This is a great book, especially for anyone trying to teach the real meaning of christmas. It is in the format of a child's book, but its language and subject matter (including the murder of all babies under Herod) is pretty advanced, so it's appropriate for kids who would normally read chapter books: I'd say 7+ years.

This book should be on the gift list for everyone you know! The original story was written by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933). Susan Summers has rewritten and brought forth such gorgeous illustrations of a very special tale! No holiday season should go by without bringing this wonderful book out to read in a cozy gathering around the fireplace.

The Fourth Wise Man tells the story of Artaban who had originally planned to journey to Bethlehem with the other three wisemen to pay homage to the new King of the Jews but was delayed by his acts of kindness to others along the way. He does miss the birth of Jesus but continues a lifelong search of the King with a most wonderful journey and blissful end.

This is one of my all time favorites for any season and always brings tears to my eyes to think of the beauty of Artaban's life. Here's what Mr. Van Dyke had to say about his story:
"Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul May keep the path, but will not reach the goal; While he who walks in love may wander far, Yet God will bring him where the blessed are."

A wonderful addition to a family's library. Reading this book should become a family tradition right along with "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Van Dyke does not write story, or myth, but legend. You feel it in every pulse of his words, and every dwelling of his thoughts, that here is something greater than everyday life, which exists within everyday life, but of a time far removed, a lot like our own time. His prose is beauty, and I find myself repeatedly returning to phrases and turns of idea and sentences, catching myself on the profundity of thought which I had not originally realized in the first reading, but now needed to steep myself within the understanding that Van Dyke experienced. I know of few authors that compare to his wonder at the world and the word, causing us as his readers to learn appreciation and know the beautiful.

I read this book at a time of sorrow and disappointment, when the plans I so desired were astray, and my hopes seemingly demolished. I needed encouragement, and to dream again. Here I learned to dream of power encounters and new trees, and the wonder of the power of love that at first only the angels see. The occasional pictures are resplendently simple, encouraging imagination rather than stealing it away. After the stories, a short sermon on the giving of gifts, which did not feel at all sermonizing or patronizing, but rather wonderful words, on how to care. And lastly, needed Christmas prayers, for those at home, and for the lonely- not sentimental, but prayers which stimulate growth just in the very reading.

I inherited this book 13 years ago. Since that time, I have incorporated it into my thinking on a daily basis. The significant point of the story is "What Counts, That which is truly given; Only that good that is done for the love of doing it; Only those plans in which the wellfare of others is the master thought; Only those labors in which the sacrifice was greater than the reward. And only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself" This insight has enabled me to find comfort over my daily bread.

This is the story of Artaban, a seeker of Truth. He is the other wiseman who sought the 'great king'foretold in ancient script and heralded by the 'star'. On his way to meet the three wisemen, he is delayed. This sets him on a quest ins search of the King. It will lead him to many places and experiences. This book with its beautiful word pictures reminds us once again the importance of seeking Truth wherever we find it. It adds new meaning to the story of Christmas.

I have taught religious education to sixth grade children for 8 years, and I always read them "The Story of the Fourth Wise Man." I can never read it aloud without crying. In all the years I've taught, the children are captivated by the story and I always get a volunteer to finish the story.

This year I am teaching seventh grade. Today, I received an e-mail from one of my children asking me who the author was, because she had been thinking about the story since I read it to her last year.

My greatest dream as a teacher is that one day my children will say, "I remember when Mrs. D. told us about that. You have made my dream come true.

Written at the end of the 19th Century, this short inspirational fable tells the tale of a fourth wise man, or Magi, who, like his three colleagues, bears gifts in search of the baby Jesus.

The back flap of my edition states:
His purpose was the highest -- to find the King. With much torture of soul, he turned aside time after time to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick, to comfort the captive. In one last impulse of love, he denies to himself his great desire, Then wonder of wonders, and joy of joys, he finds that his great desire is accomplished in this very denial. This story has the happiest ending that any story could ever have, a story and an ending that can become true in the lives of every man and woman.

The language is a bit formal and the moral of charity to strangers is basic. Yet there is a charm and wonder to this simple story that makes it an enduring classic. I particularly like the beginning where the practice of Zoroastrianism is described.

Well, except for the original, of course. I treasure the 1901 copy I have of this, as it brings to life the real meanings of Christmas to me more than any other fictional portrayal I have come across. van Dyke writes with clarity and succinctness, communicating the wisdom he claims to receive from the Spirit in the manner of timeless myth. It is well known that there were not three wisemen, but an indeterminate number. This story plays with that theme, and brings up something much better, much deeper, than the imagery in the creches we so often see. The story of Christmas doesn't truly end until Easter, if there. For it's not about a sweet feeling, or feeling comfortable- it's about undying love, about service, about feeling positively uncomfortable. The point is not to give the gifts of precious stones as if Jesus were a king, but to give the gift of life as if Jesus were the King.

The Three Kings, Wise Men and Magi are all names given to the first men to see and recognize Jesus. Little is known of their lives except for what we've read in the Bible. Over the years, many stories have been written concerning the Magi, but I feel that this is the most beautiful of them all.

This poignant fable concerns Artaban who was a member of the ancient priesthood of the Magi. He had been watching the heavens and had seen the signs that it was the time for an old prophecy to be fulfilled. "There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of Israel."

Artaban sold his house and all that he owned and purchased three beautiful jewels to be given to the new King of Israel. The gifts were a beautiful blue sapphire which was like a piece of the night sky; a ruby that was even more red than a sunrise; and a pearl as pure as the peak of a snow mountain. Artaban was to meet and travel with three other members of the ancient priesthood, Balthazar, Caspar and Melchoir, so they could follow the new star of Israel together.

On his way to meet with his friends, he stops to help a dying man and is never able to catch up with the other Magi. Artaban spends his life helping others, but always seeking Jesus. The beautiful ending is worth waiting for. A very inspirational story!

We all have an inherent desire for happiness. The enlightened realize it lies in the heart. All hearts are not alike and the progress that limits the search takes time. Van Dyke's "Blue Flower" is graphic in describing the pain of the search, but he captures the Heart with a sheet of tears when one grasps the feeling and hold it close to the chest.

Badly overwritten and incredibly predictable. Some books are forgotten for very good reasons.

Meet the Blakes, a lovely upper-middle class Black family who take their position in life seriously. Finley is a gynecologist, his white-looking wife, Olga is a housewife and their daughter, Sophie, is a pain in the neck. Oh, let's not forget Teddy, the bear.

Their tranquil neurotic lives become disturbed as Black militants take over their home and demand reparations. For twelve hours this "bushwa... " family has to come to terms with themselves, the lies they have told and the people they have served.

What an intriguing concept as Henry Van Dyke shatters the security of the Black middle-class and calls into question the motives of the Black militants. His fictional piece is a classic 1960's drama which pits the two groups against one another and you get the opportunity to see if which one can come clean. Are the Blakes living in a world of illusion? Are the militants sincere in their grandstanding or are they just a bunch of theives?

I enjoyed the plot but was annoyed at the author's transitions and at times the boring dialogue. At times the characters were so stereotyped to the point of being unbelievable. The strength of the novel was the psychological and emotional strains that the characters had to endure if they were to survive. This is a decent novel that was a fair read.