The story of the wise men who traveled to Bethlehem to honor a baby was first told in the Gospel of St. Matthew. Over the centuries, more was added to the story. Here, the author tells the story of three kings: Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar. Each of these kings studied the stars. When a brilliant new star appeared, each king realized that a great king was about to arrive. So each set out alone to find this baby. Along the way, the three kings met, but lost sight of the great star. This is a story of adventure and wonder as the three kings must continue on their journey guided by faith.

The Bottom Line: Originally published in 1983, this edition has been carefully restored. Illustrated in acrylic, this beautiful picture book is sure to be treasured for many holidays to come. Highly recommended seasonal reading.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

Sliding into the place of very well becoming a Christmas classic, this is one of those books, which can be revisited year after year and holds a special place as a Christmas read.

The tale of the Three Kings is by no means an unfamiliar one, and yet, this one does give a little extra food for thought while offering a wonderful presentation of the well-known incident. This book starts with the individual kings, each in their own country, and explains why they probably noticed the star and followed it. Their paths cross, and they continue their journey together until they find the babe in the manger. I found it wonderful how the tale takes the time to first dive a tiny bit into the background of these kings...not a lot but just enough to get them going and explain why they followed a star. After all, that is quite the undergoing. And it does it simply, quickly and exactly enough for young readers to understand.

The rest of the tale follows the well-known side and does it with care and reverence. The artwork goes hand in hand with the text and creates a wonderful balance, which draws in and makes it a delightful read. Of course, being from a well-known author/illustrator, this one is a treat. The artwork holds some aspects which remind of a more traditional Christian, middle age form, while bringing in a modern flair as well. The text tells the story but never becomes heavy. Instead, it stays short and keeps to a vocabulary young listeners will understand and enjoy.

It's no wonder that this one has been around for years and continues to be printed again and again. I'm going to be adding it to my own shelves and am looking forward to adding it to the few Christmas reads I share with my own younger listeners in the future. ( )

The Story of the Three Wise Kings by Tomie dePaola. Epiphany-OviedoELCA library section 11 A: Pre-K. Religion and Character-Building. In this story, beloved and esteemed children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola tells the story of the three wise men: Melchior of Arabia, Gaspar or Tharsis, and Balthazar of Saba. They separately consult the stars and their astronomical books and decide to follow the bright star to find the child-king and honor him. They meet up while traveling and proceed to Herod’s palace where Herod tells them that if they find the child-king, they should let him know so he can go to worship the child as well. (The nefarious creep – he has murder in his heart! There is room for only one king in Judea!)
Of course, the wise kings find the Christ Child and his mother in a “Madonna Enthroned” pose straight from Russian icons – dressed in white in a very formal, official, royal scene indeed. And then the angel tells the Magi to avoid Herod and head home, and Mary, Joseph and Jesus flee to Egypt.
The Magi are indeed wise because not only do they figure out a child-king has been born, but they worship the child-king, present him with gifts, hoodwink Herod, and enable Jesus’ family to avoid capture.
This book was published in 1983, and though our copy has seen better days, it is a hardcover with book jacket, quite rare, and I am glad I could find any copy at all. It is illustrated in Tomie’s early style in which he uses voluminous gowns on the figures, who are usually arranged in frontal style in rows front and center, surrounded by fantastical palm trees, fanciful buildings and tents, humpbacked hills, and whorling ocean waves. Stars look like flowers, doves are placed throughout, and pinks, aquas, periwinkles, and oranges predominate the color scheme. Just a lovely, appealing book for Christmas and Epiphany. Your little ones will love it. ( )

Delightful book retelling the story of the Magi coming to Bethlehem. ( )