Bob Hartman is a professional storyteller and award-winning children's author of over seventy books. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now lives in Wiltshire. He has been entertaining audiences on both sides of the Atlantic for over 30years with his books and performances, which bring together retellings of Bible stories and traditional tales from around the world with his own imaginative stories. His books are full of humour and insight, whilst his storytelling sessions are exciting, engaging, dynamic - and above all, interactive! The Lion Storyteller Bible is used in schools across the United Kingdom as part of a Bible project called Open the Book, and is regularly performed for over 800,000 children in more than 3,000 primary schools. He is well known for his hugely popular The Lion Storyteller collection, the Telling the Bible series, and the highly acclaimed picture books: The Wolf Who Cried Boy, Dinner in the Lions' Den and The Three Billy Goats' Stuff.

Introduction 11 Christmas Stories from the Bible 13 A Surprise for Zechariah 14 From Luke 1 A Surprise for Mary 16 From Luke 1 Mary's Special Song 18 From Luke 1 A Name for the Baby 20 From Luke 1 Joseph's Dream 22 From Matthew 1 Time to Be Counted 23 From Luke 2 A Long Journey 24 From Luke 2 The Noisy Stable 26 From Luke 2 A Flock of Angels 28 From Luke 2 The Star That Went Zoom! 30 From Matthew 2 The Star-watchers' Journey 31 From Matthew 2 Gifts for a King 33 From Matthew 2 King Herod's Evil Plan 35 From Matthew 2 Stories about Christmas Traditions 37 Old Befana 38 A Story from Italy Brother Froilan's Carvings 42 A Story from Spain Kind Bishop Nicholas 45 A Story from Turkey The Littlest Camel 48 A Story from Syria Wenceslas' Winter Walk 50 A Story from Bohemia Johnny's Socks 54 A Story by Bob Hartman A Flower for Christmas 58 A Story from Mexico The First Christmas Tree 60 A Story from Germany The Icicles 62 A Traditional Folk Tale The First Tinsel 64 A Story from the Ukraine Francis' Christmas Pageant 66 A Story from Italy Father Joseph's Christmas Song 69 A Story from Austria The Christmas Rose 71 A Story from Sweden Christmas Tales and Legends 75 The Raven 76 A Story from France The Little Lambs 78 A Story from Arabia The Baby in the Dough 81 A Medieval Legend The Greedy Woman 84 A Story from Italy The King of Christmas 88 A Story by Bob Hartman Brother Comgall's Christmas 92 A Story from Ireland Papa Panov's Visitors 96 A Story from Russia Christina's Christmas Garden 100 A Story from Scandinavia The Little Fir Tree 103 A Story from Denmark The Four Seasons 106 A Story from Czechoslovakia The Cobbler's Sons 110 A Story from Austria The Little Juggler 114 A Story from France A Note from the Author 117

This collection of stories is packed full of Christmas tales and legends from around the world; a festive treat from a popular storyteller.

Here you will find Nativity stories from the Bible, folk tales from long ago, stories of favourite Christmas figures, and learn about how many Christmas traditions came about. Written to be read aloud or read alone, the stories jump off the page with fun illustrations which capture the Christmas spirit and will become family favourites, year after year.

'Offers rich, poetic yet lively versions of the Nativity stories. A splendid reflection on the richness and depth of the Christmas tradition across countries and centuries.' Times Educational Supplement