Simon and his mom don't have much--the cardboard house they built for themselves, a tiny Christmas tree, and a picture of an angel pinned to one wall. On Christmas Eve they take in a frail stranger who needs a place to keep warm, and the next morning Simon wakes early to find that the woman has vanished. Instead, he sees December, the angel from the picture, with her wings fanned out over their cardboard house. Could she be real?
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4. A story singular in its originality; its artwork; and its contemporary, multilayered theme that is ultimately filled with joy and peace despite its stark setting. On Christmas Eve, a homeless boy and his mother share their small cardboard-box home with an elderly stranger. The next morning, she is gone. And outside, the child thinks?but cannot believe?he sees an angel like the one on his December calendar page. The story ends a year later, when his situation has changed. His mother has a job and they have moved to a small apartment. It is then he observes that his calendar angel wears a rose just like the one the stranger had put on his Christmas tree. The message of charity as a risk worth taking in a dangerous world is a sobering, thoughtful holiday message. So deft in her writing, Bunting creates a mood or expresses an emotion with a simple sentence or phrase. Diaz's now-familiar angular, almost stained-glass figures dominate illustrations that are set against backgrounds so striking in their creativity and complexity that they would overwhelm a lesser story. The artist uses a mix of media and repetitive patterns to create unusual designs that give each backdrop a multidimensional look. One of a very few holiday books that has both art and writing so strong that they effectively mesh to create a truly unique title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
An understated holiday story with dazzling art, by the duo behind Smoky Night (1994) and Going Home (1996). Simon and his mom live in a cardboard box, but they have a scrap of a Christmas tree, some found decorations including Simon's toy soldier, and an angel on the wall, named December, torn from an old calendar. On Christmas Eve, an old woman begs them to share their box, and they let her in, where Simon offers her one of the two cookies he is saving for Christmas day. In the morning, the old woman is gone, and the angel herself, singing softly, seems to fill the doorway before fading away. The next Christmas Eve finds Simon and his mother in a real apartment. She has found a job, and the December angel is on their new wall. Diaz's acrylic, watercolor, and gouache paintings have the monumentality and intensity of stained glass, with their flat planes of color and black outlines. The agitation of some of his work has been subsumed into a gentler and more emotionally resonant style, set against collage backgrounds full of roses and angels. The angel, with the wings of the feathered cloak of a Mesoamerican goddess, is a glorious creation. Seen in almost every spread in a glowing palette of rose and gold, she draws the eye and the heart again and again. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
December is a remarkable book -- it manages to connect homelessness to the realm of miracles and the mystery of Christmas. As a reading teacher, I've had the pleasure of meeting Eve Bunting and sharing her stories with hundreds of children. The younger set don't always understand the implications of the old lady who visits on Christmas Eve, but they are deeply touched by the generosity of a mother and child who are willing to share a cookie, a precious coat and the box over their head. The story has something of the aura of O'Henry's Gift of the Magi. December is a pleasure to read and a treasure to share.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By "rrr338"
Format:Hardcover
Eve Bunting has teamed up again with David Diaz (illustrator) to create what will surely become a holiday classic. Is the feeble old lady who visits the mother and her son who live in a cardboard box really an angel? This story conveys, in an understated yet very accessible manner, the importance of finding spiritual meaning in the most humble of human experiences. This is a wonderful message of hope and the importance of recognizing, and extending ourselves to, those in need.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This truly is a great book to read to children during the holidays! I found it to be a great way to share the message of giving with kids. Lots of message in a small, wonderfully beautiful book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not impressed
I don't know why, but I just didn't care for this book. The art was pretty, but I wasn't super impressed otherwise.
Published 18 days ago by Miriam Stolle
5.0 out of 5 stars
For families and church groups
This book is an awesome read aloud. Kids love it and it sparks some wonderful conversations about giving and caring. I also used it for many years in public schools. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Kathleen McDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars
You've got a friend
Amidst the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, cooking, visiting, family gatherings, one seeks a few moments of quiet, of stillness. Read more
Published on September 21, 2008 by Judy K. Polhemus
5.0 out of 5 stars
December
Heart breaking story of homelessness during the Christmas season with a miracle to boot. Diaz' usual fabulous artwork works well with Bunting's deft story tellings of social... Read more
Published on January 24, 2008 by allan l
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story
Very moving, very powerful discussion point with kids grades 1-4. Highly reccommend for story or book discussion groups.
Published on April 11, 2007 by ems
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Haunting Book!
I had to read it twice to have the story really sink in. This book is very moving and quiet. A really great job from Eve Bunting and a book to be remembered.
Published on November 1, 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book worthy of ANY personal library
The story is to the point and sends subte messages - no preaching about the Season of Giving here. Diaz' art helps to convey the realities of living on the street without being... Read more
Published on December 7, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible Message!
My son was given this book from a good friend last Christmas because she is a huge fan of illustrator David Diaz. Read more
Published on October 10, 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
The true meaning of the holidays,perfectly written & illust.
DECEMBER (I believe this is the correct title of this new book) is one of the most beautiful holiday stories. Read more
Published on June 4, 1997
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