“In our hearts, find a silence in the middle of the noise, / With the bustling of our Christmas and the clattering of toys. / Help us slip into the silence, filled with hallelujah joys / On not such a silent night.” This Nativity Christmas story goes on to explain why it was indeed not such a silent night when Jesus was born: Owls were hooting, Joseph gave a “rap, tap, tap” on the inn’s door, Mary groaned in pain, and of course there were all those animals in the barn at the birth, making their many animal noises. Dandi Daley Mackall’s original take on the Nativity stays true to the Biblical version’s outline but adds a new, down-to-earth dimension in the details. Luminous illustrations show a deep, dark, star-filled sky as the backdrop for the unfolding drama involving humans and animals alike. (Ages 3–8)