Tomorrow We Go to Bethlehem -- A Christmas Play, by Patricia Wells (5m, 4f). Through the wonder of time-warp, a group of 21st century tourists arrives in Bethlehem just as Mary and Joseph come along looking for a place to stay. A Word with You -- A Christmas Play, by Marney Heatley and Brian Martin (3m, 4f, 1 infant, real or imaginary). Simon, a shepherd, misses work one night when his wife gives birth. The same evening Jesus is born and Simon witnesses strange events leading to adventure and discovery. The Third Wish -- A Play for Christmas, by James Taylor (6m, 2f, 1 young girl or, alternatively: 3m, 5 f., 1 young girl). Three Wise Ones, called Islam, Buddhist and Hindu, remind us of the religiously pluralistic context in which the Christmas message is set. The Mouse's Discovery, by Marion McTavish (12 children or more, m or f, except for the boys playing Joseph and Herod, and the girl playing Mary). A Christmas pageant for children of all ages featuring some very human looking mice who happen to be on the spot one night as shepherds gather, a king plots, and a special child is born. The Good Samaritan, by Richard Coleman (1m or 1f). A pantomime based on the famous parable with people in the audience providing an echo. The Face of Jesus, by Patricia Wells (2m). Two modern day prisoners meet on death row reminding us of Jesus and Barabbas.

Big on style, slight on substance: that has been a common charge over the years by critics of John Updike. In fact, however, John Updike is one of the most serious writers of modern times. Myth, as Myth and Gospel in the Fiction of John Updike shows, unlocks his fictional universe and repeatedly breaks open the powerful themes in his literary parables of the gospel. This book also includes a personal tribute to John Updike by his son David, essays by pioneer Updike scholars Alice and Kenneth Hamilton, and an anecdotal chapter in which readers share Updike discoveries and recommendations. All in all, weight is added to the complaint that the master of myth and gospel was shortchanged by the Nobel committee.