The Unicorn at the Manger: Yearlong Stories of the Holy Night

By Roger L. Robbenholt and Roger L. Robbennolt

Well suited for family reading. -- Publishers WeeklyMaster storyteller Roger Robbennolt evokes the spirit of the Christmas classics with The Unicorn at the Manger, a collection of imaginative, heartfelt tales for this holy season.These interwoven stories all begin with the new creche being made for the annual Christmas service. A ceramic unicorn is the first animal crafted for the manger scene by a member of the congregation and delivered to Rog's office: I gently placed him in my pocket and hurried to the back of the sanctuary.... A few minutes into the service the children came tumbling down the aisle for their special story. . . . To my amazement, the following tale poured from my pocket and my heart.The many memorable characters of The Unicorn at the Manger -- the autocratic cow, the devoted mother goat, the outcast pig, the brave ram, the kind snail -- will help you remember the reason for the season. These are stories filled with compassion and love that will be cherished from generation to generation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 082981146X
• ISBN13: 9780829811469
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Pilgrim Press
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.3" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Beautiful stories for Christmas

Vegetarian Christians can take comfort in Roger L. Robbennolt's The Unicorn at the Manger: Yearlong Stories of the Holy Night. While animals are relegated to the role of a living backdrop in some traditional nativity tales, the Rev. Robbennolt puts them front and center, exploring how the animals interact with Jesus and how His coming illuminates their treatment. The book is divided into chapters that stand on their own as short stories. The chapter entitled "The Owl Who Found Freedom," for example, retells the Epiphany story. It opens by explaining that Melchior's camel led the way to the manger "because he bore not only a king but a compass." Each morning, the narrator explains, the kings would consult the living compass, an owl, to determine the direction to take. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, the kings prepared to sacrifice the owl as a gift to the spirits who guided them, when Joseph stopped them. "This a place of life -- not a place of death," he chastised the kings. "Old sacrifices are unnecessary. ...[Jesus] has come to free those held captive -- right down to tiny owls."

The Unicorn at the Manger

My wife read Roger Robbennolt's manuscript when it was submitted to the United Church Press - it was love at first read. As soon as the book was published, she purchased copies for our grandchildren, two of whom are now sharing their copy with their children. In November 2005, I passed one of our copies around the adult church school class I lead - the members enthusiastically voted to use it as our Advent curriculum. Advent Season 2008 marks the fourth consecutive year that we have joyously done so. In the the pages of The Unicorn at the Manger, the Reverend Roger Robbennolt tells with humor and reverence the story of the birth of the Christ child as it was experienced by the animals, both real and fictional. I highly recommend it for individual reading and as a group discussion resource.