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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
heyitsel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
sowalsky's review against another edition
3.0
A pleasant enough detour for Vonnegut, this slight, obscure children's book was never destined to be classic among either children or Vonnegut fans. Challenged to create story to accompany existing drawings by artist Ivan Chermayeff, Vonnegut chose to imagine the first day in the life of Jesus Christ... an unusual choice, to say the least, for an avowed atheist. He does a passable job, and his take on the story is intriguing enough, but it is hard to imagine any child but the most pious being enraptured by this tale. And because it has never (to my knowledge) been re-issued, Vonnegut completists are likely to pay a pretty penny to obtain a used copy. A curio.
kylasedai's review against another edition
2.0
It was.....interesting. The backstory is fascinating - illustrations first, and then making up a story to go along with them. But some parts of the story seemed like they were stretching to try to include the pictures, and the story overall was... well, it was interesting. It's not to my taste, but that's not to say that it was bad.
tspelczechquer's review against another edition
4.0
A charming, creative retelling of the Christ child's birth. Chermayeff created a series of pictures before Vonnegut provided the story. As with his novels, Vonnegut's charm and humanity is on full display in this story for all ages.
scarracher's review against another edition
5.0
Such an interesting take on the story of the birth of Jesus. Read this as part of a term project for a children's lit. class comparing this to Vonnegut's adult works. I think it really needs to be studied to be fully appreciated. Vonnegut truly captures the simplicity of how a newborn would look at a world full of things it did not fully understand yet, and the representation of different people in his life as different kinds of light is a beautiful idea. It explores the idea of sight as the most important way of understanding the world as an infant, focusing on light and colors, and uses these things to explore or explain the infant's relationship with the people around it as well.
laurelrad's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
stewreads's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe I should expand my reading horizons.
Kurt Vonnegut once again proves to be one of the best writers ever in this little known children's book illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff, which tells the story of the birth of Jesus, or the Creator of the Universe. What's interesting about this book is that it was illustrated before the story was written. The illustrations are very sparse and open to interpretation, only showing parts of a sun, moon, and stars among different colored backgrounds. How Vonnegut was able to turn these shapes into such a great and beautifully written story is beyond me, but I'm so glad that he did. The story of Jesus's birth is told, in classic Vonnegut fashion, from a very human perspective. Without giving too much away, I will just say that the prose is very simple and elegant, a departure from the author's usual self aware style. Everything in this book just works, and I'll be sure to read it again next time I feel like smiling.
I love discovering new little Easter eggs from my favorite author. Maybe I should read more children's books.
Kurt Vonnegut once again proves to be one of the best writers ever in this little known children's book illustrated by Ivan Chermayeff, which tells the story of the birth of Jesus, or the Creator of the Universe. What's interesting about this book is that it was illustrated before the story was written. The illustrations are very sparse and open to interpretation, only showing parts of a sun, moon, and stars among different colored backgrounds. How Vonnegut was able to turn these shapes into such a great and beautifully written story is beyond me, but I'm so glad that he did. The story of Jesus's birth is told, in classic Vonnegut fashion, from a very human perspective. Without giving too much away, I will just say that the prose is very simple and elegant, a departure from the author's usual self aware style. Everything in this book just works, and I'll be sure to read it again next time I feel like smiling.
I love discovering new little Easter eggs from my favorite author. Maybe I should read more children's books.