From Publishers Weekly
An exquisite rendition of the Nativity, this work really is the star, a sure standout amidst the season's picture books. Blythe's (The Whales' Song) awe-inspiring oils interpret in photo-realistic detail Mary and Joseph's difficult journey and the miraculous birth of Christ. The images include traditional scenes along with more startling compositions, such as a blinding-white angel appearing in the dark heavens and frightening the tiny mortal shepherds below. Maintaining an appropriate reverence, Dunbar transforms the Biblical story into a rhyming cumulative text. Her sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing guard against the singsong rhythm that so frequently governs cumulative verse: "This is the gold and fragrant myrrh/ And frankincense, the gifts that were/ Placed by the manger warm with hay/ Wherein a newborn baby lay." A volume to be treasured by the whole family. All ages. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. Dunbar tells the story of the Nativity as a cumulative tale, and she's surprisingly successful. She achieves reverence and grandeur by stringing together verses that echo biblical language and have a carol-like rhythm that builds image after image. The text is beautifully matched, perhaps outmatched, by the high-quality artwork. In fact, the majestic full-page oil paintings are the primary attraction of the book. Blythe blends realism and mystery in his work, using chiaroscuro and unbelievably complex textures to provide visual continuity for the text. In less capable hands, the difficult verse form might have become monotonous, but this book works because of the tonal quality of the verse, the finely honed phrases, and the extraordinary art. Shelley Townsend-Hudson


From Kirkus Reviews
This Is The Star ($16.00; Oct. 1996; 36 pp.; 0-15-200851-9): A cumulative rhyme that simply and gracefully tells the Nativity story, with intensely dramatic full-bleed oil paintings to illustrate each element--star, shepherds, angel, stable, Christ child, wise men, and all the rest. Blythe's effects are riveting, from the pointillist shimmer of starlight to the rough textures of the shepherds' cloaks to the gigantic phosphorescent apparitions of angels. He and Dunbar (Seven Sillies, 1994, etc.) do full justice both to the glory and to the simple humanity of the Christmas story. (Picture book. 4-10) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Joyce Dunbar's cumulative rhyming text and Gary Blythe's stunning paintings combine to create a magnificent introduction to the story of Christ's birth.



Card catalog description
A cumulative presentation which uses rhyme to describe the night of the birth of Christ.

ANNOTATION

A cumulative presentation which uses rhyme to describe the night of the birth of Christ.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Joyce Dunbar's cumulative rhyming text and Gary Blythe's stunning paintings combine to create a magnificent introduction to the story of Christ's birth.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

An exquisite rendition of the Nativity, this work really is the star, a sure standout amidst the season's picture books. Blythe's (The Whales' Song) awe-inspiring oils interpret in photo-realistic detail Mary and Joseph's difficult journey and the miraculous birth of Christ. The images include traditional scenes along with more startling compositions, such as a blinding-white angel appearing in the dark heavens and frightening the tiny mortal shepherds below. Maintaining an appropriate reverence, Dunbar transforms the Biblical story into a rhyming cumulative text. Her sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing guard against the singsong rhythm that so frequently governs cumulative verse: "This is the gold and fragrant myrrh/ And frankincense, the gifts that were/ Placed by the manger warm with hay/ Wherein a newborn baby lay." A volume to be treasured by the whole family. All ages. (Oct.)

Children's Literature - Deborah Zink Roffino

Thickly shadowed, infused with golden light, the nearly photographic oil paintings reflect awe and reverence for the greatest story ever told. Lyrical, cumulative verse begins with a star in the east, adds shepherds, animals, a lean-to stable and the slumbering infant. Bejeweled visitors with wizened eyes bring gifts. Remarkable for its humble simplicity, this book is a Christmas treasure.

Kirkus Reviews

This Is The Star ( Oct. 1996; 36 pp.; 0-15-200851-9): A cumulative rhyme that simply and gracefully tells the Nativity story, with intensely dramatic full-bleed oil paintings to illustrate each element—star, shepherds, angel, stable, Christ child, wise men, and all the rest. Blythe's effects are riveting, from the pointillist shimmer of starlight to the rough textures of the shepherds' cloaks to the gigantic phosphorescent apparitions of angels. He and Dunbar (Seven Sillies, 1994, etc.) do full justice both to the glory and to the simple humanity of the Christmas story.