What the Shepherd Saw

Gr 2–4—Swedish author Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1909 and is known today primarily for her children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. This Nativity story tells of a man who approaches a mean-spirited shepherd to ask for coals to warm his wife who has just given birth to a child. The shepherd wants to refuse, but he is amazed that his dogs do not attack the man and the sheep allow him to walk over their backs to reach the fire. Still, he throws his staff at him, but it misses. At last he allows the man to pick up the live coals in his bare hands and marvels that he is not burned. The shepherd follows the man to a rocky cave, and his eyes and heart are finally open to the miracle that has occurred there. Paintings in a subdued palette are suited to the wintry, nighttime setting. This sentimental story is probably most appropriate for a family or Sunday School read-aloud.—Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies