Voices of Christmas

by Nikki Grimes

Overview

Gabriel “paced the halls of heaven” as he memorized God’s message to Mary. He wondered what she would say. The Christmas story unfolds, as never before, through the voices of those who witnessed the Messiah’s birth. Listen to Joseph’s struggle. Rejoice with Elizabeth and Zachariah. Worship with the magi. Hear the fear in Herod’s voice. Receive the blessing of Simeon and Anna. And, like the shepherds, shout for joy!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310733379
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	07/03/2012
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in California.

Read an Excerpt

Voices of Christmas

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By Nikki Grimes

Zondervan

Copyright © 2009 Nikki Grimes
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-71192-6

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Chapter One

Gabriel

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin.

Hush! The hour is late. Nazareth lies sleeping, and I wait for my Lord's signal to once again go to earth below. When last I went, my words were for Zechariah. Now, I pace the halls of heaven memorizing a message for Mary. (Every archangel I see envies me!) I must get the message right: The Light of the World is on his way! What will Mary say when I tell her? I wonder what he'll look like, God wrapped in baby's skin, stepping from Eternity into Time? How will he hide his glory? How will he hold it all in? Ah! There! The bells chime and I must go. And so I spread my wings, and spring from heaven's balcony.

Shepherd

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Who could forget it? The sky a cloak of velvet stitched with stars, we shepherds studied the heavens while our sweet sheep rested safe in the pen we'd built of whatever rocks we could find. And there I was leaning against a tree cradlingMoriah, a wee lamb tuckered out from wandering off again. My feet burned from the chase. Then suddenly the sky blazed with the light of an angel. "Be not afraid," he said. "To you is born this day a Savior, the Messiah." Moriah stirred at this voice like thunder. I wondered, Why come to us? We are not priests. But then, I remembered King David, how God drew near to him who once was a shepherd too. "You will find the child lying in a manger," the angel said. We fled from the hills to search for this wonder, this holy child. You ask if we found him. What? Did you not hear us shout for joy?

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Voices of Christmas by Nikki Grimes Copyright © 2009 by Nikki Grimes. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Grimes uses her talent as a poet to retell the Nativity story from several different viewpoints, each one a distinct voice with its own style. Fourteen poems in free verse convey the story, from the announcement of the impending birth by the angel Gabriel to the final poem directed to readers. The attractive design includes a double-page spread for each character, with a short Bible verse and the poem set in gold type against dark backgrounds and the illustration of the character attractively integrated into the spread. Each character is a real person with his or her own concerns and fears, and the whole of the Nativity story is conveyed through the sum of their individual stories. Velasquez's striking, dramatic illustrations add to the personality of the characters, who are clearly of Middle Eastern ethnicity. (CD) (Picture book/religion. 6 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Grimes brings her lyrical style---and a compassionate, human-centered tone---to the Nativity story. Each double-page spread comprises three parts: a character’s portrait is vividly rendered; a biblical passage establishes the current segment of the overarching narrative; and a poem offers readers entrance to the story through the eyes of the spotlighted character, from Gabriel to Mary to Herod to the innkeeper. The monologues are sparely poetic, emphasizing the humanity of each iconic figure: after being told that she will deliver the child of God, Mary is “rooted to this dirt floor, / dizzy with wonder, / pinching my wrist, / waiting to wake / from this dream.” The text is unabashedly spiritual; the book design is sumptuous, with its gold typeface and endpapers; the paintings are dramatically composed, alternately dark and luminous (or sometimes both). Together, they make a familiar story seem newly resonant.

The Horn Book Magazine

Grimes uses her talent as a poet to retell the Nativity story from several different viewpoints, each one a distinct voice with its own style. Fourteen poems in free verse convey the story, from the announcement of the impending birth by the angel Gabriel to the final poem directed to readers. The attractive design includes a double-page spread for each character, with a short Bible verse and the poem set in gold type against dark backgrounds and the illustration of the character attractively integrated into the spread. Each character is a real person with his or her own concerns and fears, and the whole of the Nativity story is conveyed through the sum of their individual stories. Velasquez's striking, dramatic illustrations add to the personality of the characters, who are clearly of Middle Eastern ethnicity. (CD) (Picture book/religion. 6 and up) -- Kirkus Reviews

Grimes brings her lyrical style---and a compassionate, human-centered tone---to the Nativity story. Each double-page spread comprises three parts: a character's portrait is vividly rendered; a biblical passage establishes the current segment of the overarching narrative; and a poem offers readers entrance to the story through the eyes of the spotlighted character, from Gabriel to Mary to Herod to the innkeeper. The monologues are sparely poetic, emphasizing the humanity of each iconic figure: after being told that she will deliver the child of God, Mary is 'rooted to this dirt floor, / dizzy with wonder, / pinching my wrist, / waiting to wake / from this dream.' The text is unabashedly spiritual; the book design is sumptuous, with its gold typeface and endpapers; the paintings are dramatically composed, alternately dark and luminous (or sometimes both). Together, they make a familiar story seem newly resonant. -- The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher