I Saw Three Ships [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Goudge (Author), Margot Tomes (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2008 | Age Range: 9 and up

Little Polly Flowerdew lives with her two maiden aunts, and she is absolutely sure that something special is going to happen this Christmas. She leaves her bedroom window open on Christmas Eve, just in case the three wise men decide to come visit. When she wakes up on Christmas morning, more than one miracle seems to have taken place.

A moving, lyrical, and endearing chapter book, celebrating the magic as well as the mystery of Christmas, this is Godine's first title by Elizabeth Goudge, mistress of the art of storytelling, and it's charmingly illustrated with ink drawings by Margot Tomes. It is a perfect Christmas read-aloud for young children and their parents.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The story is totally engrossing.' The Sunday Telegraph; 'I absolutely adored it. It had a cracking plot and a perfect tone throughout.' J.K.Rowling, creator of Harry Potter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Elizabeth Goudge (1900-1984) received the MGM Literary Award, the Literary Guild Award, and a Carnegie Medal for The Little White Horse (which J.K. Rowling claimed was her favorite childhood book). She wrote many books, both fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children.

Margot Tomes (1918-1991) wanted to illustrate children's books from the time she was fourteen; she ended up illustrating more than sixty.

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: David R Godine (October 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567923690
• ISBN-13: 978-1567923698
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Christmas Story December 8, 2001

By Kathleen

Format:Hardcover

I love this book! Although I'm 42 and my child will no longer sit with me to read it, I read it every Christmas. This is a charming Christmas story from a simpler time. It's little Polly's first Christmas since her parents died. She's living with her aunts now in an old English seaport town and having a little trouble adjusting. Goudge tells a story that will remind you to notice every-day miracles and the ways in which children can keep us all young. The reading level makes it appropriate for children comfortable with chapter books, or for reading out loud over a few nights before Christmas to settle the younger kids down. Please note that I did not buy my copy on Amazon, so I can't speak to the editions it is selling. In fact, I can't remember how my copy came to me, but I am trying to find copies to share with my young neices. P.S. If you want to know what a "sugar mouse" is, try looking at a shop that imports British gourmet items. We did!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Invite Polly into your life and your Christmas or other literary traditions! August 17, 2009

By 2boys0girls

Format:Hardcover

For my first Elizbeth Goudge book, I was DELIGHTED to read about Polly and her enduring love,unsurpassed optimism and inspite of obvious obstacles, she retained her faith & persistance. EG touches on romance, love (Tip), delight, humility, faith in God, questioning of faith in God and the strength of the human spirit (a gift from God). Polly is surrounded by friends & family who doubt her faith and dreams. Finally, her Aunt Olivia demonstrates true strength of courage and dignity with her legacy for Polly & Tip.

Make this a "MUST READ" for your elementary/jr high children and a MUST READ at each season for the celebration of the birth (Christmas) of the only person to split time - Jesus the Christ.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Goudge Christmas Gem November 28, 2011

By John Gough

Format:Hardcover

A Goudge Christmas Gem
Do you take Christmas seriously?
Do you help celebrate Christmas each year by revisiting a great Christmas classic story (other than the story of the Nativity, itself)?
Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors".
Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life".
"The Bishop's Wife"
Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".
Graeme's chapter "Dulce Domum" in "Wind in the Willows".
Godden's "Holly and Ivy".
If any of these ring your chimes, consider Elizabeth Goudge's beautiful children's novella, "I Saw Three Ships".

(Incidentally, the illustrations, in some editions, by Richard Kennedy, are splendid, although more like modern sketches than period etchings, or the kind of timeless illustrations some Goudge books have, by the great Walter Hodges.)

Imagine Jane Austen had written a Christmas story.
It is set in a little fishing village in the West Country, Cornwall, perhaps, around 1790.
A young orphan girl, Polly, lives with her two timid maiden aunts, Dorcas and Constantia Flowerdew.
(For protection they prominently hang a MAN's hat on the hat-rack in the hall, to give the impression that they are not defenceless women. This is a deeply funny book!)
Christmas fast approaches.
Polly wants to leave the front door open on Christmas Eve -- "The Wise Men might come" ·this was before "Santa Claus" or "Father Christmas" became the gift-giving Christmas Eve tradition in England.
The old one-legged one-eyed homeless beggar-man tramp (a former drummer boy in the army), known as Rags-and-Bones (in Britain, "rag and bone men" were itinerant scrap collectors and dealers), wanders by.
A mysterious sea-faring man arrives in town....
The Mad Frenchman haunts the dock, grieving for his wife and child who were lost to him when he fled the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror and the guillotine.

On Christmas Eve the whole town is poised for the miraculous events of Christmas.
Three men -- "wise men" -- visit the old ladies' house. The youngest man has a loaded pistol, just in case.

Christmas Day arrives, and with the dawn three small ships sail into harbour.
It's a mystery!

There are such happy endings in this story you will finish the book in tears. (I just did, re-reading details to complete the review!)
Goudge is like that sometimes: perfect sentiment, perfect story-telling!
John Gough -- Deakin University -- [e-mail] Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book May 28, 2013

By J. Smith

Format:Hardcover

I came across this book at a local bookstore, and purchased it a year later. It was worth the effort. "I Saw Three Ships" is a delightful, little Christmas book. It has heart. It's sentimental, but not excessively so. The typeset is beautiful, and I just love the feel of this thin little book.

Gouder did an excellent job in taking a classic Christmas carol, and building a great story out of it. It's surprising that the Hallmark channel hasn't made a tv movie by now.

Highest Possible Recommendation.

JThree
Williston ND

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enchanting Christmas Story for All Believers! January 10, 2013

By Healthy By Nature

This is an absolutely lovely book on all levels! I somehow came into second-hand possession of a 1969 first edition of I Saw Three Ships some years ago, and I must say it would be worth your time to track one down if possible.

The story by Elizabeth Goudge is charmingly written and draws you in with great anticipation. I recall that on my first read through, I was unable to set this book aside; and in a holistic homeschooling life filled with lawns, gardens, laundry, cooking, pets and young children, well, it is indeed a rare occasion upon which I manage to get through 60 pages of anything in one shot! Illustrations by Margot Tomes are positively enchanting. Character development is realistic, well-timed and sufficiently achieved in such a manner that both young children and adults will appreciate -- no, make that "revel in" -- the unique appeal of each character as the story unfolds. I found myself enjoying the opportunity to get to know each character... and wanted more when the book was finished!

We have a bookcase full of Christmas stories, and without a doubt, I Saw Three Ships is one of only a few that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is grouped on our top shelf along with such wonderful tomes as Gift of the Magi by O'Henry and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The only differences would be that 1) there are more Biblical references in this than the others which can lead to further discussion opportunities with children, and 2) this is slightly more fun to read than O'Henry and Dickens! Truly, I Saw Three Ships is a Christmas Classic for all ages and one which you will surely find yourself drawn to year after year.