Originally contained in Bernardino de Sahagún's Psalmodia Christiana - a collection of religious texts written entirely in Aztec, and published in 1583, it was one of the first books printed in the western hemisphere - the tale of "Spirit Child" is an Aztec version of the Christian Nativity story. Translator John Bierhorst stumbled across it in manuscript form, while working on an Aztec dictionary, and gives the manuscript pages on which it can be found, in the brief afterword. Translated into English and presented as a picture-book, the story makes its modern debut here, illustrated by the marvelous Barbara Cooney.

Familiar and unfamiliar by turn, Spirit Child: A Story of the Nativity is a fascinating book to peruse, both for its sometimes original take on the story of Jesus' birth, and for its colorful artwork by Cooney, who apparently traveled to Mexico to do research for her illustrations. I thought some of the vocabulary used, and the means of describing various elements of the story - Joseph is described as being still "a boy," because he does not engage in sexual relations with Mary, for instance - reveal the struggle Sahagún and his assistants must have had, in translating such a culturally alien story for an Aztec audience. Recommended to anyone looking for a different kind of Nativity story, as well as to anyone interested in Aztec culture and language. ( )

A book about the Nativity based on the account gospels of Matthew and Luke, its influence is inspired through the multicultural aspect of the Aztecs and the Western European folklore. It's an amazing book because you get to see a different aspect of the Nativity through a different perspective of a different culture from a combination of the Aztecs and Western European. In addition, the culture of Aztecs is well incorporated. Through an English translation of the Aztec language of the Nativity, the reader can appreciate the text and culture of the Aztecs and its contribution and inspiration of the Nativity. All in all, it's an easy and enjoyable book to read but I wouldn't recommend reading it in public schools as reading a religious picture book can cause some serious controversial problems in a public school.

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I liked Spirit Child: A Story of the Nativity because of its multi-cultural aspects and its rich descriptions. This book is about the story of Jesus Christ’s birth and is based on the gospels of Matthew and Luke, but it is translated from an Aztecan source and incorporates pieces of European folklore. For example, the author writes when describing the angel Gabriel that his wings “were longer and more brilliantly green than quetzal plumes,” and quetzal birds were a part of Aztecan religion. Incorporating different cultures into one book allows children to understand the world more and to use critical thinking in understanding the reasons behind some aspects of the book. The rich descriptions such as “Sweet-smelling song-flowers were scattering everywhere, falling to earth in a golden rain” is very strong imagery and gives the reader a greater sense of the setting in which the angels came down from heaven. This allows the reader to visualize the setting. The main message of this book is that God became a human to live among people, and through this, he came to be our Savior, and now the devil cannot snatch anyone away from Jesus. ( )

Primary
This is traditional literature. It is an English translation of the Aztec version of the Christmas story. It has the structure of the Aztec poetry, and the additions to the Nativity story that came to the new world from Medieval Europe. The Basis of the Story is the Nativity story in Mathew and Luke.
Media: Acrylic Paint

Beneath the light of a brilliant star in Bethlehem, a newborn spirit child rescues the world from the Devil's grasp.