The Worried Wiseman
Susan Eaddy
My family has an affinity for the story of Jesus’s birth. My husband and I met while he was performing as one of the Three Kings in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and The Night Visitors. (Side note: fabulous operetta; great for families of all ages; if you haven’t seen it, add it to your watch list.) One of our children has Kaspar as part of his name. I have a multicultural collection of Wise Ones that I curated throughout the years. One might say that our Christmas storytelling is on point. When The Worried Wiseman by Susan Eaddy arrived from the publisher, I eagerly opened it, hoping we’d have another book to add to our collection. Spoiler: we do.
The Worried Wiseman tells the story of Jesus’s birth from the viewpoint of Melchior, one of the Wise Ones who followed the star to find Jesus. He wrestles with the decision to follow the star; he does not know where it leads, he is uncertain about how wise it would be to leave his father alone, and questions if he will be lost and without food while he is on the journey. After talking about his worries with his father, he decides to follow the star despite the uncertainties and danger. He travels on his camel, Nubia, and together they ask about finding the new king. After much time, he meets the other Wise Ones and they continue the journey together, listening to each other’s dreams and knowledge. The text is written in a way that is accessible to even the youngest of readers, paired with illustrations that are created by collage. That combination, along with a familiar story being told from a different perspective, makes this a book that families will turn to time and again as there will always be something new to discover in a re-reading.
I am planning on using this book in several ways. I am always looking for texts that tell stories from alternate points of view. The Worried Wiseman is a wonderful way to have children explore why people act as they do, how their environments influence their decisions, and how stories are different based upon the teller’s perspective. I will be using this during Advent in my faith formation classes for children, as it will allow us to delve into conversations about why different people featured in the narrative of Jesus’s birth acted as they did. This book will also be a wonderful springboard for a collaborative mural during an intergenerational faith formation time. Spreading out butcher paper, magazines, tissue paper, glue, scissors, ribbon, and glitter, alongside several copies of this book, people can create their own version of what the Wise Ones may have encountered on their journey. It would also be a wonderful children’s moment text, or even the spine for a Christmas pageant. This book has earned a place in our church’s family resource library, as well as on my professional resource library shelves. This book fills so many different needs. If you’re looking for a text that serves lots of purposes, this fits the bill.
