I do not know how old I was before I realized that the song Silent Night had more than the one or two verses I knew. Lara Hawthorne’s book incorporates all of the verses with delightfully, (I assume) historical accurate illustrations that are simple, but give the reader everything needed. Their picture book, Silent Night (due October 2024), will be the perfect gift for the holidays and even year around.
This book is going to be one of my religious holiday recommendations for everyone. However, even if you are not a religious person, this book has something for you. The story behind the creation of the song (be it true or a bit of a legend) is a wonderful story in itself. And as I said, the art might be simple, but is also its own story. It is what makes the song more original. There are earth tones, simplistic, but clever details and the images are solid, but have a whimsey to theme as well.
Overall, this was a cozy reading. I was able to find it in an online reader copy, but I plan on finding copies not just as holiday gifts, but for baby gifts and first birthday gifts when it comes out in October. It is a great snuggle up together kind of read, but could probably be used for a story time read in a group format as well (though I am not sure of the final size of the actual book). However, the edition I read was for the paper and not the hardcover edition, which is currently out, but looks harder to locate. 