Always on the lookout for Christmas books which tell the story a different way. This is one. Characters are not indelibly white, either. ( )

On a cold winter's night, a young cow named Martha is alone and lost. As she braves the frozen fields and bitter winds, she knows she must find shelter and people to help her. Martha's baby is due very soon. At long last she finds a farm, but it is dark and abandoned. She continues her search following a bright star. Eventually Martha comes upon a shed with a donkey, hay, and a young couple. As the woman delivers her own baby, Martha's calf arrives too on a very special winter's night.

The Bottom Line: John Herman's gentle tale of a lost cow about to give birth parallels the story of the birth of Jesus. The illustrators chose to depict the story of Mary and Joseph's journey in black and white, while the cow's journey is depicted in color with a focus on shades of blue. The illustrations and the text merge together beautifully in the end. Highly recommended picture book for kids in grades K - 3. This is a beautiful book you will want to read again and again with your children.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )