Serah and the First Christmas – Christian Children’s Authors
Tama Fortner is one of my very good author friends and one of my very favorite children’s authors. She has written dozens and dozens of beautiful books, and her newest picture book is another gem to add to the bookshelf.
In her newsletters Tama shares a bit about the story behind the story. I know you will enjoy reading this:
Wonder what the inspiration was for writing Serah and the First Christmas?
I was actually working through a Bible study in my personal quiet time, and the author of that study was talking about Rachel and Rebekah and how they were shepherdesses in the Bible. That study went on to talk about how being a shepherdess was a common job for young women in Bible times. She then wondered if shepherdesses could possibly have been present that night in the fields of Bethlehem when the angels came to announce Christ’s birth.
As a writer, the “what if” questions started bouncing around in my mind. So, I wondered, what if there were women present that night? But would it have been acceptable for a woman to be out at night like that? Maybe not. So . . .
- What if it were a little girl who dreamed of being a shepherdess?
- What if her father was one of the shepherds out in the fields that night?
- What if she had been given a little lamb to take care?
- What if she snuck out into the fields?
And the story of Serah and the First Christmas unfolded from there!
But wait—there’s more:
Who is “the other little girl” and why is she so important?
As you look through the illustrations of Serah, you might notice another little girl in the background of many of the spreads. Who is she? What is she looking for? Why is tagging along after Serah? She has no lines, so what is her story?
First, she is an invitation for children to pour their own imaginations into the story and, particularly, into her story.
But here’s what I imagine her story to be:
While Serah is wanting so desperately to be a shepherdess and struggling with feeling overlooked because she is too small, she doesn’t even notice this other little girl who is just hoping to be seen by Serah. To be her friend. This other little girl is representative of what happens to us sometimes. We—like Serah—get so caught up in what we want and what we believe we need for ourselves that we don’t notice how we could be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
That little girl is also our challenge. Because when we realize how we are always seen by Jesus and endlessly loved by Him, how could we not do as Serah did? How could we not reach out to those around us and bring them to Him?
And here are my (Crystal’s) thoughts:
This sweet story allows readers to step back in time and follow a young girl who longs to be a shepherdess so she can help care for her father’s sheep. She is told that she is too little and too young but caring for a motherless lamb proves otherwise. I love how her confidence and determination in caring for the lamb eventually brings her to the manger where she comes face to face with the Savior who sees and loves her just as she is. With warm and enduring illustrations, this Christmas story is one that families will enjoy reading together.
Amazon link: Amazon.com : serah and the first christmas by tama fortner
Barnes and Noble link: Serah and the First Christmas: A Story of Being Seen and Loved | Barnes & Noble®
Christianbook.com: Serah and the First Christmas: A Story of Being Seen and Loved: Tama Fortner: 9780310167907 – BibleGateway with Christianbook.com
To find out more about Tama and her wonderful books visit: Tama Fortner Books
Here’s to caring for the least of these and finding Jesus!
Five big smiles for this beautiful Christmas book! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Crystal
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