Unique, entertaining spin on an age-old Christmas tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is the first book of three by Barbara Robinson that follows six misbehaving siblings in the Herdman family. The Herdman kids model horrible behavior—setting things on fire, making bombs, fighting, swearing, smoking cigars, bullying other kids, and so on, though none of their antics are described in detail, and most of them are played for humor. The book has endured since its 1972 publication due to the age-old biblical tale at its center. Christian themes of Sunday school, church, and Bible stories are woven throughout—including discussions around how Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus (and succeeded in killing his wife and others). Bullying isn't described in detail, but the actions' consequences are serious, with several mentions of bruises, intimidation, and cruel taunts (e.g., "Don't let Albert Pelfrey on the swing! He'll bust it. Albert Pelfrey weighs a hundred and forty-three pounds."). The book also has outdated language, including fatphobic comments and references to Indigenous people as "natives with their ears stretched all the way to their shoulders." Stereotypical gender roles are reinforced by lines such as "All the mothers wanted to go home and cook dinner, and all the fathers wanted to go home and watch the football game on TV." The book has been adapted into a stage play, a TV movie, and a 2024 film.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Several mentions of kids smoking cigars. In some versions of the book, there's an illustration depicting the eldest Herdman sibling smoking.
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One exclamation of "my God," but the narrator points it out as "swearing." Mentions of kids "cussing" and "cursing" (without listing specific words). Outdated language includes White characters calling Indigenous people "natives with their ears stretched all the way to their shoulders" and "Indians," plus fatphobic language (e.g., "Wanda Pierce weighed about a ton—she even had fat eyes").
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Mentions of kids burning down a shed and wanting to make bombs. A cat scratches little kids, and an aquarium full of goldfish breaks (the fish presumably die). Sunday school stories include references to Herod killing his wife and others, dying of old age, and characters talking about Herod wanting to kill baby Jesus. Main characters bully classmates, "clonking" them (several mentions of bruised victims) and taunting them (e.g., "Don't let Albert Pelfrey on the swing! He'll bust it. Albert Pelfrey weighs a hundred and forty-three pounds.").
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The pageant reenacts the Bible story of the Three Wise Men. Characters also discuss other biblical characters like Jesus, Mary, and Herod.
Positive Messages
very little
The book downplays behavior such as arson, stealing, bullying, hitting, intimidation, and overall mean-spiritedness. Biased attitudes about Indigenous people, heavier kids, and a Chinese baby are normalized. But under these mixed messages, the book tries to convey that the "true meaning of Christmas" is about tolerance and acceptance.
Positive Role Models
very little
The Herdman kids bully others (fighting, cruel taunts) and gleefully cause chaos, setting fire to things, making bombs, swearing, stealing, and smoking cigars. Though their behavior never changes, they do demonstrate curiosity around the story underpinning the pageant, going to the library and asking questions about baby Jesus, Herod, etc. Adults aren't great role models—they look the other way when bullying happens ("ignoring everything except blood"), although the pageant director does let the Herdman kids join Sunday school and the play while other neighbors and classmates try to stay out of the Herdmans' way.
Diverse Representations
Flagged for concern
The author and main characters—narrator Beth, eldest Herdman sibling Imogene, and Beth's mother—are White women. Nearly all of the characters are presumed White; the only mentions of race are a parent offering a "Chinese baby" for the Christmas pageant (and asking whether it's OK that they're Chinese), a throwaway line about "natives" ("Imogene pulled on her earrings, which made you shudder—it was like looking at the pictures in National Geographic of natives with their ears stretched all the way to their shoulders"), and a reference to General Custer fighting "the Indians." Fatphobic lines include "everybody knew two things about Albert—we knew exactly how fat he was, and we also knew that he was getting fatter all the time" and "Wanda Pierce weighed about a ton—she even had fat eyes." The Herdman siblings are raised by a single mother, and the kids are stereotypically neglected and bad-behaving. Stereotypical gender roles are also enforced: "All the mothers wanted to go home and cook dinner, and all the fathers wanted to go home and watch the football game on TV."
The Herdmans are the meanest, nastiest group of six unruly siblings in town, and it's anyone's guess how THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER will unfold with them starring in all the main roles. After they intimidate their way into Sunday school (because they think they'll get to eat cake there), the Herdmans' classmates and neighbors recoil in horror at the thought of such troublemakers playing the holiest of Bible figures. But with a seemingly impossible task ahead of her, the pageant director becomes even more determined to make it work.
Brace yourself for an edgy book that can be funny and irreverent, especially with its unique telling from a child's point of view. Author Barbara Robinson's prose in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is fast and clever. But the humor depends on your appetite for cruelty-as-comedy. Whether it's the way eldest Herdman sibling Imogene mercilessly taunts a classmate for being fat or the way "Charlie had spent the whole second grade being black-and-blue because he had to sit next to Leroy Herdman," the book's "antics" can be concerning rather than funny. Add to the mix outdated trappings of the era—strictly enforced gender roles and disparaging language about people who aren't White—and your mileage with this particular Christmas story may vary.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is considered a classic by many readers. What themes endure? Are there any aspects of the story that haven't aged as well?
What do you think about how the Herdmans are treated by classmates and neighbors? Would you act differently toward them? Why, or why not?
Do you think this story captures "the Christmas spirit"? What does that phrase mean to you?
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