When It Snowed That Night

by Norma Farber, Petra Mathers (Illustrator)

A collection of nativity poems featuring animals who travel from afar to be at the manger of baby Jesus and protect him from the snow

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Christmas

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old children's Christmas poetry book that I found at the library...fantastic! Each animal has a poem about going to see the Christ Child...then the shepherds and kings come and sing their poems...the queens get there late, and the mother doesn't go at all, because she believes she is most needed at home with her own little one...it's touching and sweet and a great little story.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A diverse range of animals head to Bethlehem to witness the Nativity in this picture book collection of poems from author Norma Farber and illustrator Petra Mather. From Stork, who follows a rumoring star to the stable, to Turtle, who lumbers along until given a ride by the Three Wise Men, each of these animals comes to see and to worship, and to give their gifts, protecting the baby from rain and snow. So too come the Three Wise Men with gifts for the Christ child, and three Queens with gifts for his mother...

Having grown up reading Farber's thoughtful and thought-provoking How Does It Feel to Be Old? , which was illustrated by the marvelous Trina Schart Hyman, I immediately snatched up When It Snowed That Night from my library's Christmas display, having recognized the name. I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed these poems, as well as Mathers' accompanying illustrations, which are quite lovely. Most of these selections don't cover new ground—the gifts given by the animals to the Christ child are a common theme of Christmas picture books—although I did think the final two poems, one about the three queens who brought gifts for the Virgin Mary, and another about a far away mother rocking her baby in tandem with Mary, were quite new and interesting. Recommended to picture book readers looking for titles about the Nativity in which the story is told from multiple perspectives and/or through poetry.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this children's picture book out of my local library to see its setting of a poem I have long known, "The Queens came late," a take-off on the Magis' trip to Bethlehem. The pictures and poetry are well matched, with the poetry a tad dated as Farber died in 1984. I love her imagination for including: stork, ladybug, camel, sloth, turtle, giraffe, dove, spider, cricket, lamb, hog, all at the manger.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely Christmas poem, with beautiful illustrations that I saw over the holidays and then bought a copy.

[FirnMamaMakes · Rating 2 out of 5]

My inclination because of the subject and sweetness is to rate it higher. Though I do love the large art pages some poems are a struggle.

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost cried when I saw the Theotokos and Christ child.

[Rachel Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the variety of poetry in this. Would be a good addition to my collection.

[Logan Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade Level: 4th-6th
This book is a little twist on the classics story of Jesus being born. It does a very nice job of showing different types of animals and what they would could have possibly experienced in this time. The illustrations provide a nice touch for the reader to take in while reading the story. When looking at this book, you can learn different animals and their characteristics which is really good for younger children who want to learn about them.