Listen, Said the Donkey: Tales of the First Christmas
Listen, Said the Donkey: Tales of the First Christmas
Written by: Jean Little
Illustrated by: Werner Zimmerman
Recommended for ages: 4-8
Scholastic Canada $19.99
This lovely new book is a compilation of the first tales of Christmas as told from the animals’ perspectives. It is ideal for older children will want to hear the entire story at once yet it is divided such that young children who may not want to sit for long stretches at a time can enjoy it in smaller doses.
The cast of characters includes some familiar faces as well as a couple of new ones. There is of course the donkey who carried Mary, the annoying camel who feels he is much better than all of the other animals and the lamb who was given as a gift to the new king. As an interesting twist to the story, there is also a Persian cat and a bashful dog who get to tell their rendition of how it came to be that they ended up at the stable the night the baby was born.
Both Little and Zimmerman are well-known in the Canadian childrens’ book industry. This book is a companion to their previous collaboration in 2003, Pippin, The Christmas Pig, which went on to win the Mr. Christie’s Book Award.
If you are looking for a different take on the nativity story this Christmas season, you will not be disappointed with this book.