I am sorry but I cannot get this book to open on my nook (which has adobe) or my computer. I cannot send this message unless it has 100 characters. I am sorry I requested seeing the book now that I can't see it. I never used to have trouble downloading children's books with pictures. Something must have changed.

A beautifully illustrated story of the first Christmas. Geared for older children rather than toddlers.

Although the illustrations in this book are simply exquisite, and it was interesting, as an adult, to hear the story of Christ's birth from Mary's point of view, I am not sure of who exactly is the intended audience for The Night of His Birth. I would not read it to my young grandchildren, ages 4 and 6, because of the too mature content. It is, in my opinion, more appropriate for older readers, say ages 12 and up.

Love this unique retelling of the birth of the Son of God. It is definitely geared for a parent to read along with a child as it deals with a more complex aspect of the Messiah’s birth. It certainly will provide much food for discussions. It will give the reader pause to consider that the people surrounding the babe on His birth were the common, everyday, ordinary people.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my volunteer review.

Stunningly beautiful illustrations of a modern text of Mary's Magnificat. It is the musings of Mary following the first Christmas night; the shepherds have gone; Joseph is asleep. The book touches on the difficulties of an unexpected pregnancy and the wonder of her newborn Child. This book is not a nativity narrative for young children, but a wonderful gift for any mother and a touching new look at the first Christmas.

Reading this gorgeous book is a worship experience in and of itself. I am anticipating giving this as a gift this Christmas and buying a copy for my own collection. So beautifully done!

This is a visually stunning book with a provocative perspective. Mary, recently delivered, contemplates the gift that was given to the world through her. She is filled with awe but also with love for the new-born at her breast. This book takes the traditional Christmas story and grounds it with details like the disapproval and disappointment of her parents when they discover she is pregnant, the bewilderment of Joseph at receipt of the same news, the details of the grime-covered shepherds reaching out to touch the baby, the drop of Mary’s milk at the corner of Jesus’ mouth. All these images combine to make it a very contemporary story. Would I buy this for my primary school library? Would I share it with a class? It seems more like a book for adults who want to deepen their understanding of the Christmas story. A beautiful gift from Katherine Paterson for a special recipient.

This book reads like a poem, it's lyrical and beautiful and the illustrations are whimsical and beautiful. However, I think it misses its target audience. The vocabulary and sentence structure are just too much for the normal demographic for picture books (0 to about 2nd grade). This beautiful book will just go right over their heads. However, it's a wonderful book to add to your Christmas collection if you, as an adult, like to read picture book holiday stories, especially at Christmas time (which I do). Any child familiar with the Nativity story will enjoy the pictures and know (mostly) what's happening because they are already familiar. This is definitely not the book to use to introduce the Nativity story. But it's a gorgeous book.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was not able to open the downloadable file. I have a Chromebook and am not able to open .acsm files.
I am sorry I am not able to provide a review. I was looking forward to reading this book.

A beautiful portrayal of the Nativity story told through Mary's perspective. The art is gorgeous and detailed.

This is one of my new favorite retellings of the birth of Jesus Christ! The illustrations were the first things to catch my eye, they are just breathtaking! The story is told through the eyes of Mary, who gives birth to him, and how she is toiling over giving birth to this child. From being rejected by her family to having to give birth to a child that she never asked for, she can't help but love this child. He is the son of God and she has worshipped her Lord, by giving birth to his son. This book is breathtaking!
#thenightofhisbirth #Netgalley

Beautiful text and illustrations! Such a sweet portrayal of what Mary Mother of Jesus might have been thinking the night Jesus was born. Highly recommend this picture book for anyone who loves Christmas picture books!

While not every holiday story can be religious, this book is poetic and lovely about the birth of Jesus and the Christian Christmas story. What really makes it are the beautiful illustrations. Reading this book was a lovely experience.

Sing Out, my soul, the wonder....

Mary the mother of Jesus speaks in this lyrical picture book for children. It is a very mature in emotion and words so I am not sure that all children will enjoy it, however, it would not stop me from purchasing and reading this with the little ones that I love.

What strikes me the most is the worshipful prose of Mary's heart and that where we want our hearts to be when we remember the birth of Christ.

Highly recommend.

A Special Thank You to FlyAway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest revie

This book is beautiful and is very much a work of fiction, as much of the story does come from the author's brilliant imagination. As someone who believes the biblical account of Jesus's birth, I did find issues with the book appearing as truth. Something just didn't sit right with me, despite my desire to love it with all my heart.

This book very nearly became the book that I give to all my children, nieces and nephews, godchildren, random people in the streets...

There is a lack of truly beautiful Christmas books that focus on the historical and spiritual aspects of Christmas instead of modern sentimentalism. (And I say that as a bit of a modern sentimentalist--I enjoy Santa Claus stories and O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi" and feel-good folktales as much as anyone has a right to.) So I was thrilled when the incredibly talented Katherine Paterson paired up with amazing illustrator Lisa Aisato to tell the Christmas story from a historical, spiritual perspective.

There were moments in this book that left me breathless with their beauty. There's a tiny description of Mary holding Jesus, a tiny bit of milk pooled in the corner of his mouth as he sleeps, that brought tears to my eyes. Overall, this attention to realistic and beautiful details--in words and illustrations--makes the story stand out from the average.

But here's the thing. I know the author is using her imagination to bring the story to life, and I happen to disagree with where her imagination went for a few details. If her details were less convincing, it might not bother me as much. But precisely because her power with words is so great, I have to take issue with some of them. There's this one line, describing Ann and Joachim's reaction to discovering Mary's pregnancy: "They are sick with shame." Ann is said to meet Mary "with angry tears." Of course we have no Biblical record of how Ann and Joachim reacted; I have often wondered myself how they reacted to Mary's news. But I like to believe that throughout the confusion and worry they must have felt, they still trusted their daughter and God in a way that would take them beyond "angry tears." Because Paterson's imagining of this reaction is written from Mary's point of view, it gives it an aura of narrative truth on par with the details taken straight from the Biblical record--there seems to be no room for doubt or another interpretation.

Sadly, that limits the readership to which I can recommend this story. Adults, by all means read this--you'll probably love it! But you may want to use caution before giving it to all your nieces and nephews and godchildren, at least without consulting their parents first.

The Night of His Birth by Katherine Paterson

The Night of His Birth, by Katherine Paterson, is a beautiful telling of the birth of Jesus. Unlike many of the retellings of this story, Katherine Paterson’s version offers a different viewpoint from the perspective of Jesus’s mother, Mary.

The story speaks of the miracle that has been bestowed upon Mary's life. As a new mother, you see her eyes look at Jesus in wonder and absolute love. She is aware of her responsibility but for the short moment of this story, you just get to see Mary processing her new role as a mother to her newborn baby.

This story will easily be a cherished addition to any family’s library. It allows those who celebrate the birth of Jesus to see the story through a new lens. The weight of the miracle of God’s plan through Jesus will not be lost on anyone who picks up Katherine Paterson’s version of Jesus’s birth.

In addition to the fresh perspective of the story, Lisa Aisato’s illustrations are just stunning. The watercolor approach is breathtaking, and every new page will take your breath away at the sheer love that was board into creating this special holiday story.

A picture book with depth that speaks to adults, this Christmas story told from Mary's perspective could easily become a family read-aloud tradition. The luminous drawings of the setting are interspersed with quirky portraits of the people in the story. Highly recommended.

Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.

What a wonderful story full of wonder, faith and praise! The line "sing out, my soul, the wonder..." that begins and ends the story even sounds like a line from a hymn. The illustrations add to the dreamlike wonder of Mary's descriptions of her newborn son, the loyalty and support she has in Joseph, and her incredulity that God chose her of all people to play a such an important role in this miracle. Adults reading the story will feel they've been given a glimpse of some of the things Mary "pondered in her heart."
Thank you to NetGallery for allowing me to read and review this book. #NetGalley #TheNightofHisBirth

3.5- I LOVE the illustrations in this book. They are absolutely stunning. I would love to have a physical copy of the book so I could curl up and pour over the art. The text is beautiful too, very poetic and has a good cadence. There are a lot of words though, and I can't imagine any of my students sitting still to listen to all of it. The phrasing of the text has an 'old timey' feel, which is great, but again, not something that will hook a kid's attention.

In my opinion, moms will get the most of this one as opposed to kids (maybe young adults, it's a little too high a level for most middle schoolers). I'm not a mom, but I hope to be one someday, and as I read I could put myself in Mary's position and feel what she might have felt. It's a very unique take on the story of Jesus's birth. This is a book of love and joy and worship.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!