Amazon Editorial Review

The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world.

Accompanied by moving and beautifully rendered illustrations throughout, Donna VanLiere’s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

This is a re-telling and elaboration of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. This age-old story is given a more personal outlook by describing the era and the thoughts of Joseph and Mary. Joseph's fears about the immaculate conception and his fears about how to raise the Son of God. Mary is very serene even while she is in a lot of pain from the labor. People have not changed throughout the ages thinking the worse of Mary and her pregnancy before wedlock.

The illustrations by Michael Storrings are wonderful. Although this book is quite short and might be considered a children's story, younger children may not understand or empathize with the personal thoughts of Mary and Joseph. However, it is still a story to be enjoyed by all ages.

I usually pass books on to be read by others. However this book will not be passed on as I would like to read this every Christmas Eve to my children and grandchildren. A book to be kept and treasured.