles with Sir Arthur Bliss and William Mathias; and a carol with Stephen Paulus for King’s College, Cambridge. His play, The Wuffings, (co-authored with Ivan Cutting) was produced by Eastern Angles in 1997.
He often lectures abroad on behalf of the British Council, regularly leads sessions for teachers and librarians, and visits primary and secondary schools. He offers poetry and prose workshops and talks on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, King Arthur, heroines and heroes, and myth, legend and folk-tale.
After seven years teaching in Minnesota, where he held an Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Kevin Crossley-Holland returned to the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, where he now lives.
He has a Minnesotan wife, Linda, two sons (Kieran and Dominic) and two daughters (Oenone and Eleanor). He is an Honorary Fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, a patron of the Society of Storytelling and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
The Seeing Stone won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and the Smarties Prize Bronze Medal. The Arthur trilogy has won worldwide critical acclaim and has been translated into 21 languages.
Crossley-Holland has translated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, and his retellings of traditional tales include The Penguin Book of Norse Myths and British Folk Tales (reissued as The Magic Lands). His collaborations with composers include two operas with Nicola Lefanu ("The Green Children" and "The Wildman") and one with Rupert Bawden, "The Sailor’s Tale"; song cycles with Sir Arthur Bliss and William Mathias; and a carol with Stephen Paulus for King’s College, Cambridge. His play, The Wuffings, (co-authored with Ivan Cutting) was produced by Eastern Angles in 1997.
He often lectures abroad on behalf of the British Council, regularly leads sessions for teachers and librarians, and visits primary and secondary schools. He offers poetry and prose workshops and talks on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, King Arthur, heroines and heroes, and myth, legend and folk-tale.
After seven years teaching in Minnesota, where he held an Endowed Chair in the Humanities, Kevin Crossley-Holland returned to the north Norfolk coast in East Anglia, where he now lives.
He has a Minnesotan wife, Linda, two sons (Kieran and Dominic) and two daughters (Oenone and Eleanor). He is an Honorary Fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, a patron of the Society of Storytelling and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 5, 2024
The Nativity Story is told from a series of different perspectives—Mary, the innkeeper, the ox, the donkey, the shepherds, the Wise Men, Herod, and Jesus—in this Christmas picture book from English author/illustrator team Kevin Crossley-Holland and Peter Malone. As the narrative progresses, each two page spread features text from the perspective of a new figure, telling what happened, until the final page, on which Jesus declares "I am the Light of Light. The baby who will cradle the world. In your heart, hold me. I will never leave you."
Given the absolutely gorgeous cover and interior artwork from Peter Malone, and my fondness for some of author Kevin Crossley-Holland's other work, I expected to like How Many Miles to Bethlehem? more than I did. I like the idea of the narrative, and found the painterly visuals here simply breathtaking, but somehow the text itself just did not work for me. There were moments when I found it poetic, but for the most part it simply felt disjointed and disconnected, like a series of vignettes or impressions, all strung together, but not really cohering into one story. Perhaps if there had been more text, or slightly fewer perspectives, this might have worked better. Still, I did enjoy it, if for no other reason than that it gave me the opportunity to see the Nativity Story unfold in Malone's artwork. I will certainly have to seek out more of it, but as for this one, I don't highly recommend it, and think there are better Nativity Story picture books out there, not least, titles like Jan Pieńkowski's Christmas (you can't do better than the Gospels!).
Given the absolutely gorgeous cover and interior artwork from Peter Malone, and my fondness for some of author Kevin Crossley-Holland's other work, I expected to like How Many Miles to Bethlehem? more than I did. I like the idea of the narrative, and found the painterly visuals here simply breathtaking, but somehow the text itself just did not work for me. There were moments when I found it poetic, but for the most part it simply felt disjointed and disconnected, like a series of vignettes or impressions, all strung together, but not really cohering into one story. Perhaps if there had been more text, or slightly fewer perspectives, this might have worked better. Still, I did enjoy it, if for no other reason than that it gave me the opportunity to see the Nativity Story unfold in Malone's artwork. I will certainly have to seek out more of it, but as for this one, I don't highly recommend it, and think there are better Nativity Story picture books out there, not least, titles like Jan Pieńkowski's Christmas (you can't do better than the Gospels!).
December 27, 2024
The characters of First Christmas tell the story. Mary, the innkeeper, the ox, the donkey, the shepherds, the Star of Bethlehem, the Wise Men, King Herod and Baby Jesus, a lamb and the angels.
Frozen tableau illustrations. Mary is portrayed as Arabic ethnicity.
Third- or fourth-grade reading level.
Frozen tableau illustrations. Mary is portrayed as Arabic ethnicity.
Third- or fourth-grade reading level.
November 29, 2016
I like it and the illustrations are really lovely but maybe not great for kids. This is a book I can appreciate as an adult but might not be ideal for young children.
January 26, 2020
This beautifully illustrated lyrical story expresses the thoughts and emotions around the birth of Jesus.
January 6, 2021
Best realistic illustrations in a Christmas book!! But the text was bland and weird.
December 30, 2024
I enjoyed this retelling of Jesus’ birth. The illustrations were lovely and unique. My son asked to read this multiple times.
December 1, 2025
Gathering books again for the annual Christmas-book-collection, the children unwrapping one every day. This has more words than I expected, and the illustrations are lovely.
October 5, 2015
How Many Miles to Bethlehem? by Kevin Crossley-Holland is the coming together of all the traditional characters from the Nativity Story; from Mary, to the ox and donkey, and the wise men. The story is told by each character having their own voice, done in first-person, about the coming of baby Jesus.
Teaching children about religion through picture helps them visualize the times and origins of the said religion. The story of Christian Christmas takes an interesting turn in How Many Miles to Bethlehem? because of how the story comes together, with each character speaking in first-person. To be honest, this was the first children's book that I simply did not like. The language was too sparse and I often felt lost as I had to go back to the page before and reread. Each animal and person had their own voice and own thoughts, which was different and new, but I feel that it may have taken away from the cohesiveness of the story. The most beautiful thing about the picture book was the artwork done by Peter Malone. There was an incredible amount of detail in every image and the use of color was extraordinary.
Teaching children about religion through picture helps them visualize the times and origins of the said religion. The story of Christian Christmas takes an interesting turn in How Many Miles to Bethlehem? because of how the story comes together, with each character speaking in first-person. To be honest, this was the first children's book that I simply did not like. The language was too sparse and I often felt lost as I had to go back to the page before and reread. Each animal and person had their own voice and own thoughts, which was different and new, but I feel that it may have taken away from the cohesiveness of the story. The most beautiful thing about the picture book was the artwork done by Peter Malone. There was an incredible amount of detail in every image and the use of color was extraordinary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2014
Prize-winning children’s author Kevin Crossley-Holland captures the magic of his earlier works in How Many Miles to Bethlehem? Malone’s opulent Renaissance-style paintings vividly complement the poetic text, bringing the Nativity story to life. Text is brief, akin to dramatic monologues. Lines alternate between characters, beginning with Mary. The penultimate or final line of prose often asks a question, connecting those from kindergarten to third grade easily to the next character. This pattern also continues with single words. The donkey leads to the ox, and the ox leads to the shepherds. The shepherds follow the bright star, which also attracts Wise Men, aiding them in their journey to the newborn child. King Herod’s nefarious plot to harm baby Jesus is also included. Final pages draw readers to the profound message of Jesus, as brilliantly colored angels sing praises in a sparkling night sky. Crossley-Holland and Malone have created an inspired retelling of the Christmas story that will inspire legions of children to come. This book is highly recommended.
December 22, 2012
This beautifully illustrated book tells the Christmas story from the first-person viewpoints of Mary, the innskeeper, the ox, the donkey, the shepherds, the brightest star, the wise men, Herod the king, the angels, and the Christ child. The text is informative ("We are three wise men, Caspar and Melchior and Balthasar ... from Arabia) and poetic with subtle use of imagery (star as hope, Jesus as shepherd and lamb) to stir the imagination. My favorite illustration was of the angels celebrating and somersaulting in the starry sky with their feathery wings of many colors (peach, turquoise, lavender)!
December 6, 2015
I have a mixed review on this one. I loved the beautiful artwork. The muted colors and all the details make the book feel like something from classic literature.
But the story itself felt disjointed. I liked the concept of each person and animal of the nativity telling their own part of the story but it just didn't flow well when it was all combined.
We've added this to our Christmas book collection mainly for the artwork.
But the story itself felt disjointed. I liked the concept of each person and animal of the nativity telling their own part of the story but it just didn't flow well when it was all combined.
We've added this to our Christmas book collection mainly for the artwork.
May 21, 2008
Goes through the characters of the Christmas story and their part in it. Ends with the baby, the light of the world. Book lends itself to verbal storytelling. Illustrations have a medieval feel to them.
December 20, 2013
From the appearance of the cover artwork, I thought I would not like this. However, the first person voice of all of the nativity people as well as the animals this book has an upbeat tone. Definately a different retelling of the Christmas story.
December 19, 2015
I like the way the traditional Christmas story is told by alternating "voices" of the people involved. The illustrations are beautiful, too, and I really appreciate that Mary isn't portrayed as a blonde, blue-eyed woman!
December 18, 2023
The storyline is a bit scattered and the illustrations sometimes a bit abstract, but it's still an interesting read-aloud for December combined with some explanations or additional information regarding the birth of Jesus and what it really means.
November 29, 2011
It can be challenging to discuss the nativity, and this story beautifully assists in describing the various characters present.
December 2, 2011
Beautiful illustrations, each page a piece of art, and a lovely introduction to the characters of the Christmas Story.
January 13, 2018
For older children.
December 23, 2015
The illustrations are beautiful, but the prose wasn't to my taste.
December 13, 2015
Told from the point of view of each character in the Nativity Story. The art work is different than most Christmas books.
January 5, 2014
beautiful art!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews