Author: Susan Wojciechowski
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Publishing information: (Candlewick; 1st US edition, October 2, 1995, Ages 4-8)
Number of Pages: 40 pages
Genre: Traditional Holiday
Summary of Plot:
Once there was a man who had a wife and a son. They had died due to illness. He turned into a grumpy guy; especially near Christmas, the time around which they died. He lives a lonely life in his woodcarving shop.
During one Christmas season, a widow and her young son, Thomas found their self at his door. They have been told he is a great wood carver. She wants to have him carve a replacement nativity set. The one she had had been lost with a move. He agrees to make it. Occasionally they come to check his progress.
When they come to his house the widow sits in a large straight back chair by the fire, knitting something. Thomas, after asking, get s to watch the wood carver, Mr. Toomey, carve the one. As he carves Thomas lets him know that an animal should be proud, or another should be happy, or something should be another emotion that people wouldn’t incorporate into a woodcarving.
On Christmas day the carver, appears at the widow’s door for change. He presents the nativity, just how Thomas described Over the course of the book Mr. Toomey had become happy, with the friendship of the widow and her son.
My Reaction to the book:
This is my favorite Christmas book. We read it every year as a tradition. Its pictures are really details. They are woody colors which made me think the pictures as warm and inviting.
Potential Problems:
Mr. Toomey was a grumpy man at the start of this book, because of the deaths.
Recommendations:
Mr. Toomey was a grumpy man at the start of this book, because of the deaths.
Recommendations:
This is a great Christmas message. It is a fairly lengthy book. It also has an audio recording too. Once children know the story they can have fun filling in the approaching lines, while having it read to them.
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