Lois Rock

English author/illustrator team Lois Rock and Alison Jay, who have collaborated on a number of other religious books for children—A Child's First Book of Prayers, A Child's Book of Graces—joined forces again in this beautiful 2015 picture book retelling of the Nativity Story. The story itself, adapted from the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew, is told simply and in a rather contemporary way, and is paired with fairy-tale-style artwork that transplants the tale from its Middle Eastern roots to medieval Europe.

On That Christmas Night is the third book I have read from Lois Rock, following upon her Bible story collection, Everlasting Stories, as well as a picture book about Easter. She is a prolific author, and has produced more than two hundred children's books, most of them featuring stories from the Bible or tales with religious themes. Alison Jay, on the other hand, is an artist I know primarily for her fairy-tale work, and I have enjoyed the illustrations she has contributed both to her own books, and to those written by other people. When I saw this one on the Christmas display in my public library's children's room, I immediately snatched it up, both because I found the cover art beautiful, and because I was familiar with the creators' names. I'm glad I did, as I think that it is a lovely book. I don't know that the retelling is the best I've ever encountered—I felt rather ambivalent about the inclusion of people gossiping, because of Mary's pregnancy—and I think I prefer a more traditional setting for the Nativity Story, but in the end I found the visuals here so beautiful that I enjoyed the book despite these issues. Recommended to fellow fans of the artist, and to picture book readers looking for Nativity Stories with a more European setting.… (más)