Mtoto Yesu... Masihi! is the Swahili translation of the book Baby Jesus . . . Messiah! as retold by Janice D. Green and illustrated by Violet V. Vandor. Mtoto Yesu... Masihi! gives an extended account of the birth of Jesus Christ which begins with a child-friendly explanation of the word Messiah, followed by Angel Gabriel's announcement of John's birth to Zachariah and Gabriel's visitation to Mary announcing the virgin birth. The account includes Mary's visit with Elizabeth, Joseph's coming to accept Mary's unexpected pregnancy, Mary & Joseph's trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, and the shepherds' role in the event. The story ends with the the wise men who saw the star, traveled from a distant county, inquired about the baby king in Jerusalem, then followed the star to Bethlehem where it led them to the house where Jesus lived a few months after his birth.
Children and adults alike will enjoy reading these thirteen mini-stories and discussing the thought-provoking questions after each mini-story. A link included in this book offers a free downloadable PDF file of the illustrations as coloring pages for classroom use or for making crayon-colored quilt blocks. The download also includes puzzles for review and directions for making the fabric quilt blocks. This book is also available as Baby Jesus . . . Messiah!: Color your own pictures, a coloring book with the same basic content which can be personalized by child or adult. The space is provided on the cover and title page for this person to add his or her name.
