Andrew Clements and Kate Kiesler imagine a Heavenly Perspective in Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Angels often appear in Christmas picture books, but usually as secondary characters, almost an afterthought in a succession of Nativity characters. But in Andrew Clements’ Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers, illustrated by Kate Kiesler, an angel serves as the narrator, and he speaks for the angelic host at large, painting a poetic picture of their role in the centuries leading up to Jesus’ birth and their perspective on that event now.

Kiesler’s magnificent paintings fill 13 two-page spreads. One spread, showing Joseph and Mary departing from the inn, features no words at all, but all of the others are accompanied by what I would term one verse, though the length of these verses varies widely from three to 16 lines. There’s an air of holy mystery about the angelic perspective; the narrator explains that time is rather meaningless in Heaven but that one particular night stands out above all others. “Once I sing a song, the song never stops,” he writes. “It’s like a star that burns forever. / Christmas is the brightest / and the happiest song I ever sang.”

The long period of time covered in the book, and the theme of song, reminds me of The Lord of the Dance, in which Jesus, as speaker, begins by stating, “I danced on the morning when the world began, / I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun...” The angel mentions specific figures in the Old Testament: Moses, David, Isaiah, each getting the world one step closer to the arrival of the Messiah.

Kiesler’s paintings are gorgeous, luminous and rich in detail. A note in the back explains how attentive she was to archaeological accuracy, particularly in the matter of the inn, which is a “kataluma,” or temporary shelter, and the stable, which is a cave. Two of the paintings reminds me of Michael Card songs. The shepherds reacting in awe to the angels’ message calls to mind the gentle Shepherd’ Watch, while the close-up on Mary’s illuminated face goes perfectly with What Her Heart Remembered. Both songs come from his Christmas album The Promise.

We don’t actually see angels at any time, but they are artistically represented by doves or, in a couple of cases, a single feather. Probably to emphasize Mary’s closeness to God, Kiesler paints her with a dove necklace. Also appearing on almost every page are stars, which serve as reminders of light and of antiquity.

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers is a beautiful book. I’d recommend it particularly for Sunday School libraries, along with the homes of those who believe that “That night, a light was lit like no other.”