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felinity's review against another edition
4.0
Like [b: The Christmas Truce|12973927|The Christmas Truce|Carol Ann Duffy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1341775928s/12973927.jpg|18132450] this is beautifully illustrated and written. Don't mistake this for a child's book, though children will enjoy the pictures and may appreciate the sense of the words. The poem is cleverly written, and perfectly balanced by the illustrations to really bring Bethlehem to life.
An ideal gift book.
An ideal gift book.
balancinghistorybooks's review
4.0
Bethlehem is Duffy's Christmas poem of 2013. Alice Stevenson's art is lovely and fitting, particularly with regard to scenery and still lives, and Duffy is on form with the originality of her wordplay throughout. I particularly enjoyed the use of sibilants, and think that this would be a great volume to read aloud: 'The moon rose; the shepherd's sprawled, / shawled, / a rough ring on sparse grass, passing / a leather flask', for instance. On the whole, it is a really sweet poem which promotes a nice message, but I think it would have been better had it been extended slightly. Still, it is a lovely contemplative Christmas read.
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