Holy Night and Little Star
Written By Mitali Perkins; Illustrated by Khoa Le
CHRISTIANITY TODAY BOOK AWARD WINNER • A luminous and tender retelling of the Christmas story from National Book Award nominee Mitali Perkins, author of Bare Tree and Little Wind, that is sure to become a cherished holiday favorite for families of faith.
AN IMAGINATION SOUP BEST PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Little Star likes her usual spot in the night sky over Bethlehem. Every night, she twinkles above the hills and hopes that nothing will change. But one night, Maker gathers the galaxy! Holy Night is coming, and Maker wants the planets, Moon, and the stars to all take part.
As Maker doles out jobs, Little Star holds back, each new role sounding too hard or too scary. But when Maker eventually calls on her to shine, Little Star discovers she is ready and able to welcome the Child and joins the other stars and planets in celebration.
Khoa Le’s shimmering illustrations are the perfect complement to Mitali’s unique take on the Christmas story. Readers young and old will be captivated by Little Star’s journey as she discovers that Maker welcomes even the quietest gifts. Parents of faith will appreciate the message about the true gifts of Christmas and the foreshadowing of Jesus’ mission of salvation, making it a book families can enjoy together year after year.
Praise for Holy Night and Little Star
“A unique retelling of the Nativity that will surprise and delight.”—Kirkus
“Perkins’s child-friendly fantasy about the role played by the Star of Bethlehem offers a thought-provoking, cross-cultural retelling of the Nativity story. Perkins re-teams with Le (Bare Tree and Little Wind: A Story for Holy Week), who beautifully depicts the human and otherworldly aspects of the story with (culturally accurate) diverse skin tones for the people and effervescent illustrations of the celestial host.”—The Horn Book
“As in Bare Tree and Little Wind, Perkins and Le bring religious stories to a broader audience, using straightforward, accessible language and short sentences. Stunning illustrations further enable this reach . . . those already familiar with or curious about the Biblical nativity story will find a delightful read.”—School Library Journal
“In a world filled with flashy and fast, Perkins’ story gently reminds us that it takes humble courage and obedience to share our small, quiet gifts with others.”—Times Record
“This beautifully illustrated nativity story has lots of kid-appeal with a cute, reluctant star finding a key role to play in witnessing Jesus' birth . . . a kid-friendly version of the biblical nativity story with dynamic, colorful art.”—CommonSenseMedia.org
“Holy Night and Little Star is delightfully different from other retellings of Jesus’s birth. Not only is it from a star’s perspective, but it captures the extravagant delight creation itself experiences in Jesus’s birth. Additionally, the illustrations depict a young Holy Family that actually looks Middle Eastern/Jewish. This is a welcome addition to the standard Christian Christmas picture books.”—RedeemedReader.com
“Holy Night and Little Star has all of the parts of the Nativity Christmas story I have been told yearly, but being told from Little Star’s perspective makes it curious and interesting. I had not heard God’s name referred to as “Maker” before, but it makes sense since he did make everything. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations of the moon, sun, planets, and stars as they look like people and are so pretty. Kids of all ages with their parents/adults should read this story because it tells about the true meaning of Christmas.”—Lydia, age 9, kidsbookbuzz.com
Look Inside the Book
Mitali Perkins
Mitali Perkins has written many novels and picture books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near, Forward Me Back to You, Rickshaw Girl, and Bamboo People. Her books have been nominated for the National Book Award, won the South Asia Book Award, and listed as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Born in Kolkata, India, Perkins has lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, Great Britain, Mexico, Bangladesh, Thailand, and the United States (Massachusetts, New York, and California). Perkins's work is known for its strong characters, who cross all kinds of borders, seek community, and promote justice. She and her husband have two sons and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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