Thursday, November 5, 2009

Under the Star


Yolen, Jane. 2009. Under the Star. Illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Key Porter Kids.

This one is a "Christmas Counting Story." It falls into the very simple category. (That's not a bad thing necessarily. Complex and busy aren't always good things.) It's repetitive. It follows a clear pattern. (Which can be a very good thing when reading to young ones.) This means that young ones (who can't *read* yet) can still join in on reading it.

Under the star, under the star,
One angel sees a manger afar.

Under the star, under the star,
Two shepherds see a manger afar.

Under the star, under the star,
Three wise men see a manger afar.


Because it is a counting book, it keeps the Christmas story very simple. This won't tell you much about who the Baby Jesus is--who his parents were--or anything. But it works, in a way.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

No comments: