About the Holiday

There may be no better way to usher in the spirit of Christmas with little ones than by sharing holiday stories both old and new. Books about Christmas offer inspiration, tradition, humor, and new perspectives on this favorite holiday. Stuff your stockings with pre-Christmas reads, and don’t forget that books make the perfect present for all ages!

Just Enough Room for Christmas

Written by Robin Currie | Illustrated by Estelle Corke

 

Old Hannah, a gentle brown milk cow had just settled in to sleep in her cozy room-for-one Bethlehem barn when there was a knock on the door. She heard a young traveler calling  out to her: “‘Old Hannah, Old Hannah, let my horse in, please! / Your barn is so warm, and out here he will freeze.'” Hannah opened the door. While the barn was small, there was just enough room for one more. Grateful, the young girl brought in her horse, giving him one admonition: “‘Do not stomp.'”

Soon, Old Hannah and the horse heard another knock. Answering it, they found a goatherd asking for shelter for his cold goat. The cow and the horse made room for one more. The goatherd left her with a pat and a caution: “‘Do not bump.'”

The night was particularly cold, and one after another, travelers stopped by the barn asking for Old Hannah to offer refuge for their animal. Each time, Old Hannah and the other visitors made room for the newcomer, and each time the thankful owners bade their animal to mind its manners. The animals crowded in until, at last, there was only room enough for one more tiny creature to join them.

Under the door crept a little mouse, who scampered across the hay with a “SQUEAK.” Hearing the squeak, the other animals forgot their manners and stomped and bumped and baaa-ed, causing quite a din. Then suddenly they stopped. Was that a knock at the door? On the threshold stood a man and a woman. They said, “‘Old Hannah, Old Hannah, may we come in, please? / Your barn is so warm and out here, we will freeze.'”

Even though the barn was small and already crowded, the animals made room for the tired couple then settled themselves to sleep. All was quiet in the barn, until later when a newborn baby’s cry broke the silence. “Later angels would sing and a new star would shine” for this special baby. Later shepherds and men bringing gifts visited Him. But first, Old Hannah and the other animals welcomed this family into their “small barn with just enough room for a newborn King.”

Robin Currie’s sweet story of a kind group of animals who make room for each other and—on that first Christmas night—Mary, Joseph, and newborn baby Jesus combines heart, humor, and generosity in a read-aloud children will want to hear again and again. Little ones will be charmed by the repeat phrasing that will have them reading along in no time. They’ll especially enjoy acting out the stomps, bumps, bleats, squeaks, and other sounds as the story progresses.

Estelle Corke’s adorable and expressive illustrations will enchant children and adults alike as each animal and human pair appear at the barn door and the animals are invited in. Mary and Joseph are devoted to each other and their new baby as they also find solace in the barn. Corke’s rich color palette of blues and golds with touches of purple, pink, and green illuminates each page, depicting the frigid winter weather while enveloping readers in the warmth of the Christmas story.

Uplifting and joyful, Just Enough Room for Christmas is a delightful and meaningful read-aloud that is sure to become a family Christmas tradition. The book would make a beautiful and much-loved gift.

Ages 4 – 7

Good Books/SkyHorse Publishing, 2025 | ISBN 978-1680999730

About the Author

Robin Currie is a preschool chaplain, ordained minister, and librarian. She volunteers annually to teach reading and literacy in developing countries and has taught English in far-flung places such as China, Tanzania, and India. Her family includes four grown children and five grandchildren. She lives near Wheaton, Illinois. Visit her on Substack | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram.

About the Illustrator 

Estelle Corke is a freelance illustrator who has worked as an artist for more than thirty years. Her first love is children’s publishing, with animals and children her favorite subjects. Estelle’s art has appeared in Guideposts and Highlights. She lives in Bath in the United Kingdom. Visit her at estellecorke.com | Facebook | Instagram.

Meet Robin Currie

Despite her incessant need to wiggle, Robin Currie earned a Master’s Degree in Library Science and spent her library career in children’s departments where she could baa, moo, and honk without getting shushed. Robin has traditionally published more than 45 picture books. She writes stories to read and read again!

I’m excited to host Robin Currie as part of her Just Enough Room for Christmas book tour! Today she talks about how her sweet story went from a brainstorming session idea to bookstore shelves with bumps and cheers along the way.

The Tale of the Cow 

In 2023 for Storystorm (a 30-day idea brainstorming group put together by author Tara Lazar every January), my idea #5 was “stable is just a shed for travelers’ horses and donkeys, the inn keepers’ cow and a few mice – Nothing Happens in a Stable.”

Talking to my agent later that spring, he suggested I write 10 pieces about Christmas and see if he could sell some. That produced some winners like “Did the Holy Family Drive a Truck?” and “Why the Kings were Late to Bethlehem.” And one called “Old Hannah.”

The premise of “Old Hannah” was along the lines of “always room for one more,” where the stable gets more and more crowded as more animals escape the cold. That way, I incorporated my fluent second language: cow (with a passable knowledge of goat, cat, and dog). The twist on the original Christmas story is that the last to arrive is a tired couple about to have a baby. The animals quiet down to make room for the newborn king.

I had that outlined early on with the animals asking Old Hannah to let them in, and the cow replying.

BLAAT! Buzzer sound – foul!

The agent told me that in the religious market today, animals don’t talk. (And despite the fact that I could name lots of books where animals DID talk—plus the whole “Gift of the talking animals on Christmas Eve” thing—he said it had a better chance of selling if the cattle did not chatter.)

And the title should be changed to something about Christmas. OK: “Christmas in the Barn.”

Time for the critique groups—live and online. They pinpointed some little stuff, but basically gave lots of good feedback. And another title change to “Just Enough Room for Christmas.”

I sent the story off to a critique service, where it scored a once-in-a-lifetime “1”! Then I sent it to my agent, pen poised for offers…

Crickets. Churrip-churrip!

So, I sent it to a couple of contests, mostly for some outside feedback. The manuscript got an honorable mention in the Cascade Writers 2024 and won Silver for Royal Palm Literary Awards 2024 from Florida Writers Association. You have to believe in a Blue Ribbon Cow!

In an Above the Slush Pile opportunity, I sent it to Good Books/Skyhorse Publishing (noting the story was already an award winner and the animals did NOT talk!) and got an immediate response. Not only YES—but YES in 2025!

You know the cow that jumped over the moon? I was on its back! Mooooo!

Thanks, Robin, for sharing so much about your journey with Just Enough Room for Christmas! I wish you all the best with your book. I know readers are going to love it!

You can purchase Just Enough Room for Christmas from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

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