D
H
M
S
Offer
Provide additional details about the offer you're running
FLASHSALE
The Forgotten Nativity: Hardcover + Audiobook Bundle
The Read-Along Edition: large-format hardcover with the fully dramatized audiobook
Written by Julie Remington · Illustrated by Darla Tolsma
Limited first printing for Christmas 2026. Order early so yours arrives in time!
Regular price
$34.99
Choose Your Edition
Hardcover + Audiobook Bundle (this page) · $34.99, free shipping in the US
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.
"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
This Read-Along Edition includes:
- The large-format 8.5x11 hardcover, 42 pages plus illustrated endpapers, with the Build the World of the First Nativity challenge printed in this edition
- The fully dramatized audiobook, with voices and sound effects that bring the story to life, delivered to your email the moment you order
- A QR code inside the book, so gift recipients can also download the audiobook themselves
What's inside:
- 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
- A "Presented To" page for gifting
- Challenge: Build the World of the First Nativity
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.
Perfect for Christmas gifts, Advent, family reading, 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
$34.99
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
