The Friendly Beasts: An Old English Christmas Carol

Rating:
Summary: Sweet Story -- Sweet Carol
Review: I believe this is a 12th Century French Carol -- and not an old English Carol,as stated. Well, regardless of which side of the Channel it comes from, it's charming. If ever you have the chance to hear this sung by little ones, don't miss it -- it was meant for their sweet voices.

Rating:
Summary: Gentle Christmas Lullaby
Review: I have an old copy of this book and read it to my toddler this Christmas season. It is beautifully illustrated, with a copy of the music at the back. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting illustrations for a sweet carol
Review: This book is an eyeful! Tomie dePaola's gorgeous illustrations to this simple story have a sort of pre-Raphaelite glow to them, and the animals' faces seem almost soulful. I also appreciated the music in the back that enabled me to sing the words rather than simply telling them. Reading the book to a one-year-old, I would prefer that more of the pictures actually show the baby Jesus rather than implying his presence, which is a little hard to explain to a very young child. But all in all, it's a lovely Christmas book for children and lovers of Christmas carols alike.