The Huron Carol illustrated by Frances Tyrrell

The Huron Carol has always been one of my favourite Christmas songs, and in this book illustrated by Frances Tyrrell, it has gentle illustrations to go with the powerful words. Winter has crystalized the woods; stars peek out as small points of light on a velvety dark background. People from many nations come to see a small child who has been born in a humble setting, bringing him traditional gifts to honour him. And there, in the presence of the newborn baby, they will find beauty, peace, and joy.

 The song was originally written by Father Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) in the Huron language as a retelling of the Nativity story. The song survived past his death and was eventually translated into English by J. E. Middleton in 1926. An afterword in the book, "The Story of The Huron Carol," talks about the history of the song but also of the Huron people. Additionally, there is a lot of information on the illustrations for the book at Frances Tyrrell's website, including the sources and inspirations for the images.

Find it at Amazon Canada.

Read it with:
The Huron Carol by Ian Wallace
A Christmas Celebration by Avril Tyrrell
Woodland Nutcracker by Avril Tyrell