That Baby in the Manger

That Baby in the Manger is published by Paraclete Press. The book’s illustrations are fun and child-friendly, while the content encourages families and Sunday school classes to discuss what Christmas means for each of us.

The book begins with a group of first grade students entering a church to look at the crèche set up for Christmas, as elderly Mr. Gonzales is praying in one of the pews. One little boy asks where the baby Jesus is and is told that he’ll be placed in the manger on Christmas morning. The children remember that the statue of baby Jesus has blonde hair, although the parish priest tells them that Jesus probably had very dark hair. As the story progresses, Mr. Gonzales helps the children learn that “no matter what color Jesus’s hair was, he came for all of them, no matter what they looked like themselves. Jesus loves them all.”

A free downloadable Discussion and Activity Guide is available with questions about Advent, the history of the Christmas crèche, and the themes of the book. The activities include directions for making a Unity Poster, a word matching game, and suggestions for retelling the Nativity story.