The nativity story based on the gospel of Luke. It tells the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus with colourful picutres,. The book ends with some questions that help clarify the story. To be honest I really didn't like the pictures and felt that they dragged down the feel of the book. Overall, I don't think that I would buy this book for my granddaughter.

As someone with several young godchildren, I’m always looking for new faith based books to give my little sweeties. And this one is beautifully illustrated and captivating while telling the story that I long to share with all of the littles in my life.

This is a short, but accurate version of the nativity story. It is short enough to keep the attention of young children but not so simplistic that it skips over important details.

It begins with the information that Mary and Joseph had been chosen by God to be the parents of his son, rather than the traditional angelic visitation, which gets us straight into the story. It explains why they had to travel to Bethlehem. The visit of the shepherds is included as is the journey if the wise men. In this account, they visit King Herod on their way to Bethlehem and meet Mary and Joseph in a house, with a small child. Both Joseph and the wise men’s dreams are included in the story, followed by the escape to Egypt. The text says that Herod wanted to harm Jesus but doesn’t go into graphic detail about the massacre of children.

I particularly liked the accuracy of the story in terms of the age Jesus was when the wise men visited and the inclusion of the escape to Egypt. I liked the detail and explanation around the census, etc. Too many nativity stories misrepresent these elements of the story which leaves children, and sometimes parents, with inaccurate ideas about the birth of Jesus. The tricky elements, e.g. Mary and Joseph not being married and the massacre of the infants are alluded to but not covered in detail so could be glossed over with small children if necessary. The illustrations from the Friends and Heroes videos are a nice touch.

I have read (and own) countless versions of the nativity story. All in all I like the length, detail and accuracy of the story. I think the tricky elements are handled sensitively. If you were only going to buy one retelling of the nativity story, you wouldn’t go far wrong with this one. However, it lacks a little of the awe and wonder of the nativity story.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sticking closely to the familiar language of the Bible, with clear Biblical references this would be a great book for children learning about the Christian story of Christmas or for a Christian family as part of their Christmas traditions. The illustrations are taken from the video series and reflect each part of the story clearly. I particularly like that the wise men do not visit Jesus in the stable as is traditionally seen and the colour palette chosen provides a beautiful backdrop.

Growing up, the Friends and Heroes tv show was something I always looked forward to watching. The exciting plots and Biblical accuracy made the show a favourite for many children and me. This book, which is based on one of the tv show’s episodes, does a brilliant job of following in the footsteps of the show. The visuals, Bible verses and writing make this an excellent read to teach children the true story of Christmas in an enjoyable manner. The reading of Friends and Heroes: The Nativity Story, would make a wonderful addition to family Christmas traditions.