A fresh retelling of a Christmas legend, told through joyful song by the first witnesses to the baby in the manger: the animals. Long ago and even today, the story is told of how all the animals in the world, at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, speak. With their newfound power of speech, the animals rejoice at the birth of Jesus, born humbly in a manger and surrounded by animals. Singing in treetops, braying in stables, barking in yards--the animals all rejoice and proclaim, "The Child is come." With rich illustrations and lyrical text, Newbery Honor Award-winner Marion Dane Bauer delights readers of all ages with this fresh telling of a classic Christmas legend.