"The Midnight Visitors" by Juliet David

Title: The Midnight Visitors
Author: Juliet David, Illustrated by Jo Parry
Published: September 2, 2015
Genre: Children's Literature

Confession time: I am a Christmas fanatic! I love preparing for this special season by decorating my dorm room, shopping for presents for my loved ones, and setting my sights on the coming Christ Child with my daily Advent devotions and midweek church services. 

I'm kicking off the the holiday season here at Bookmarks and Coffee Mugs with a review of Juliet David's new children's book The Midnight Visitors. 

The story follows Miriam the cow as she settles into her her cozy barn for the night. However, she is unable to fall asleep because visitors keep knocking at the door, asking to be let in. First comes a happy family of rabbits and then a lone fox named Freddy. Once they've drifted off to sleep, they are wakened once more by the innkeeper as he escorts a young couple to the barn. Miriam notices right away that the lady is going to have a baby! Once more, the animals fall asleep, and when they wake up again, there's a beautiful baby boy lying in Miriam's manger! Soon shepherds arrive at the stable after hearing about a special child from an angel and kneel before the baby. Miriam knows that this baby is special and she says that she'll never forget that special night before drifting off to sleep for good.

On the surface one assumes that this is going to be a cute retelling of the nativity story from Luke 2. And it is. Still, there are some serious issues about this particular children's book that I can't seem to get over. First, while the illustrations are lovely, the cover image is misleading. I though that the fox was going to be the main character. He's not. Instead it's Miriam the cow who doesn't appear anywhere on the cover. Second, in the scene where Freddy arrives at the stable, Miriam agrees to only let him in if there is absolutely no hunting in the barn. Remember, at this time the rabbit family is already inside. I'm all for kids understanding the predator/prey relationships that exist in the animal kingdom, but I don't want to find it in a children's book about the birth of Jesus. Third, there are places within the text where the vocabulary is beyond what a child of 4, 5, or 6 can understand. For example, the word "bedraggled" is used to describe the donkey on which Mary and Joseph arrive. Miriam also says "What a cheek" in response to a comment made by the innkeeper. No child is going to get that.

The book does have a few redeeming qualities in the charming illustrations and the fact that the second half focuses more on the arrival of baby Jesus and the visiting shepherds rather then the animals who just want to get some shut-eye. But with the three points mentioned above in mind, I have to give this one 2/5 coffee beans.

Kaylee says:

I want to know what your favorite Holiday children's book is! Share it with me in the comments below! One of mine is The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg!