We are all familiar with this story: the occupied hostel in Bethlehem, the angel, the shepherds in the fields, King Herod, the infanticide. But here, we don’t read the story in Luther’s words, but retold in such a way that the people’s longing for peace is at the heart of it. And we read it whilst fully aware that wars are still fought today, again and again also as an argument over which God may be the right one.
For Rose Lagercrantz, the book is an experiment: can the story be told in such a way that it reaches all children, independent of their religion? Jutta Bauer has created pictures that are human and warm, but also grim and remorseless, however, at any rate far from any Christmassy traditionalism. The result is an extraordinary book about the origins of a feast that is celebrated almost everywhere in the world.
by Jutta Bauer & Rose Lagercrantz
“A story about peace and hope with images that blaze a trail into your heart.” – Doris Höreth, Buchhandlung Pelzner
“This book is to fall in love with and so prevailing that you could read it over and over again the whole year round.” – Katrin Rüger, Buchpalast
“The most wonderful thing about this book is that it actually gets by without any Christmasmania, without any tinsel kitsch and it is yet deeply moving. Even the picture on the cover nestles up against the reader’s heart.” – Annemarie Stoltenberg, NDR Kultur
“A picture book that may be read beyond the time of Christmas, a picture book that is more up-to-date than ever, a picture book whose words and images deeply pierce into us, a picture book for which I wish many readers.” – Martina Koler, Oberbozen
Moritz Verlag | hc | 32 pp | 210 x 210 mm | 2015 | 5+
All rights available except Norwegian & Swedish
[original German title: Das Weihnachtskind, original Swedish title: Julbarnet]