SONG OF THE CAMELS

The point of view of Coatsworth's 1935 poem—narrated by the wise men's camels—is still a fresh one. The spare text contains enough concrete details to bring the desert world to life. As the wise men arrive at the manger, ``The olives were windy and white,/Dust swirled through the town,/As all in their royal robes/Our masters knelt down.'' Tall, narrow pages lend themselves well to distant vistas with the star shimmering far ahead in the east; Vojtech's duskily glowing oil paintings capture all the sweep of sand and sky. Sometimes the picture moves in close—a camel's legs are all knobby knees and splayed feet—filling the entire spread. On the very next page the perspective pulls back to an almost aerial view, with the camels a tiny presence in the wide expanse of desert. A lovely and original holiday entry. (Picture book. 5-8)