Star! Stable! Saviour! The Christmas Story in S by Cameron Semmens

Ill. by Rod Allen. Wombat Books, 2015. ISBN 9781925139600
(Age: Pre-school - Yr 2) If you like to start the festive season with a story about the story behind the celebrations, then Star! Stable! Saviour! could be a great choice. Drawing on the traditional elements of the Wise Men (scientists) and the shepherds seeing a star and following it to the stable where they find Baby Jesus the story is told using as many words as possible starting with the sound of 's'.
'See - a star!' stated a slightly stunned, smart, snazzy scientist to several similar smart, snazzy scientists.
These scientists from The South Saudi Sands, Sudan (or somewhere similar) searched the stars for signs.
This strange star was certainly a sign.
See it shine!'
With bright, clear illustrations which capture so much movement and expression, the story is told in alliterative format which brings new life to it so even those who have heard it every year about this time will get a fresh perspective and enjoy it again and again. Originally published under the title The Star, The Stable and The Saviour it's been repackaged and republished by Wombat Books in time to bring a new version to the traditional Christmas literature fare in a quirky but respectful way.
This will be read on Day 2 of the Christmas Countdown at my school, following The First Christmas in which Jan Pienkowski has illustrated the original text from the New Testament so those children who may be encountering the story for the first time can consolidate what they learned from that experience. Told without a religious editorial, it gives those students for whom Christmas is not a religious or traditional festival an understanding of what it is we celebrate at this time of the year, the meaning behind many of the symbols they see and why it is so important to so many.
Barbara Braxton