Contents
From the dust jacket:
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley. He keeps to himself, though, and never smiles or laughs. No one knows that a lace handkerchief, a tiny white blanket, and a portrait of the wife and child he's lost like hidden in a drawer he never opens.
One day in early winter the widow McDowell comes to call. Would Mr. Toomey carve a new crèche for her in time for Christmas? And would he allow her young son to watch while he carves it?
A quiet request leads to a joyful miracle, as the widow and her son gently warm the sad heart of Jonathan Toomey.
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley. He keeps to himself, though, and never smiles or laughs. No one knows that a lace handkerchief, a tiny white blanket, and a portrait of the wife and child he's lost like hidden in a drawer he never opens.
One day in early winter the widow McDowell comes to call. Would Mr. Toomey carve a new crèche for her in time for Christmas? And would he allow her young son to watch while he carves it?
A quiet request leads to a joyful miracle, as the widow and her son gently warm the sad heart of Jonathan Toomey.
Description
The widow McDowell and her seven-year-old son Thomas ask the gruff Jonathan Toomey, the best wood-carver in the valley, to carve the figures for a Christmas creche.
Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 1999)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 4-8 — 1997)
Christopher Award (1996)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (Winner — 1995)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1998)
Carolyn W. Field Award (Winner — Children's — 1996)
KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards (Winner — 1996)
Notable Children's Book (1996)
Teacher Favorites Award (1994-1996)