A collection of illustrated legends arranged to make a progressive, realistic story of the child Jesus. These stories give the life of Jesus in legend, from pre-birth through babyhood and young boyhood up to his appearance in the Temple. Jesus is portrayed like the boy next door rather that the traditional curly-headed child with a halo. Mary, too, is not shown as the sort of person who would expect Hail Marys, despite deserving them. The aim of this approach is to make the stories and the character of the child Jesus real and identifiable for young readers. Each story is accompanied by an illustrative line drawing.