First published in 1934, this simple narrative, written by Dickens for his children, expresses the author's great faith and humility by retelling the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Charming, though casually written and unedited, so there are typographical errors in it. However, it is also littered with inaccuracies and whitewashed depictions of Jewish history. Additionally, it depicts a works-based means of salvation (the “do good and be good and you can thereby gain entrance into heaven” idea) rather than what Jesus taught. It reads like a watered down retelling of the four gospels but with key details eliminated or rewritten to suit the author’s / period’s / locale’s narrative. ( )

Simple, quick retelling of the Gospels. I like the last few paragraphs best. ( )

DIckens wrote this for his children and it remained in his family and unpublished by his request until the death of his last child in the 1920s. The family decided to publish it then. I have no idea how this came into my Mom's hands but it was among her books and also had a clipping from what seems to be the New York Times in 1950 of a parcel of Dicken's letters that were sold. It's a lovely book with beautiful illustrations, clearly for children. Dickens wrote that it was a very personal document of his faith and that is very clear.

This is a nice book to read each year as a reminder of the reason for the Christmas season. ( )