Elegant, simple text and luminous art make this an almost hymn like meditation on the meaning of Christmas and the Nativity story.

See this small gray donkey, this long dusty road, this promising star, the story begins, as Joseph guides Mary on toward Bethlehem. The spare poetry of this book lovingly captures details of Christ s birth, like the smell of hay, the sounds of the animals inside the manger, and Mary s contented sigh as she holds her son in her arms. Then time stands still as viewers see the large, sweet face of this tiny baby boy being adored by visitors in the silence. As the picture pans out onto the rural landscape of the first Christmas night, the scene conveys an overarching sense of peace. Low s gorgeous use of dark colors serves to highlight the luminous glow of the angels, stars, and baby Jesus, setting the ideal mood for this lyrical meditation on the Christmas story. Wonderful for bedtime and lapsit storytimes, this book is a gentle retelling of the Nativity for very young readers who are learning about Jesus for the first time.--School Library Journal"

Laura Godwin is the author of many books for children, including the Doll People series with Ann M. Martin. She lives and works in New York City. While she has collaborated with William Low as his editor on many children's books, "This First Christmas Night "is their first project together. William Low is the author and illustrator of "Daytime Nighttime," "Machines Go to Work," and the "New York Times" Best Illustrated Book "Old Penn Station." He has illustrated numerous other books for children, including "Feathered Dinosaurs"by Brenda Z. Guiberson. He teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.