The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Bateson-Hill, Margaret

Leah's Star

32 pp. | Kane Miller | December, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-68464-224-3 $12.99

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Karin Littlewood. Author and illustrator imagine a small addition to the Nativity story: young Leah, who meets Joseph and Mary, arriving in Bethlehem for the census, after getting an unfortunate kick from their donkey. Leah's father is the innkeeper who finds room for the family in the stable. Otherwise, the story proceeds according to the Gospel of Luke, with Leah a helpful but theologically unobtrusive presence. Realistic watercolors capture both tenderness and drama.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021