Saturday 20 December 2014

Booky Advent Calendar Day 20 - "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" by Susan Wojciechowski and Patrick Lynch (Walker Books)

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

Written and by Susan Wojciechowski
Illustrated by Patrick Lynch

Published by Walker Books

Oooh this is such a lovely christmas tale, the booky equivalent of a gorgeous mug of mulled wine and a fruity mince pie. This heartwarming story may start out feeling a little less than festive, but like all good christmas tales it's guaranteed to melt your heart.

"The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" introduces us to Jonathan himself, who is a bit of a loner, always seems gloomy (the villagers nickname the poor soul "Gloomy Toomey") but no one quite knows the secret of the old woodcarver, or the real reasons for his self-inflicted solitude.

His reputation as an expert woodcarver brings him to the attention of a young widow and her son. New to the area, they solicit the services of the woodcarver to carve a very special set of animals and characters for a christmas Nativity scene.

At first, Jonathan Toomey is gruff and grumpy about the task at hand, but when the young widow becomes a regular visitor, and her son shows an interest in Jonathan Toomey's wonderful work, a special bond begins. As the work draws to a close, Jonathan Toomey begins to realise just how much he'll miss his house guests once the commission is completed. But this is a christmas tale, so we'll leave you to discover the rather lovely heartwarming ending to this particular tale.

At first glance you wouldn't mark this out as a christmassy book because it doesn't really scream Christmas at you! But it is such a lovely tale we couldn't resist it.

(Definitely don't be fooled enough to seek out the movie based on the book though, it's absolutely dreadful!)

Charlotte's best bit: Jonathan Toomey's glorious carved angels

Daddy's Favourite bit: A cuddly heartwarming story that's sure to be a favourite for reading while tucked up under a blanket next to the warm fire. Lovely and atmospheric