Refuge

Everyone may already know the story of how Jesus was humbly born in a manger, but Refuge is a lyrical depiction of what came next: the new family's travels through the desert, fleeing Herod's soldiers in order to find a safe place to welcome their son into the world. A poetic and refreshing look at the classic Christmas story that's never been more relevant, Refuge asks readers to consider the modern day implications of being forced to flee your home country.

I liked this book; it was very short and sweet, but it had meaning. The book was about the struggles Mary, Jospeh, Baby Jesus, and the donkey went through to get baby Jesus to safety. The story was narrated from the donkeys point of view; the donkey explained the story from what he saw throughout the journey. The donkeys view was very similar to the story in the Bible. It was a very short book, but the story was told very well. I liked reading it because I have heard the story many times from a human perspective, but never from the animal who carried Mary and Jesus. I know that animals cannot tell a story, but I loved how the author chose the donkey to narrate the story. It made the true story more intriguing and interesting by putting show more a little twist to the narration of the story. show less

"Refuge" is about the Nativity story from the perspective of the donkey that carried Mary before and after baby Jesus was born. The donkey talks about his job carrying Mary, and how the man led him to where they needed to go. He talks about the joy the baby Brough to everyone, putting smiles and hope on everyones faces. He then talks about their journey leaving Bethlehem, and where they are going to go next. The donkey sees the stress and worry in their faces, when they are sleeping on the road at night, but he knows that they will get their eventually. As a reader, reading the book not as a Christmas book, but as the story of a family traveling from one country to another on donkey back opens your eyes to a different experiences. This show more book is really the story of a refugee family that is trying to find somewhere to stay each night until they get to where they call home. They have no one to rely on but themselves, and that is one of the many factors that makes their journey so stressful. One theme that seems prevalent in the book is of hope. The donkey has hope in his people, he has hope in himself, and he has hope that they will get to where they need to go safely. show less

"Refuge" tells the story of the nativity through the eyes of the donkey. I thought this was an interesting take on the story and something I had never heard of. He talks about his job of carrying Mary, the visitors who came to see baby Jesus, and how he felt the fear that Joseph and Mary felt and knew that it was his job to get them to safety.
When I picked this book, I had no idea what it was about and I'm very happy to have picked it. The illustrations and narrative from the donkey take this well known story and make it something new.

This timely gift book offers a moving new perspective on the nativity story-evoking the struggle of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus as refugees traveling in a strange land, seeking the protection and kindness of strangers. Written from the donkey's perspective.
Picture book

I picked this book because the title, Refuge, caught my attention. When I started reading the book I definitely was not expecting it to be the story of Jesus. I initially thought it was going to be about people that are from places that have war that are called refugees. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously because it gave me a sense of how the characters were feeling. This is because the setting as well as the author's tone makes the readers feel like they're literally inside the book. The setting was portrayed very well in the first picture of the story, there was an enormous gray and yellow cloud above a woman on a donkey, and a man with a stick guiding the donkey. They were walking to what looked like a new city with buildings. show more I felt like this gave me a sense of how they were feeling going into a different city alone. The second page was the man,woman,and now a baby, sitting on the floor with a cow sitting in front of them. This setting gave the readers a sense that they were sitting in a manger.Another thing I realized in this book was the outfits of Joseph and Mary in the book. Their outfits hinted to the readers that they are from a different country. show less

This is a great story of Christmas. It tells of the birth of a baby, where men and kings came for the birth. After, the father had a dream of danger and he knew that he and his family had to seek refuge elsewhere.. They rode their donkey and traveled until they found a safe place to stay in Egypt. This is a great story of Christmas that I have never heard before. I would recommend for others to read it as well. You get a different side of the story that you most likely haven't heard before.