What Matthias Found

The hero of this warm tale about what it means to see with one's heart enjoys two encounters with Jesus, 30 years apart. A stranger arrives at the home of a blind boy, Matthias, and his family, bringing news that angels have proclaimed the birth of the Savior somewhere nearby. The boy eagerly offers to lead the stranger and his companions to the stable near the edge of town. Once there, he meets the baby Jesus with the gentle touch of a hand. Some 30 years later, Jesus, said to be the healing Messiah, comes back through Bethlehem where he again encounters Matthias. This time, Jesus performs a miracle. Though some may take offense at Arroyo's imagining a miracle performed by Jesus, young readers will likely identify with Matthias and be in awe, as he was, of Jesus and the wonder that surrounded him. The comic-flavored typeface on the jacket is a bit misleading; Vavak's ink-and-watercolor illustrations depict details of what has been accepted to be the dress, the landscape and the architecture of Bethlehem in Jesus' time. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)