The Barnyard Sang in the Merriest Way

PreS-Gr 2–An extended Christian family gathers to celebrate the birth of Jesus, only to discover that the children are missing on Christmas morning. The story begins with a family arriving at dawn in Evergreen, LA, on Christmas Eve. After a joyous family reunion at the farm and a delicious feast, Gramps sadly announces that the family and the townspeople of Evergreen won’t be able to worship at the town’s church because the heater is broken. After their initial disappointment, the family gathers the farm animals and then dances together in the spacious barn, knowing that “God is good.” On Christmas morning, the adults are shocked to realize the children are neither in their beds nor opening presents; instead, they find them sleeping peacefully with the barn animals, in a scene reminiscent of the original nativity scene. Little Jo, the youngest child, reminds everyone of baby Jesus, and the family and townspeople realize that the barn can be their church for the day. The story is told capably in rhyme, with four-line stanzas where the second and fourth lines rhyme. Detailed illustrations are bright, with black lines encasing the colors, but they lack depth.