Today my 2 little Boys and I are reading The First Night by B.G. Hennessy with paintings by Steve Johnson with Lou Fancher. For the first time in our tour of 26 Children's Christmas Books in 25 Days I am sadly going to have to say that this was NOT one of my favorites. Although The First Night gives every implication from its cover that you will be reading the true story of Christmas and the story of Christ's birth when you actually read the story Mr. Johnson does not do a good job of tying the story to scripture, or the Heavenly Father. True there is a field, there are shepherds, there is a star, and it settles over a stable. However, as pretty as the paintings are, and how easy the words are to read, in the stable is a mother, a father, and a baby . . . .a baby who felt the night air, his soft blanket, his mother's arms, his father's hands. And in the warm, dark stable his life began. There is my problem, Jesus father on earth may have been Joseph (although his name isn't mentioned) but His Father was God the Father, and the book makes no mention of Him being Jesus or His Father in Heaven. I feel like the book leaves things too ambiguous, no reference to scripture or the truth of who the baby is, to me the story reads like the beautiful birth of any baby not the Baby that came to Save us All.
You can pick THe First Night up at Amazon.com, but our reccomendation is for you to save your money and buy a book that more clearly tells the story of Christ's birth.
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