The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Written by Barbara Robinson

Narrated by Elaine Stritch

Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids.

Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked. It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.

This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 26, 2005
• ISBN: 9780060873530

Barbara Robinson

Barbara Robinson has written several popular books for children, including My Brother Louis Measures Worms, The Best School Year Ever, The Best Halloween Ever, and the enormously popular bestselling novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, first published in 1972, which was made into a classic TV movie and on which this book was based. The play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is produced annually in theaters, schools, and churches all over the world. Ms. Robinson has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Reviews for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

[Annie Crauwcamp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story. Well written and well read.
Makes you think.

[leah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good book for kids! Lots of laughter and interaction with the kids.

[gonebeyondeasy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Laugh out loud funny. Will recommend it to others.

[Stephanie Minick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny and points to Jesus! What a fun holiday story!

[erineell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is funny and at the heart of it has a good message in acceptance and kindness. Young readers will be engaged throughout the entire story by the wild antics of the Herdman kids and how they take over a church Christmas pageant. The Herdman children are liars, stealers, cheaters, bullies and are known for causing mischief in their community. When they decided to attend Sunday School for the refreshments, they learn of the Christmas pageant and are determined to star in the play, even if that means bullying their way to the lead parts. The church community is rattled by the presences of the children and are sure that they will ruin the annual Christmas play. In the end, the pageant turns out to be the best one ever, largely impart because of the Herdmans who learn the Christmas story for the first time. Barbara Robinson's writing flows through event after event in a straight forward way, making this realistic fiction book an easy read. The characters are identifiable and everyone has encountered a Herdman in their life. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is considered a classic in its own right. The story is timeless and would make for a great read during the month of December. I would caution that this story does outline the birth of Jesus through the Christian viewpoint. Age Appropriate: 3rd to 5th Grade

[rfewell_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'll be reading this with the kids -- so funny! They loved it :-) It might have to be a tradition...

[katya0133 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very funny classic.

[mrsarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the classic story of the Herdmans and how they stirred up the local nativity pageant. This is a must read!

[sjkessel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Robinson, B. (1972). The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. New York: HarperTrophy.80 pages.Appetizer: The Herdmans are the worst kids in town. They smoke cigars, cause trouble in their classes, lie steal and they burned down Mr. Shoemaker's toolhouse (which really worked for them, since they got to steal the police's doughnuts).It's all Charlie's fault that they wound up involved in the Christmas Pageant though. The six Herdman children attend church, for the first time ever, looking for extra snacks because of what Charlie said and they wound up auditioning for the pageant because they love movies. The Herdmans intemidate (or take unwanted roles) and end up with all of the leads in the play.The pageant may never be the same.Yet another classic book I never managed to pick up when I was a kid. (I also don't think I ever watched the made for TV movie. Is that something I should try to hunt down on Netflix, FBDR?) I actually don't think I'd ever heard of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. But one of my students reviewed it last quarter and it seemed fun enough that I wanted to pick it up for myself. Little do my students know, I steal book ideas from them aaaaaall the time. (Except I tell them that. I'm horrible at keeping secrets.)The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is very fun. It made me laugh several times and put me in the holiday spirit (which is what I was going for. YAY!). It's a fast read and would probably make a good pre-Christmas read aloud, for both kids who haven't heard the nativity story before and for those who are so familiar with it they have it memorized, zzzzzzzzzzzzz.I did have trouble turning off my teacher eyes as I was reading though. The Herdmans' father abandoned them. Their mother works two jobs (but turned down some welfare money because she'd rather work than spend time with her children). The kids only pass their classes because the teachers don't want to deal with them for a second year (in which case, they'd also have a younger Herdman brother or sister to also deal with). Reading all of that made me want to be the siblings' teacher (but possibly not all at once) and, I don't know, intimidate the shiz out of them or something. No, probably a teacher would have to go a more mothering route...and be super vigilant so he or she wouldn't end up with a surprise clump of worms in his/her pockets or hair. I'd try a number of different tactics....You see what I mean! I couldn't turn off the teacher perspective and just enjoy the book. But it all ended up being okay, because those kids were super-curious about the story of Jesus, and helped their classmates and town to see the story in a new light.As I was reading, there was some dated language and some dated gender roles, but I was very interested in the narrator. Robinson uses an unnamed narrator to tell the story. It reminded me of The Great Gatsby, in that both have a secondary character sharing the story. Also, it was particularly fun reading this after having read about this experience with the nativity play over at Hyperbole and a Half. Enjoy!Dinner Conversation:"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toohouse.The toolhouse burned right down to the ground, and I think that surprised the Herdmans. They set fire to things all the time, but that was the first time they managed to burn down a whole building" (p. 1)."They were just so all-around awful you could hardly believe they were real: Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys--six skinny, stringy-haired kids all alike except for being different sizes and having different black-and-blue places where they had clonked each other.They lived over a garage at the bottom of Sproul Hill. Nobody used the garage anymore, but the Herdmans used to bang the door up and down just as fast as they could and try to squash one another--that was their idea of a game. Where other people had grass in their front yard, the Herdmans had rocks. And where other people had hydrangea bushes, the Herdmans had poison ivy" (p. 4)."Mother didn't expect to have anything to do with the Christmas pageant except to make me and my little brother Charlie be in it (we didn't want to) and to make my father go and see it (he didn't want to). Every year he said the same thing--"I've seen the Christmas pageant.""You haven't seen this year's Christmas pageant," Mother would tell him. "Charlie is a shepherd this year.""Charlie was a shepherd last year. No...you go on and go. I'm just going to put on my bathrobe and sit by the fire and relax. There's never anything different about the Christmas pageant.""There's something different this year," Mother said."What?""Charlie is wearing your bathrobe" (pp. 15-16).Tasty Rating: !!!

[rolyat-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

perfect family reading, lite reading with a moral.

[booksandwine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this in fifth grade, what a silly wonderful fantastic holiday read.

[kailee.gibbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about a family with six children. They were known as the worst children on earth. However, the Herdman family has something strange happen when they went to church; they got interested in the Christmas pageant. Since they are so very rude and disrespectful no one says anything when they take the lead roles. Everyone thinks it will be a disaster, but much too every one’s surprise it turns out to be The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.This is a very good book. It has a lot of humor, but tells a wonderful story. Although others may not agree the story of the Lord is very compelling and tends to change many people just as it did the Herdman kids.1.This would be a great book to bring up during judging and safety. Many of the people judged the Herdman kids, and they proved others wrong. Also this can be used in safety. The teacher can ask the students to pin point unsafe things around the classroom and what they can do to fix it.2.Since this is over a pageant/ play it would be a great book to read before asking the students to create their own play.

[oldandnewbooksmell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Herdmans are the town's worst kids in the history of the world. They fight, steal, smoke cigars, swear, play with fire, and bully all the other children around them. No one is prepared for them to come to church, yet alone take over the annual Christmas pageant! But the Herdmans have never even heard of the Christmas Story - their interpretation of it is filled with questions and responses some have never even thought of before. All of this will make for an interesting pageant... maybe the best one yet!

I was given this book by a coworker for Christmas this year. I thought it would be fitting for me to read it on Christmas Eve morning before I headed to my parents. This was adorable and it even got me thinking too.

I grew up in church, for the most part, so of course, I always knew the story of Christmas. The way the kids just accepted how they did the Christmas pageant reminded me of all the ones I did as a kid. Pretty much the same thing every year, but the parts were passed around a bit more. To have someone come in who didn’t know the story at all would have turned some heads there too.

“ ...I couldn’t understand the Herdmans. You would have thought the Christmas story came right out of the F.B.I. Files, they got so involved in it - wanted a bloody end to Herod, worried about Mary having her baby in a Barnum and called out the Wise Men a bunch of dirty spies.
And they left the first rehearsal arguing about whether Joseph should have set fire to the inn, or just chased the innkeeper into the next county.”

The Herdmans, though incredibly vicious kids, were still kids, and they still had innocence to them (in a strange, crazy way). How they ended up “changing” the Christmas Pageant was definitely for the better.

What a cute story to read at this time!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Originally published in 1972, this brief children's novel - the first of three stories concerning the horrible Herdman children, it was followed by The Best School Year Ever, and The Best Halloween Ever - is a humorous and heartwarming exploration of the true meaning of Christmas. Detailing the depredations of Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie and Gladys Herdman - six siblings who "were the absolutely worst kids in the history of the world," who lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse" - our (unnamed) young narrator relates the chaos and confusion which ensues when the town's juvenile delinquents decide to participate in her church's Christmas pageant, despite never having heard the Christmas story before, and not really belonging to any church. Their unorthodox behavior, and somewhat unconventional approach to the Nativity story stirs up all the expected controversy, but also leads more than one person to reexamine the well-known tale in a new, and more thoughtful light...I'm not sure why I never picked The Best Christmas Pageant Ever up, when I was a girl - I certainly recall seeing it, at various times, during the holidays - but I am glad I finally gave it a chance. Robinson really nails some of the characters one might meet in a church community - the sanctimonious prigs, like Alice Wendleken and her mother; the overly competent, managing do-it-alls, like Mrs. George Armstrong; the patient minister, aka the "bureau of complaints" - and her sense of humor shines throughout. I particularly appreciated the fact that the Herdmans are revealed, not as little monsters, but as very human children, without their ever being "reformed," or changed in any fundamental sense, in their bad behavior. This really emphasizes, to my way of thinking, the importance of seeing the divine in our fellow human beings, even when we don't particularly like them, or when they just aren't that likable. What better message than this, for Christmas?

[mutantpudding · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read this series as a kid, always thought it was pretty funny (and I still do) but now as an adult I also worry about the Herdmans...they are terrible children but they are neglected and living in poverty so I really think the adults in their town could be a bit less judgey.

This first book is short and cute, and a pretty good Christmas story if you are into that sort of thing.

[lalfonso_618548 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you have never met the Herdmans, boy are you missing out. This book tells the story of Beth’s experiences and observations of the Herdmans, a tough family of misfits that hijack a town. When the Herdman’s realized that they could get treats at Sunday school, they decided that they would try it out. Once there they decided to take over the Christmas Pagent. This is a delightful tale that 3rd-5th graders will love. It is funny, but has heart.

[dverdecia-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A good little story. As a Children's book however, I don't know that I would recommend this one. The Author billed it as a comedy about a Christmas Pageant that this town was having. I didn't really see it that way.

This small town has a Christmas Pageant every year. Every year the Pageant is this same. Except for this year. This is the story that is told through the eyes of one of the Children, who was nameless. He and his family attended the Christmas Pageant every year. This year however, the woman who normally produced the Pageant fell ill and so the main character's mom had to take over.

Here's the monkey wrench. There are these group of kids who are called the Herdmans. Described as the rowdiest group of delinquents imaginable. Ranging in ages 7 to 13, these kids bullied, destroyed public property, smoked cigars, cussed. If you can name a vice, the Herdman children were probably at the center of it. And no one in the town really wanted to deal with them.

So when the main character's mom got involved, she decided to get the Herdman children involved with the pageant as well.

I guess that the nice thing about this story is that the ending was somewhat unexpected. I am not going to divulge anything here towards it for you folks that don't want spoilers. But getting through the story is annoying. Especially when the description of the Herdman Children were concerned. As a parent, I kinda wanted to take them each and beat the shit out of them!

If you are also into the religious thing, you will enjoy this book. For me? Not one of my favorites by a long shot.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book just never goes away. It's the kind of book I've seen in every crevice of my school and on every list imaginable. I think I once was tempted to throw out 10 of them because they seem to multiply like rabbits. Finally, my son is reading it in his 4th grade classroom and he's spoken of it fondly, and I thought to myself, Hey, I could, like, READ it...... So far, it's cute and I'll finish it tonight. We'll see! I may have even thrown those out...I hope not.

Update: I now see why this book is in every classroom by the dozen, and due to the cover and my own first impression, I see why it's the type of book that doesn't get read much. How unfortunate! This was a laugh-out-loud delight that I may just read every year. It'd make a great made-for-tv movie. If there is one, I'm going to have to get ahold of it.

[obtusata · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sweet and funny, but half of the first chapter is about a child bullying kids with regards to their weight.

[bryanthomass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A true classic -- funny, great characters, great message and heartwarming. One to read again and again every year. Read it to your kids and enjoy it yourself. Highly recommended.

[ludiegrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. I was introduced to it when Mrs. Stewart read it to my second grade class, and I've adored it ever since, though only recently, during an episode of insomnia, did I fully rediscover its goodness. I love how it brings out the earthiness, messiness, mystery, and beauty of the Incarnation in a totally non-preachy way. Theological without trying too hard to be; funny and touching.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite Christmas story from my childhood. It was first read to me by my fourth grade Catholic School teacher, who will always remain the most influential person in my life. This story also taught me so much. It taught me lessons of understanding, tolerance, and looking beyond the surface. The Herdmans, poor, dirty, scrappy and well disliked by the students and town had a true grasp of the Christmas Story because they understood having the odds stacked against them. Man I love this story. Reading it around Christmas is my favorite tradition.

[andycat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a family of “absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world”. The Herdman children (all six of them) have made a name for themselves by being as horrible to others as they are to themselves. However, something strange happens when they go to church expecting free food and goodies: they get extremely interested in the Christmas pageant. Since they are so very intimidating, no one speaks up when the Herdman children offer to take all the lead roles. The whole church community is convinced that it will be a disaster. Despite many shenanigans and mistakes, the Herdmans show genuine interest in the story of Jesus. In the end, the children were touched by the story and it ended up being The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.I loved this book. It was one of my very favorites as a child. I really enjoyed the humor and the story-telling. The author tells lots of small, humorous tales to give the reader some insight into how horrible the Herdmans really are. There are lots of cute jokes and some slightly shocking situations that keep the reader interested. What I liked best, however, was the theme of the book. I liked the idea that everyone is good inside and it is never too late to be introduced to the story of Jesus. Classroom Extension Ideas:1.Clearly, the Herdman children have no real regard for safety (like burning down a toolshed because they were lighting a chemistry set on fire) so this might be a good way to introduce that topic to the class. The teacher could get out a large pad of paper and ask the class to list the things they remembered the Herdmans doing that were unsafe. Why were they unsafe? What would you do if you saw something like that happening?2.Let the children put on their own Christmas Pageant. Let them read the story of Jesus and write their own script to act out for their classmates. They can even plan their costumes and set ideas.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audio book performed by Elaine Stritch

The six Herdman kids are a handful – and then some. Their father disappeared a few years ago, their mother works a double shift, and the children are pretty much left to their own devices. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, hit little kids, cuss their teachers, and even set fire to a tool shed.

When they show up at Sunday school (because the thought there would be snacks) just as the Christmas Pageant is being cast, they quickly take over. No one else will volunteer to take a major role for fear of being attacked by the Herdmans, so Imogene will be Mary, Ralph will play Joseph, the other Herdman boys will be the kings, and Gladys will be the Angel of the Lord – the only speaking part.

Imagine if you had never heard the story of Jesus's birth, what would you think? First the Herdman's are appalled that people put a pregnant woman in a barn. Then they are enraged that Herod would be plotting to kill a little baby. And what's with the “wadded-up clothes” they wrapped the baby in?

Imogene's Mary is fiercely protective of her innocent baby. The kings decide to bring a much better present than stupid, scented oil. And the Angel of the Lord yells so EVERYONE knows: “Hey! Unto you a Child is born!” And everyone is moved by the wonder and joy of Christmas.

Elaine Stritch does a great job narrating the audio. However, the version I had skipped the first chapter, which really introduces the Herdman's. I'm glad I had the text as well, so I could read that myself. The text also includes wonderful illustrations by Judith Gwyn Brown.

[innermurk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after the pages are closed. It allows a widened perspective on a holiday that may have been taken for granted for a long time. The most enjoyable part of the story is discovering for yourself, along with the Herdmans just what Christmas is all about. Filled with humor, and never preachy, the story revolves around a bunch of troublemaking kids that terrorize the town, told from the perspective of one child of a differing family that just tries to be good and fit in.

[dknight0918 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Still enjoy this one.

[librarianryan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have loved this book since the first time I read it. I reread it every few years for the happy feeling it leaves in the pit of my stomach. This year, we listened to it on audiobook in the car on the way to christmas dinner. Josh joined me for the listen, and for him it was the first time, and he was enthralled. He was grumpy about it, but he stayed awake for the entire thing and commented on who various characters remind him of. It’s his curmudgeonly way of saying he loved it. There is just something about the “worst” family in the community, deciding to upset the status quo to remind everyone that there is good in everyone, and that magic can come from children and adults alike. On a side note, the narrator for this audiobook was wonderful. I perfectly pictured a little old lady like my grandmother recounting this story as I listened. It was perfect.#holidayread +26

[cubsfan3410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I hadn't read this book in years. It was as enjoyable as I remember it being. I hope you'll pick it up.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm positive I read this in second or third grade and it was a delight to revisit it again. This is a book that could never be written now with kids smoking cigars add bullying run rampant in these pages. That being said it was a blast from the past and a look into a book and a childhood that is vastly different from modern times. The Herman kids are everyone's worst nightmares. They are bullies, they lie, steal, hit, and even smoke cigars. Kids and adults try to keep a wide berth. The weekends are the only time that kids get away from the Herdmans, they at least have Sunday school without those demons - that is until they eventually crash that party too. And what happens when they bully their way into the Christmas pageant. Will Christmas ever be the same again? Lots of fun.

[redbud_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a heart-warming, humorous Christmas read worth revisiting each Christmas season.