Biblical selections from the King James version of the Christian Bible are taken from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew and arranged for reading aloud during the Christmas season.
Additional verses are included that follow Jesus into adulthood, including the Flight into Egypt, Jesus teaching in the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount, which includes the Lord’s Prayer. The text is set in a large font for ease in reading aloud, with some unfamiliar terms paraphrased parenthetically. The words of Jesus in the later sections are set in contrasting, dark red type. The Biblical verses are complemented by a wide selection of art reproductions, both classical and contemporary. These illustrations include several works by Fra Angelico and Giotto as well as reproductions from stained-glass windows and illuminated manuscripts. More modern illustrations from the 20th century include two Coptic paintings, two Chinese works and several contemporary paintings by Schuon, a Swiss-born artist who is one of the volume’s editors. Her intriguing painting, “The Virgin of the Sleigh,” reproduced as the cover illustration, shows Mary and the Christ Child being pulled through a snowy landscape by a white reindeer with candlelit antlers.
The case-bound volume is intended as a family resource and would also be suitable for large public-library collections or church libraries. (author’s note) (Religion. 9 & up)
