The Grumpy Shepherd

By Joe Cox. Arranged by Nylea Butler Moore. Book and Cassette. Standard notation. Published by Abingdon Press

Ages 3^-7. Devon elaborates on a section of St. Luke's Gospel, imagining how a habitual grouch would have reacted to a message from angels. In his refreshing version, grumpy shepherd Joram is amazed to find that the sadness and loneliness in his heart change to love and hope when he meets baby Jesus. Devon's angel speaks conversationally, and some readers may disagree with the textual interpretations (the angels sing "Peace to all God's friends on earth" ). There's plenty of silliness in the story, too (one of the shepherds sits on a sheep), with Devon nicely balancing the flippant tone with a reverential message. The paintings are colorful. Both the people and the sheep are expressively rendered, but the depiction of baby Jesus is disappointingly bland. It will be youngsters who aren't biblical purists who will most appreciate this insight into the familiar. Susan Dove Lempke