Published in 1955 and appearing for the first time as a picture book, this modest holiday tale from the author of The Good Earth might well have been called The Good Son. On Christmas Eve, a man recalls the holiday many years ago when he gave his father, a struggling farmer, a most-appreciated gift: the boy rose extra early to do his father's biggest chore, the milking. Buck's understated yet moving piece, paired with a sentimental note from the illustrator, will resonate with readers. Buehner's (Snowmen at Night) inky, starlit winter skies and rustic barn revealed by lantern light transport readers to a hushed and humble setting. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Grade 3-5-Originally published in 1955, this story has been illustrated and brought to life for a new generation. A man remembers a great discovery he made when he was 15 and living on his father's farm. A few days before Christmas he overhears his dad saying how much he hates having to wake his son at dawn for morning chores. As a special gift for his father, the boy gets up at a quarter to three on Christmas morning and does the milking by himself. Buehner illustrates these scenes, many taking place at night and illuminated by lanterns or by moonlight, with a sturdy, folksy, old-fashioned solidity. The hard life on a farm, the struggle to keep the family and animals warm and fed, is reflected on the parents' faces. Moving and tender, this is a fine choice for reading aloud or family sharing.-S. P.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. This inspiring story by a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author is reissued for the first time since 1955 with the oil paintings by the artist of Fanny's Dream (1996). Buck invests a simple story with poetic dignity and teaches a bone-deep lesson about love. On Christmas, a middle-aged man remembers a holiday morning when he was 15 and his farm family was just scraping by. Having overheard a conversation in which his father proclaimed his love, the teenager decides to do something special for Dad. The boy gets up very early on Christmas morning and does all the milking before his father arises, discovering that that love makes labor light. Buehner's paintings enhance the story, capturing the deep blue-white of a snowy farmland, punctuated by golden light spilling from windows, a pool of light from the boy's lantern as he goes to the barn, and the simplicity of a turn-of-the-century farmhouse interior. A beautiful Christmas message, powerfully delivered. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Abeautiful message, powerfully delivered. (Booklist)
Buck’s sentimental but touching story memorably illustrates the value of a gift created with love, a gift like Buchner’s. (Kirkus Reviews)
Moving and tender, this is a fine choice for reading aloud or family sharing. (School Library Journal)
This gem of a Christmas tale…gleams in its picture book debut. (New York Times Book Review)
Buehner’s…inky starlit winter skies and rustic barn revealed by lantern light transport readers to a husted and humble setting. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
From the Back Cover
Rob wants to get his father something special for Christmas this year -- something that shows how much he really loves him. But it's Christmas Eve, and he doesn't have much money to spend. What could he possibly get? Suddenly, Rob thinks of the best gift of all...
Author of nearly a hundred books for children and adults, and winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, Pearl S. Buck has captured the spirit of Christmas in this elegant, heartwarming story about a boy's gift of love. Originally published in 1955, this classic story is now being issued, for the first time ever, as a picture book with glorious full-color art by acclaimed artist Mark Buehner.
A welcome addition to everyone's holiday collection, this timeless treasure will bring the true meaning of Christmas to the entire family for generations to come.
About the Author
Pearl S. Buck is the author of many distinguished books for children and adults. She won the Child Study Association's Children's Book Award for
The Big Wave, the Pulitzer Prize for her novel
The Good Earth, and in 1938 received the Nobel Prize for literature.
Marl Buehner has six little pilgrims of his own in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lives with his wife, Caralyn, and their children: Heidi, Grant, Sarah, Samuel, Laura, and Jake. Mark has illustrated many wonderful children's books, including I Am the Cat by Alice Schertle and Harvy Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen.
