Nativity

by Cynthia Rylant

In the spirit of her acclaimed Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven , Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant illustrates the nativity story in her powerful folk art style.

Cynthia Rylant takes the beloved text of the nativity story, as told in the King James Bible, and lovingly illustrates it in her simple but bold style that has been called “stunning” by School Library Journal . As she did with the creation story, Rylant has created a sublime take on a classic story that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Religion, Holiday, Faith, Theology

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

An author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains, she is the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and blessings, two autobiographies, and a biography of three well-known children's writers; several volumes of the author's fiction and picture books are published in series, including the popular "Henry and Mudge" easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog.

Rylant is perhaps most well known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers.

from bookrags.com

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the Christmas story, illustrated by our beloved Cynthia Rylant.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Featured in grandma reads session.

As it is Christmas Eve, it felt like a good story to revisit.

Happy holidays to all GR participants - it is a delight to be one of you, and gain wisdom from your reading. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and interests! 📚🕯🪔📚

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: And there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Premise/plot: The first half of Nativity is an abridgement of the the nativity narrative found in Luke 2 in the King James Version. It is an abridgement:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. KJV

And there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Rylant's adaptation

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. KJV

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them. Rylant's adaptation

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

The angel said, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. For unto you this day is born a savior. And this shall be a sign to you: you will find the babe lying in a manger. Rylant's adaptation

It is not the whole narrative. Rylant does not include every verse, and she does abbreviate the sentences a good bit. You may notice, for example, that she does not include the phrase, "which is Christ the Lord."

The second half of the book races ahead to the start of Jesus' ministry on earth. She includes an excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5. (The full sermon is Matthew 5-7). Again she is selective in what she shares:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. KJV

Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rylant's adaptation

She includes verses: Matthew 5:3, 5:4, 5:5, and 5:8. She does not include: Matthew 5:6, 5:7, 5:9, 5:10.

The book ends with those four "blessed" statements. No further explanation or commentary provided.

My thoughts: Whether or not you like or love this one may depend entirely on how you react to the illustrations. I did like the illustrations for the first half of the book. I liked the shepherds, the sheep, the angels. I liked the simplicity of it. I wasn't as impressed with the illustrations for the second half. I wasn't sure if Rylant was bringing us forward in time...or not. One of the spreads shows a modern house with a Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, Christmas lights, candle, and smoking chimney. In this same spread there seems to be a sheep hanging out by a garbage bin. I could be wrong on what it is supposed to be. It could be a primitive shed or barn. But the spread that bothers me most--puzzles me most--is two men in profile on a beach in an ocean scene wearing tricorne hats.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply told, appealingly illustrated.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations accompany this story of Christ's birth.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

rylant is the best! explains christianity--the real christianity that doesn't have that extra added hate.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many picture books have attempted to tell the story of Christmas. What makes this one special?

It's heavy on the illustration, all done in folk art style.

Only read this book if you're not bothered by the anachronism. Only in the 1920s did folk art become popular in America. To this day, some of us art-loving Americans do not see the appeal. Although it could be lovely for a picture book for toddlers.

NO SURPRISES HERE
OTHER THAN HOW SHEEP AND WISE MEN ARE RENDERED ARTISTICALLY

Cynthia Rylant illustrates the text of the nativity story, as told in the King James Bible.

RATING THIS BOOK

My policy is to rate books in terms of what would appeal to the intended readership.

I can imagine this book could be selected by readers in one of these groups:

* Atheists who like having a relatively unobjectionable picture book to read with kids at Christmas.
* Children who like art, and so they may not squirm their way through a book about Christmas.
* Lovers of primitive art.
* Collectors of picture books that illustrated familiar passages taken from the King James Bible.

On their behalf, FIVE STARS.

It takes all kinds to make a world of Goodreaders.

[Clwseattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

All our holidays and special occasions are marked with books for the Grands. I've been reading Christmas books to find the perfect ones for our Grands this Christmas.

I actually like the illustrations in Navity. They suggest a child finger-painting the story they are hearing, which is charming. That said, I'm not sure the title reflects the story because while it does begin with the Nativity it jumps to the adult Jesus giving us The Beatitudes. It's all a bit jarring with no bridge between the two except

But Mary kept these things and pondered them in her heart.

Um, what? How is that any kind of bridge?

I appreciate that Cynthia Rylant does not shy away from mentioning God, but this is quite confusing.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost felt like this should be called "Nativity...and Beyond." It starts with the Christmas story, taken in snippets from the Bible, and then expands on that with Jesus' teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, simplified. (As there is quite a jump in the text between the two events, it felt a bit jarring to me. What do y'all think? I understand that Rylant is tying the two things together--Jesus' birth is because His life was an illustration of His teachings--but if you are not familiar with this, I wonder if this will be lost on you?) Anyway, the illustrations look like something a child did, so very child-friendly.

[Janice Horning · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you wish to talk of the teachings of Jesus, the one called Lamb of God, and the Prince of Peace, without the influences of those early soldiers-turned-theologians, then you will definitely want to read and share this book. The illustrations are simple, and colorful, the language is easy to read aloud, but you may have to explain a few words such as "mourn" or "meek". It will be well worth it, though, as the message comes through with clarity.
I recommend this book for any Christian/Unitarian Universalist Sunday School teacher!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many families, sharing the Nativity story is a special part of their holiday season. This beautifully illustrated picture book would be a wonderful way to carry on that tradition. The text of the book was adapted from chapter five of the book of Matthew and from chapters two and six of the book of Luke from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The illustrations for this book were rendered beautifully in acrylic paints on watercolor paper.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nativity is a lovely picture book written and illustrated by Newbery Award winning author Cynthia Rylant. It tells the story of the birth of Christ and continues into “when the babe, who was called Jesus, became and man, he stood one day on a mountain before a great multitude of people” and delivered the Beatitudes. The text of the book is adapted from the King James Bible, and the illustrations are in Rylant’s signature folk art style, which is simple, colorful, and full of meaning.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like the very childlike illustrations Rylant has done for this title and she has based her text on the Gospel of Matthew. However that being Saïd in no way do I like the fact that she ends what is suppose to be a Book on the nativity by then jumping to the beatitudes. This book appears to be intended for young children and I think they will be thoroughly confused with this. Where was the editor’s control in this?

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the Christmas book that I was expecting. Instead, it is the story of the nativity (words taken straight from the Bible) but then goes on to some of Jesus' teaching at other parts in the Bible. The language is dense, direct quotes and not brought down to a child's level.

The illustrations are the highlight here. The acrylic paintings are child friendly and wonderful to view.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely simple illustrations. Really enjoyed how the story flowed into the sermon on the mount.

I found myself stumbling over the KJV. I know there is a loyalty to that text, but since it is widely considered harder to comprehend I wish a different translation was chosen for this children's book.

[Karla Rodgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always looking for good children's books to add to our Advent collection. I loved the simplicity of the illustrations in this one. The text is supposed to be a paraphrase of the account of the Nativity in Scripture. The author does not paraphrase very well in some parts, but that will be easy to correct as I'm reading to my daughter.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Primitive type pictures depict the nativity and Jesus' beatitudes later on.
Words are direct Bible paraphrases Not particularly new details or insights--perhaps only the link of the babe born and his later words.
Would purchase only if additional perspectives on the even were needed.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

November 2017 - this keeps a lot of the Biblical language but also feels simple in a really lovely way. I loved that she transitions from the Christmas story to the Beatitudes. Perfect for Sunday School.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is straight from the bible, detailing the birth of Christ. Very simple, child-like acrylic paintings accompany. Nothing sets this book apart or added to the age-old story that has been told for centuries.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be my favorite religious picture book. Sparse text from scriptures alongside equally sparse paintings. It just captured the simplicity of the story. The page where Mary "pondered all these things in her heart" was so lovely.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully done. Will make and excellent gift, especially for Christ-centered life events.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and beautiful. A reminder of Christ at Christmas.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, warm mix of the Christmas story and the Beatitudes. I want this!

[ErinTheLibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical Rylant style. Not very original or interesting, though.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a Christmas book, it's not very Christmas-y. The King James text is limited and skips around. I do like the illustrations, though. And the sheep.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segues from the birth of Jesus to Him standing on the Mount of the Olives and speaking 4 of the Beatitudes. The acrylic paintings are in sort of a primitive style of artwork.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. If a parent was explaining this religious story to a young child, this would be a great book to do that with.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely painted illustrations tell the story of the Nativity.

[Jess Verzello · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful addition to the season of books celebrating Christ. Stunning artwork; true talent.

[Elvira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief version of the nativity story that goes beyond to the teachings of the beatitudes.