The message of Christmas is heard on the wind in this poetic picture-book from author Susan Hill and illustrator Angela Barrett. Heard by all manner of creatures, from foxes and hens to wolves and sheep, from dogs and cats to owls and shrews - even by the human general in his bed, dreaming of war. It is a message that causes them to wonder, to confer with one another, and most of all to ask: Can it be true? Finally, they all troop off to the stable in the snow, where they find the babe in the straw, and discover it is all true...

Apparently inspired by Thomas Hardy's poem, The Oxen, which is to be found reproduced on the first page, Susan Hill's "prose poem" in Can It Be True? highlights how the message of Christmas is one that is meant to bring peace and joy to all of creation. The author pairs all manner of traditional "enemies" here, with her animal characters, but tellingly, the human general has no enemy - only soldiers, taken (appropriately enough) from the nursery. Perhaps this is meant to highlight that man is his own worst enemy? Whatever the case might be, the text here, although evocative enough, pales in comparison to the breathtakingly beautiful artwork. It was as an Angela Barrett fan - her work on such fairy-tale retellings as Snow White and Beauty and the Beast is outstanding - that I decided to seek out this book in the first place, when I saw it on my goodreads friend Hilary's shelves. I'm glad I did - thank you, Hilary! As expected, the artwork here is simply amazing, really making Can It Be True? something special. I love Barrett's animals, and I love her people. I love her palette, and I love her composition. There is always something so magical and so beautiful about her work. Favorites here include her fox (of course), her owl and shrew, and most of all, her final Nativity scene. Highly recommended, both to fellow Angela Barrett fans, and for anyone looking for gentle, cotemplative, poetic picture-books about the true message of Christmas. ( )

Worth it for the artwork alone. A Christmas poem. ( )