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FLASHSALE
The Forgotten Nativity: Ebook
Instant digital download. Read in Apple Books, Google Play Books, the Kindle app, or on your computer.
Written by Julie Remington · Illustrated by Darla Tolsma
Regular price
$6.99
Choose Your Edition
Ebook · $6.99 · (this page)
The full illustrated story, instant download.
Hardcover + Audiobook Bundle · $34.99 · (Coming in Nov.)
Premium hardcover with beautiful endpapers, instant download audiobook.
Paperback · $16.99 · Buy on Amazon
Large-format 8.5x11 paperback.
The first Christmas wasn't "once upon a time." It was real history, in a real place.
The Forgotten Nativity is the picture book your kids deserve: a Christmas story that builds trust in the Bible. Created by a neurodivergent mom and former missionary with an eye for overlooked details, it's shaped by biblical and historical research.
This retelling reaches back past centuries of familiar tradition to bring the world of the first Christmas to life. Narrated by the angel Gavrel (Gabriel), it follows Matthew and Luke closely and imagines responsibly where Scripture is silent.
Maryam and Yawsef are welcomed with the hospitality of a first-century home, where a midwife and experienced mothers gather around Maryam for the birth. And the angel brings the best news ever to three young shepherd cousins, Shooshan, Nooreh, and Shemoon, who race through the night to welcome baby Yeshoo.
Your child is invited into a world of wonder and authenticity.
Kids See Themselves in the Story!
The shepherds were probably children, just like yours. Shooshan, Nooreh, and Shemoon invite kids to imagine themselves right there in the real, everyday world of the first Christmas, experiencing its wonder for themselves.
"I have nothing but praise for this wonderful book for children."
—David H. Vila, PhD, Director, Abila Archaeological Project
"The kids' book about Jesus's birth I've been waiting for. The work exchanges centuries of cultural baggage for the story as it more likely unfolded."
—Sandra Glahn, Seminary Professor
Inside you will find:
- A story rooted in Matthew and Luke
- Informed by scholarship from Dr Kenneth Bailey
- Expert consultation from Jessica LM Jenkins
- AI-free illustrations of first-century life
- Clothing & colors based on historical artifacts
- Names in reconstructed Aramaic
- Name pronunciation video link
- An illustrated map
- FAQ link, e.g. "Where's the stable?"
- A neurodivergent-friendly font
Free Book Bonuses: extra ways to step into the story.
- Shepherd Song Activity: Pretend you're a shepherd and create the special song you'd sing or play to call your flock. Your sheep know your song, so when they hear it, they'll follow you!
- Imagination Coloring Pages: Scenes from the book, with gentle prompts that invite kids to imagine the first Christmas with their senses and their hearts.
- Luke 2 Imagination Prayer: A family prayer video that walks you through Luke 2, inviting everyone to slow down and imagine the first Christmas.
Scan the QR code inside your book to access your bonus pack.
Read It Your Way
Your ebook is delivered by BookFunnel, a trusted service that helps readers get books onto the devices they love. Right after checkout, you'll receive an email with your download link. From there, you can:
• Read it in Apple Books or Google Play Books. For the best picture book experience, open your ebook in Apple Books on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, or in Google Play Books on Android devices and Chromebooks. The full-color illustrations look beautiful on a tablet.
• Send it to your Kindle app. Add the book to your Kindle library and read it in the Kindle app on your phone or tablet. (Kindle e-readers display in black and white, so a tablet or phone shows the illustrations best.)
• Read on Kobo or NOOK. Your ebook can be sent to these reading apps too.
• Read on your computer. Download a PDF to read on any computer, or to show on a screen for a classroom or Sunday school.
• Use the free BookFunnel app. Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android, it makes it easy to download your book and send it to your favorite reading app.
Need help? BookFunnel's friendly support team is happy to help you get your book onto your device. Just click "Need help?" on your download page.
Perfect for Advent, family reading, holiday travel, homeschool, and Sunday school, for children ages 5 to 10.
About the creators: Author Julie Remington served overseas with a Bible translation organization, where immersion in language and culture deepened her respect for the cultural and historical context of Scripture. Illustrator Darla Tolsma brings the story to life with vibrant, warm artwork.
Rediscover the Christmas story with your children as you've never experienced it, and help your kids encounter Scripture more deeply, see God more clearly, and nurture a faith that can grow with them for a lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more here.
See reviews from readers and endorsements from Christian leaders here.
Ages 5 to 10, though families often enjoy reading it together across ages.
Yes. The story is rooted in Matthew and Luke and follows them carefully. Details the Bible doesn't describe, like homes, clothing, and daily life, draw on biblical scholarship, including the work of Dr. Kenneth E. Bailey and research consultation by Jessica LM Jenkins of We Who Thirst.
Great question, and one many families ask! Explore why, along with why the shepherds are children and whether there was a midwife, at honestimagination.com/nativity.
They're reconstructed Aramaic names, from the everyday language Jesus's family spoke: Maryam for Mary, Yawsef for Joseph, and Yeshoo for Jesus. Hearing unfamiliar names gives kids a taste of crossing into a different culture, and a short pronunciation video helps your family say them together.
Right after checkout, you'll receive an email with a download link. You can listen in your browser or through the free BookFunnel app on any device. Gift recipients can also scan the QR code inside the book to download it themselves.
The hardcovers are on their way! We expect them to arrive in November. Sign up to be notified the moment they arrive and orders open.
Honest Imagination is a small, family-run press, and every hardcover is packed by hand. Hardcover orders ship every Friday.
Absolutely. The Imagination Coloring Pages and Luke 2 Imagination Prayer work well for groups, and the story itself makes a wonderful read-aloud for Advent lessons.
Regular price
$6.99
Learn more here.
See reviews from readers and endorsements from Christian leaders here.
Ages 5 to 10, though families often enjoy reading it together across ages.
Yes. The story is rooted in Matthew and Luke and follows them carefully. Details the Bible doesn't describe, like homes, clothing, and daily life, draw on biblical scholarship, including the work of Dr. Kenneth E. Bailey and research consultation by Jessica LM Jenkins of We Who Thirst.
Great question, and one many families ask! Explore why, along with why the shepherds are children and whether there was a midwife, at honestimagination.com/nativity.
They're reconstructed Aramaic names, from the everyday language Jesus's family spoke: Maryam for Mary, Yawsef for Joseph, and Yeshoo for Jesus. Hearing unfamiliar names gives kids a taste of crossing into a different culture, and a short pronunciation video helps your family say them together.
Right after checkout, you'll receive an email with a download link. You can listen in your browser or through the free BookFunnel app on any device. Gift recipients can also scan the QR code inside the book to download it themselves.
The hardcovers are on their way! We expect them to arrive in November. Sign up to be notified the moment they arrive and orders open.
Honest Imagination is a small, family-run press, and every hardcover is packed by hand. Hardcover orders ship every Friday.
Absolutely. The Imagination Coloring Pages and Luke 2 Imagination Prayer work well for groups, and the story itself makes a wonderful read-aloud for Advent lessons.
Illustrations by Darla Tolsma
Hear the Names of the Nativity in Aramaic
