The Night of Christmas
Stephen Ray, Suzanne Ray, Mike Harris
language
(Good Life Press, Dec. 1, 2000)
This beautifully illustrated book is a poetic retelling of the nativity story in a style reminiscent of Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It captures the drama surrounding the birth of Christ, his coming of age, the miracles and alludes to the crucifixion in a tasteful way. The Night of Christmas is a multifaceted approach to the sharing of the gospel. The book itself is directed towards children with the expressed intention of being read aloud by an adult to a child. This method, combined with magnificent original water-color artwork by renown illustrator Mike Harris, serves to help bring the story of the nativity to life.The story goes beyond that night in Bethlehem to allude to glimpses of the life and purpose of Christ through references to stories, parables and miracles that were the fabric of his life. Our story alludes to Christ's death and resurrection in a simplistic, yet sensitive manner, suitable for young people. The Night of Christmas concludes with the familiar image of a beautiful Christmas tree and children in anticipation of presents.The The Night of Christmas includes the King James version of the nativity story, the Gospel of St. Luke 2:1-20. This passage is the old and familiar one that younger ears no longer hear. There is a preface included in this revised version for Kindle(TM).This book is intended to be read aloud to children of all ages and it includes the King James Version of the famous nativity passages of the Gospel of St. Luke. To keep listeners of all ages engaged in this timeless story, there is also a teaching supplement, which includes some pronunciations, giving the reader/listener plenty of background for enhanced understanding of each passage.The authors are former Sunday school teachers at a Disciples of Christ Church. The poem was originally written and printed in scroll form as a gift to 7th grade students.About the illustrator: Mike Harris is a British-born artist and cartoonist, now living in Franklin, Tennessee. His illustrations have appeared in hundreds of magazines and newspapers. He illustrated all the books in the “America’s Dumbest Criminals” series. All of them became bestsellers, some reaching the top 5 in the N.Y. Times Bestseller lists. Harris illustrated and co-wrote “Dates From Hell (And A Few Moments Made In Heaven)”, a collection of true funny stories about dating. He creates storyboards for movies, TV commercials and music videos and taught storyboarding for filmmakers at the Watkins Film School in Nashville, Tennessee. Harris has had two one-man shows of his acrylic paintings, and creates the editorial cartoons for a newspaper.The book was reviewed and endorsed by clergy of many Christian denominations, including Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, and several clergy members of The Disciples of Christ.It has been performed as a youth play and read aloud during the Christmas season both in churches and in homes.We hope its reading aloud becomes a tradition in your family.