Author’s note seems to imply connections between Islam and Christianity, though not explicit. Best gift.

Well told Epiphany story focalized through a boy who travels with the camels to visit the newborn Christ child. Diverse (or, more geographically less preposterous) representation. ( )

Trailing behind the caravan that is following the eastern star, in search of the newborn king, Ameer and his dog Ra try to find a tribute that will compare to those of the merchants and kings, and, while in Bethlehem, discover the best gift of all.

The author's note at the end explained the story behind the 'white dog' and I found that very informative and enjoyable. The story was rather slow and there just wasn't much to it but it was refreshing to see a story involving black people in the nativity scene. I found it odd that Mary and Joseph also appeared to be black too. However, this historical inaccuracy in the illustrations of Mary and Joseph could also be seen in the majority of paintings on the nativity where they appear to be white Englishfolk. I do think the text lacked depth and I would reconsider reading it to a classroom. I don't think it was engaging until the last few pages. If read to a class, I'd choose second or third grade. ( )