Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel [Hardcover]

Walter Wangerin (Author), Tim Ladwig (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

Master storyteller Walter Wangerin spins a magical tale of a young girl, an angel, and the very first Christmas pageant in Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ill with a fever and forced to stay home and miss her Christmas pageant performance, young Probity witnesses a Christmas miracle of her very own. Folded within the silken robes of the Fear Not Angel, Probity soon hovers high above her Christmas pageant and is also magically transported to the wondrous first Christmas. Wangerin expertly crafts this lengthy story, quickly establishing characterizations and balancing the fairy-tale elements here with a lifelike portrait of an African American family. Ladwig's soft grainy paintings depict Probity's home and her flight with equal realism, and the face of his angel fairly melts with kindness. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-7. Probity Jones is upset because she is too sick to take her role in the Christmas pageant. Worse, she became ill when her new jacket was stolen by some tough kids in the neighborhood, and her mother is too poor to buy another one. After Probity has encouraged her little brother, he can do his part without her being on stage, and the family leaves for the pageant; she is alone, miserable that the part of the angel who tells Mary to "fear not" will be played by someone else. Then, to Probity's amazement, a real angel appears at the window, wraps Probity in her soft shawl, and whisks her to the scene of the Nativity pageant, where she can appreciate her brother's performance, and then flies her up to the heavenly host before bringing her back home. Did the angel really come? Probity has the shawl to prove it. The story is loose, and the fantasy is at times overwritten, but the artwork, featuring a joyful African American family and a haunting dark-skinned angel, will stay with readers and listeners. For larger collections and those needing Christmas books with African American characters. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Pub (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806629924
• ISBN-13: 978-0806629926
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,815,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the millions. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Angel love, June 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Probity Jones and the Fear Not Angel (Hardcover)

A heartwarm story about Christmas. A nice story that shows the happy and unhappy parts about life with a little Christmas magic (an Angel). It looks at not just inner city life but family life and love.