26 Children's Christmas Books in 25 Days - Day #16

Today my 2 little Boys read  The Little Drummer Mouse by Mercer Mayer.  Although I think the illustrations are beautiful and the story is cute, as a Christian this version of a journey to the manger bothers me a little because it is not biblically accurate in its time period or in those who arrived to see the baby Jesus.  I realize that this is a children's story and that many children's Christmas stories, including ones I have already reviewed, involve a journey to the manger from the perspective of an animal.  However, in previous books that I have reviewed, the setting of time and circumstances were fairly true to the story of Christ's birth (other then the talking animals, Ha) in the bible.

That being said, I do feel The Little Drummer Mouse is totally adorable and with some parental guidance regarding the truth of what scripture says, can be a very visually compelling story book for your child at Christmas.    The story is about a young mouse born to a large mouse family, the Drummer Mouse as he comes to be called, is much smaller then his brothers and sisters and so his mother gives him a small acorn drum to make noise on so she will always know where he is.  The little Drummer Mouse comes to love his drum, but his friends and neighbors find the constant beating of his drum annoying and so they make fun of him and exlude him from things (sounds kinds of like a Rudolph story). 

One day the forest village of animals gets the news of a king that is to be born soon, and the royal family will be passing through their part of the forest.  The whole village of animals prepares a great party for the royal family only to be disappointed that a man with his wife on a donky pass through but no royal procession.  The forest village animals are dissappointed, but that night Drummer Mouse notices a bright star and decides to follow the star.  He finds a stable filled with people looking at a baby in a manger and without even realizing it he begins to play his drum for the baby.  The baby king welcomes the sound of the little Drummer Mouse's drumming and the Mother asks him to keep playing while the village people stand in awe of the baby King and the Drummer Mouse.

Beautiful images, cute story and well worth your time to read, but do not expect a story that is accurate to the biblical TRUTH of Christs birth.