"Christmas in Spanish-speaking areas is a very important religious holiday and is celebrated in a variety of ways," said Cathy Vila, director of marketing for Editorial Portavoz. "One of the most beloved characters from the Christmas story is the donkey, known to Spanish-speaking children as ‘El burrito de Belén,' the Christmas donkey. Throughout all the Spanish-speaking countries of the world, children sing a song about the Christmas donkey."

The new, 32-page hardcover "takes the story one step further with colorful illustrations and gives the donkey a voice to tell his tale."

The original version in English was released by Kregel Publications in 2003 and has had tremendous success, continuing to be a best-seller for the past five Christmas seasons. Vila said that Editorial Portavoz had been very pleased with the initial response to the book: "It promises to become a new classic for Spanish-speaking children to read at Christmas."

Read more in the Nov. 9 issue of Christian Retailing.