One Small Lost Sheep - Hardcover

Mills, Claudia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374356491 ISBN 13: 9780374356491

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 1997

Synopsis

"Benjamin...misses the miracle of angels singing to the shepherds about a new king born in Bethlehem. But when the shepherds try to find their way to the right stable in town, it is Benjamin, following the bleats of his lost sheep, who leads the way to the infant lying in a manger...[A] tender story."-Booklist

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3. A glimpse at the wonder of the Nativity as seen through a young boy's eyes. Benjamin, a shepherd boy, loses his small, lame sheep, searches for her, and finally falls into an exhausted sleep. When he awakens, his brother tells him about a chorus of angels that appeared in the sky. Benjamin follows a group of shepherds to Bethlehem and finds the lamb, keeping watch on a small babe. He sees other animals as well?a blind ox, "his massive, sightless head bent low"; "a half-starved donkey, beaten and neglected"; and an old goat, "missing one ear." The illustrations have a soft impressionistic look, and are dominated by the tans and browns of a desert night. The use of perspective and shadowing underscores how small and alone Benjamin feels in the vast desert and in the city of Bethlehem. In contrast, the warm yellows of the stable scene glow as the helpless and the lame of God's creatures gather around to worship the new babe. A simple, quiet story.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The setting is Bethlehem. The young shepherd Benjamin has lost his lame sheep, Kivsa; scrambling over the rocky terrain, thorns biting at his legs, he calls for her without success and finally cries himself to sleep. Wakening a short time later, he heads back to the encampment, where he learns that a chorus of heavenly voices has heralded the birth of the king. Benjamin leads the shepherds to the stable--no small task, as Bethlehem is rife with stables--as he follows the trail of a familiar bleat. There Benjamin finds his little lame friend, along with a blind ox, an abused donkey, and a decrepit, earless goat, the usual suspects all come to marvel at the newborn. This neatly paced nativity story isn't for everyone, with the religious sentiments laid on as thick as a carpet. Krudop's handsome artwork captures the mood of the story and adds mystery of its own, conveying a real sense of place in Bethlehem and its surroundings. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0374356491
• ISBN 13: 9780374356491
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Krudop Walter Lyon