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    The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
    The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
    The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

    Written by Barbara Robinson

    Narrated by C.J. Critt

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The six Herdman children are "absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world." They lie and steal and smoke cigars. They even burned down Fred Shoemaker's old toolhouse. Now they're taking over the Christmas pageant. The Herdmans have never heard the Christmas story before, and they don't know anything about shepherds or Wise Men. When Imogene hears about the swaddling clothes, she demands to know why anyone would tie up a baby and put him in a feedbox. Leroy, Claude, and Ollie are planning on a gift that means much more than gold, frankincense, and myrrh-the ham from their Christmas basket. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, now also a television movie, has been a favorite of children and their parents since 1972. As C.J. Critt's spirited narration captures the lively and outrageous spin that the Herdmans put on the Nativity scene, listeners will delight in this unusual and refreshing interpretation of Christmas.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 30, 2012
    ISBN9781470346034
    Author

    Barbara Robinson

    Barbara Robinson has written several popular books for children, including My Brother Louis Measures Worms, The Best School Year Ever, The Best Halloween Ever, and the enormously popular bestselling novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, first published in 1972, which was made into a classic TV movie and on which this book was based. The play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is produced annually in theaters, schools, and churches all over the world. Ms. Robinson has two daughters and three grandchildren.

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    Reviews for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

    4.5/5

    189 ratings45 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Audio book performed by Elaine Stritch

      The six Herdman kids are a handful – and then some. Their father disappeared a few years ago, their mother works a double shift, and the children are pretty much left to their own devices. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, hit little kids, cuss their teachers, and even set fire to a tool shed.

      When they show up at Sunday school (because the thought there would be snacks) just as the Christmas Pageant is being cast, they quickly take over. No one else will volunteer to take a major role for fear of being attacked by the Herdmans, so Imogene will be Mary, Ralph will play Joseph, the other Herdman boys will be the kings, and Gladys will be the Angel of the Lord – the only speaking part.

      Imagine if you had never heard the story of Jesus's birth, what would you think? First the Herdman's are appalled that people put a pregnant woman in a barn. Then they are enraged that Herod would be plotting to kill a little baby. And what's with the “wadded-up clothes” they wrapped the baby in?

      Imogene's Mary is fiercely protective of her innocent baby. The kings decide to bring a much better present than stupid, scented oil. And the Angel of the Lord yells so EVERYONE knows: “Hey! Unto you a Child is born!” And everyone is moved by the wonder and joy of Christmas.

      Elaine Stritch does a great job narrating the audio. However, the version I had skipped the first chapter, which really introduces the Herdman's. I'm glad I had the text as well, so I could read that myself. The text also includes wonderful illustrations by Judith Gwyn Brown.

    • 5/5
      Although this book(and the play based on it) may have become almost as much a Christmas cliche as Dickens' A Christmas Carol or It's A Wonderful Life, it's still worth having and re-reading or seeing on stage at least every few years. Anyone who spends much time in church will recognize the character traits of the "church ladies," and probably also will have heard sermon illustrations of children who, in their childish innocence, see the real meaning of Christmas. The Herdmans are hardly childish innocents, but in them and their story, Barbara Robinson has taken a sermon illustration and turned it into a good story with a moral from which we can all profit.
    • 5/5
      Yearly Christmas tradition must! And then you will picture Mary and Joseph the way they really were. Refugees in a strange country.
    • 4/5
      Classic Christmas story. There are a few culturally insensitive remarks (the narrator compares Imogene pulling on her new earrings to pictures of those natives with stretched out earlobes, to paraphrase) but mostly, it aged well and still speaks well about the true meaning of Christmas and how, when the rabble rousing poor kids take over the Christmas pageant, they get people to see the heart of the story about the baby Jesus being born in a manger—they make it a real story instead of a beautiful sanitized platitude.
    • 5/5
      One of our families favorite christmas books. Its funny and does a fantastic job of telling the christmas story. We laugh out loud through the whole thing.
    • 5/5
      So perfect. Hilarious from start to finish, but it also makes me cry at the end.
    • 5/5
      Loved it. Would listen again. Great book for everyone. Awesome ?
    • 5/5
      What a cute middle grade Christmas story. I remember this being read to me when I was in school. I love it so much. It is perfect for kids and adults.
    • 5/5
      This is a must-read-at-Christmas book for me. Plus in between when I feel like laughing hysterically. It's really short and loads of fun; if you've never read it, GO READ IT!
    • 5/5
      This is a story about a family with six children. They were known as the worst children on earth. However, the Herdman family has something strange happen when they went to church; they got interested in the Christmas pageant. Since they are so very rude and disrespectful no one says anything when they take the lead roles. Everyone thinks it will be a disaster, but much too every one’s surprise it turns out to be The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.This is a very good book. It has a lot of humor, but tells a wonderful story. Although others may not agree the story of the Lord is very compelling and tends to change many people just as it did the Herdman kids.1.This would be a great book to bring up during judging and safety. Many of the people judged the Herdman kids, and they proved others wrong. Also this can be used in safety. The teacher can ask the students to pin point unsafe things around the classroom and what they can do to fix it.2.Since this is over a pageant/ play it would be a great book to read before asking the students to create their own play.
    • 5/5
      The Herdman children were notorious for being the terror of their town - all the children were known to beat up on other children, set fires, and cause ruckus among their neighborhood. The children smoked cigars and stole from others. Even their mother constantly works overtime just so she could avoid them. As a twist, it was to everyone's surprise that the Herdman children decide to participate in the annual church's Christmas Pageant. It turned out that one of the children, Leroy, learns that the church offers free food and refreshments at their services, and when all the Herdman children come to church and learn about the Nativity story - they were completely amazed, wanted to learn more, and be in the Christmas Pageant. The narrator's mother, who was in charge of the pageant for the first time was motivated to run the pageant and was willing and patient enough to work with the Herdman children, as many had doubted her and how the Herdmans would turn out. To some, the pageant turned out less than ideal, with the oldest, Imogene, wearing big golden hoop earrings, looking haggard, and carrying baby Jesus over her shoulder; her little sister Gladys yelling, "Hey! Onto you Christ is born;" and one of the Herdman boys, Ralph, playing one of the three wise men and bringing a gift of ham instead of myrrh. However, to the narrator, a young girl in Imogene's class, the pageant is more real than ever, as the Herdman children, "had improved the pageant a lot, just by doing what came naturally--like burping the baby...or thinking a ham would make a better present than a lot of perfumed oil."The book, although humorous for the most part, sends a clear message about the sad reality of neglected children - how people can be judgmental and dismissive of the children's needs, and that most of the time, what children in neglected environments require is for people to be emphatic, understanding, and patient with them, as the narrator and her family were to the Herdmans. This book is a great read for children ages 9-12 and teaches an effective lesson about the experiences of children in challenging family situations. Great read for the holidays as well, as it begs the question about the "true" meaning of Christmas.
    • 2/5
      The wonderful novel does not translate as well into a compressed picture book-length story.
    • 4/5
      Writing: 4.0Theme: 4.0Content: 4.0Language: 4.5Overall: 4.0; This story shares the adventures of the Herdman clan. This misfit group of children are unkind, ill-mannered, and disrespectful, but they soon learn (a little) about the love of God through Christ. While it isn't real strong in its Christian content it does share the birth of Christ. After Mrs. George Armstrong (the yearly Pageant planner) breaks a leg (no pun intended) and is not able to conduct this years play. Mother (mother of the narrator) is called upon to put the rag tag bunch of children to perform the pageant. Many problems persist as the only ones that are enthusiastic about involvement is the Herdman children. In the end there is hope. The author does use some crude humor at times in getting across her point (even while most of the time it comes from one of the Herdman's). Recommend. ***December 24, 2014***
    • 5/5
      I thought the Christmas pageant was really funny.I loved it .it’s really fun.
    • 5/5
      The Herdmen's are meanest kids in town. No one wants them anywhere near the Christmas pageant, but no one has the guts to keep them away either. Which may turn out for the best. After all, sometimes we all need a fresh perspective on the familiar.
    • 5/5
      My favorite Christmas story. Just gets better every year. Humor and changes of heart
    • 5/5
      perfect family reading, lite reading with a moral.
    • 5/5
      The Herdmans are pretty much the worst bunch of kids you can imagine -- so when they show up at church and decide to take over the annual Nativity pageant, everyone braces for disaster. However, when you take away the routines and expectations surrounding that stale annual event and replace them with the unexpected, the result is surprisingly touching. In fact, you might just end up with the best Christmas pageant ever.This is a sweet and funny story, and a quick read. Despite showing its age in spots (mostly when it mentions prices of certain items), it's still a perennial favorite.
    • 4/5
      A cute story about a bunch of mean kids who decided to take over a church's Christmas pageant. What results is not only a transformation of those mean kids, but a new lesson for the whole church on the meaning of Christmas.
    • 4/5
      This a book that is good to read to a classroom to teacher them that if they are nice to other children that might seem mean then they might be surprised if the children are actually good. I recommend this book to every teacher to read to there students in the month of December.
    • 5/5
      It is a funny, playful story about a Christmas Pageant that happens in a community every year. This year the pageant was a little different after being taken over by the 6 wild hellions in the Herdman family. It is a reminder about the wonderment of the Christmas miracle that some of us may take for granted. I enjoyed this quick read and will look forward to reading it with my kids next year.
    • 3/5
      Originally published in 1972, this brief children's novel - the first of three stories concerning the horrible Herdman children, it was followed by The Best School Year Ever, and The Best Halloween Ever - is a humorous and heartwarming exploration of the true meaning of Christmas. Detailing the depredations of Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie and Gladys Herdman - six siblings who "were the absolutely worst kids in the history of the world," who lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse" - our (unnamed) young narrator relates the chaos and confusion which ensues when the town's juvenile delinquents decide to participate in her church's Christmas pageant, despite never having heard the Christmas story before, and not really belonging to any church. Their unorthodox behavior, and somewhat unconventional approach to the Nativity story stirs up all the expected controversy, but also leads more than one person to reexamine the well-known tale in a new, and more thoughtful light...I'm not sure why I never picked The Best Christmas Pageant Ever up, when I was a girl - I certainly recall seeing it, at various times, during the holidays - but I am glad I finally gave it a chance. Robinson really nails some of the characters one might meet in a church community - the sanctimonious prigs, like Alice Wendleken and her mother; the overly competent, managing do-it-alls, like Mrs. George Armstrong; the patient minister, aka the "bureau of complaints" - and her sense of humor shines throughout. I particularly appreciated the fact that the Herdmans are revealed, not as little monsters, but as very human children, without their ever being "reformed," or changed in any fundamental sense, in their bad behavior. This really emphasizes, to my way of thinking, the importance of seeing the divine in our fellow human beings, even when we don't particularly like them, or when they just aren't that likable. What better message than this, for Christmas?
    • 4/5
      If you have never met the Herdmans, boy are you missing out. This book tells the story of Beth’s experiences and observations of the Herdmans, a tough family of misfits that hijack a town. When the Herdman’s realized that they could get treats at Sunday school, they decided that they would try it out. Once there they decided to take over the Christmas Pagent. This is a delightful tale that 3rd-5th graders will love. It is funny, but has heart.
    • 5/5
      A true classic -- funny, great characters, great message and heartwarming. One to read again and again every year. Read it to your kids and enjoy it yourself. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a family of “absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world”. The Herdman children (all six of them) have made a name for themselves by being as horrible to others as they are to themselves. However, something strange happens when they go to church expecting free food and goodies: they get extremely interested in the Christmas pageant. Since they are so very intimidating, no one speaks up when the Herdman children offer to take all the lead roles. The whole church community is convinced that it will be a disaster. Despite many shenanigans and mistakes, the Herdmans show genuine interest in the story of Jesus. In the end, the children were touched by the story and it ended up being The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.I loved this book. It was one of my very favorites as a child. I really enjoyed the humor and the story-telling. The author tells lots of small, humorous tales to give the reader some insight into how horrible the Herdmans really are. There are lots of cute jokes and some slightly shocking situations that keep the reader interested. What I liked best, however, was the theme of the book. I liked the idea that everyone is good inside and it is never too late to be introduced to the story of Jesus. Classroom Extension Ideas:1.Clearly, the Herdman children have no real regard for safety (like burning down a toolshed because they were lighting a chemistry set on fire) so this might be a good way to introduce that topic to the class. The teacher could get out a large pad of paper and ask the class to list the things they remembered the Herdmans doing that were unsafe. Why were they unsafe? What would you do if you saw something like that happening?2.Let the children put on their own Christmas Pageant. Let them read the story of Jesus and write their own script to act out for their classmates. They can even plan their costumes and set ideas.
    • 4/5
      This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after the pages are closed. It allows a widened perspective on a holiday that may have been taken for granted for a long time. The most enjoyable part of the story is discovering for yourself, along with the Herdmans just what Christmas is all about. Filled with humor, and never preachy, the story revolves around a bunch of troublemaking kids that terrorize the town, told from the perspective of one child of a differing family that just tries to be good and fit in.
    • 3/5
      Robinson, B. (1972). The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. New York: HarperTrophy.80 pages.Appetizer: The Herdmans are the worst kids in town. They smoke cigars, cause trouble in their classes, lie steal and they burned down Mr. Shoemaker's toolhouse (which really worked for them, since they got to steal the police's doughnuts).It's all Charlie's fault that they wound up involved in the Christmas Pageant though. The six Herdman children attend church, for the first time ever, looking for extra snacks because of what Charlie said and they wound up auditioning for the pageant because they love movies. The Herdmans intemidate (or take unwanted roles) and end up with all of the leads in the play.The pageant may never be the same.Yet another classic book I never managed to pick up when I was a kid. (I also don't think I ever watched the made for TV movie. Is that something I should try to hunt down on Netflix, FBDR?) I actually don't think I'd ever heard of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. But one of my students reviewed it last quarter and it seemed fun enough that I wanted to pick it up for myself. Little do my students know, I steal book ideas from them aaaaaall the time. (Except I tell them that. I'm horrible at keeping secrets.)The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is very fun. It made me laugh several times and put me in the holiday spirit (which is what I was going for. YAY!). It's a fast read and would probably make a good pre-Christmas read aloud, for both kids who haven't heard the nativity story before and for those who are so familiar with it they have it memorized, zzzzzzzzzzzzz.I did have trouble turning off my teacher eyes as I was reading though. The Herdmans' father abandoned them. Their mother works two jobs (but turned down some welfare money because she'd rather work than spend time with her children). The kids only pass their classes because the teachers don't want to deal with them for a second year (in which case, they'd also have a younger Herdman brother or sister to also deal with). Reading all of that made me want to be the siblings' teacher (but possibly not all at once) and, I don't know, intimidate the shiz out of them or something. No, probably a teacher would have to go a more mothering route...and be super vigilant so he or she wouldn't end up with a surprise clump of worms in his/her pockets or hair. I'd try a number of different tactics....You see what I mean! I couldn't turn off the teacher perspective and just enjoy the book. But it all ended up being okay, because those kids were super-curious about the story of Jesus, and helped their classmates and town to see the story in a new light.As I was reading, there was some dated language and some dated gender roles, but I was very interested in the narrator. Robinson uses an unnamed narrator to tell the story. It reminded me of The Great Gatsby, in that both have a secondary character sharing the story. Also, it was particularly fun reading this after having read about this experience with the nativity play over at Hyperbole and a Half. Enjoy!Dinner Conversation:"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toohouse.The toolhouse burned right down to the ground, and I think that surprised the Herdmans. They set fire to things all the time, but that was the first time they managed to burn down a whole building" (p. 1)."They were just so all-around awful you could hardly believe they were real: Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys--six skinny, stringy-haired kids all alike except for being different sizes and having different black-and-blue places where they had clonked each other.They lived over a garage at the bottom of Sproul Hill. Nobody used the garage anymore, but the Herdmans used to bang the door up and down just as fast as they could and try to squash one another--that was their idea of a game. Where other people had grass in their front yard, the Herdmans had rocks. And where other people had hydrangea bushes, the Herdmans had poison ivy" (p. 4)."Mother didn't expect to have anything to do with the Christmas pageant except to make me and my little brother Charlie be in it (we didn't want to) and to make my father go and see it (he didn't want to). Every year he said the same thing--"I've seen the Christmas pageant.""You haven't seen this year's Christmas pageant," Mother would tell him. "Charlie is a shepherd this year.""Charlie was a shepherd last year. No...you go on and go. I'm just going to put on my bathrobe and sit by the fire and relax. There's never anything different about the Christmas pageant.""There's something different this year," Mother said."What?""Charlie is wearing your bathrobe" (pp. 15-16).Tasty Rating: !!!
    • 4/5
      The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is funny and at the heart of it has a good message in acceptance and kindness. Young readers will be engaged throughout the entire story by the wild antics of the Herdman kids and how they take over a church Christmas pageant. The Herdman children are liars, stealers, cheaters, bullies and are known for causing mischief in their community. When they decided to attend Sunday School for the refreshments, they learn of the Christmas pageant and are determined to star in the play, even if that means bullying their way to the lead parts. The church community is rattled by the presences of the children and are sure that they will ruin the annual Christmas play. In the end, the pageant turns out to be the best one ever, largely impart because of the Herdmans who learn the Christmas story for the first time. Barbara Robinson's writing flows through event after event in a straight forward way, making this realistic fiction book an easy read. The characters are identifiable and everyone has encountered a Herdman in their life. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is considered a classic in its own right. The story is timeless and would make for a great read during the month of December. I would caution that this story does outline the birth of Jesus through the Christian viewpoint. Age Appropriate: 3rd to 5th Grade
    • 5/5
      This is a heart-warming, humorous Christmas read worth revisiting each Christmas season.
    • 5/5
      Everything during the Christmas Pageant goes wrong, yet that just makes it right. I loved this book. I adored it! Robinson crafts a story that really brings the spirit of Christmas.