'I am Mary, quick and slow. Tight as a drum. We're so far from home, and my baby will be born tonight.' An innkeeper, an ox and a donkey, shepherds, wise men, angels, a star, Herod, Mary and Jesus himself all speak their part in this resonant and original retelling of the Nativity story. Set in the Middle East and filled with visual references to the place and time, the poetic text marries beautifully with the exquisite jewel-coloured paintings of Peter Malone.