Heart Warming

The Virgin Mary’s Got Nits by Gervase Phinn is a very charming anthology of tales and poems set at Christmas.

We hear tales about nativities that the author experienced as he visited schools in Yorkshire in his role as school inspector. Children are delightfully honest and forthright in their opinions, which often produces much hilarity.

A child in a nativity said: “Can you tell the palm tree to shift, Miss, he’s blocking my view and I can’t see my Nana.”

An angel in another nativity when talking of the baby Jesus said: “’E’s a reight bobby-dazzler.”

There are poems scattered throughout, as well as short stories that bring a tear to your eye. My particular favourites were Happy Christmas, Miss Dunn; and A Christmas Miracle.

Observations of visitors in schools often produce chuckles from the reader – my favourite was that of a vicar trying to tell the parable of the Lost Sheep to children raised in rural Yorkshire. There were many questions about the breed of sheep, finally ending with: “’Why do you think the shepherd risked losing all the other sheep just for one which was lost?’… The vociferous little girl raised a hand. ‘’Appen it were t’tup she said.”

As the book ends we read a powerful description of Jesus: “He was born in an obscure village… For this quiet teacher from the hills of Galilee has fed the needs, fulfilled the hopes and changed the lives of many millions. For what He taught brought heaven to earth and revealed God’s heart to mankind.”

A positively delightful and charming little book.

JULIA WILSON