A Great Christmas Book for Children

"That day, Jonathan went to the Christmas service with the widow McDowell and Thomas. And that day in the churchyard the village children saw Jonathan throw back his head, showing his eyes as clear blue as an August sky, and laugh. No one ever called him Mr. Gloomy again."

-The last page in The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski



Jonathan Toomey was a sad, sad man. He was known all over his village as a man who never smiled. He was always gloomy and complained about loud noises or just about anything that annoyed him. He was a miserable man, but the people of the village didn't seem to know WHY he was this way. As the story unfolds, we find out that Jonathan was sad because his wife and baby had died unexpectedly from an illness, and he couldn't seem to find any happiness after that. He moved to a new village where no one knew him, and he spent his days alone doing his work as a woodcarver.

In 1998 my grandfather gave my mother some money to buy two of his great-grandchildren some books for Christmas. Our son was 7 years old at the time. in 1998.  The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is a beautiful story of love, joy, hope, and redemption, and the illustrations are beautiful. The book comes with a CD, but I don't think we have ever listened to it -  I always preferred to read to our kids myself. This book contains a lot of words, so I wouldn't recommend it for very young children unless you are willing to wait until the child is at least 5 or 6 years old. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your child, grandchild, or friend.

As the story unfolds, the widow McDowell and her son, Thomas, knock on Jonathan's door on a cold December day. They were new in the village and had been unable to find their nativity scene when they unpacked their belongings. They came to Jonathan because they had heard that he was a good woodcarver. They asked Jonathan if he would carve a new set for them because they couldn't imagine a Christmas without their manger scene. The three characters gradually become friends as Thomas, the boy, spends time at Jonathan's house. He watches Jonathan work and offers advice from time to time. For example, Thomas didn't like the way Jonathan made the cow, so he asked him to make the cow look less proud. Jonathan carefully carved all of the figures of the nativity scene and completed his project in time for Christmas.

Books always make great Christmas gifts, no matter the age. Of course, you want to make sure that the gift recipient appreciates narratives. I think books are especially great gifts for children because they have so many toys already. You don't need batteries for most books, and they aren't easily broken. And you don't have to worry whether or not the book will fit. You will know that your children or grandchildren are beginning to appreciate books when you see them spending their OWN money on them. Our grown children began doing this several years ago, and it made me smile. I remember many years ago when I took them to the library regularly. One summer they started having their "reading corner" as they called it, and they would spend the entire afternoon reading together. The reading "corner" consisted of a large blanket spread out on the floor where they would sit and read for an entire afternoon. I think that was also the summer when I started allowing them to read Goosebumps books. I think we checked out at least 30 books at a time that summer!

I hope today's post has been of interest to you as you prepare for the holidays. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is a beautiful book that tells the true meaning of Christmas through the carved figures of the nativity scene. Jonathan realized that life is just too short to sit around feeling sorry for himself. He found hope in a manger as in the life of a little boy, Thomas.

Have a wonderful week,

Melissa Hill
Book Blogger: www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com
Used book seller: mch seller