Nature and the animal kingdom celebrate the birth of Jesus, while most people do not even notice that a miracle has occurred.

The figures in a nativity scene come to life to help an old woman in need at Christmas.

Kind Ox welcomes Old Dog, Stray Cat, Small Mouse, Tired Donkey, and finally the baby Jesus into his stable on the first Christmas night.

Many different animals come to bestow their own special gifts on the newborn Christ Child.

A baby owl asks his mother all about the Holy Child who he sees sleeping in their stable home.

"In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers. In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey,...

This book is a unique and groundbreaking visual celebration of Christmas, a joyous religious and cultural occasion observed by billions of people around the world. The origins of Christmas are in the Christian observance of the birth of Christ on 25 December and, since the early 20th century, it has become a secular holiday with a myriad decorations, rituals, and themes.00Key themes covered include advent and the nativity; the Christmas tree and holiday...

Illustrations and rhyming text portray characters from the Nativity story, from doves in the stable to the wise men, as they go to sleep on Christmas Eve.