Book by Susan Wojciechowski; Illustrated by P.J. Lynch
At the heart of this timeless children’s story is a grieving man, Jonathan Toomey. Known in his community as Mr. Gloomy, he is the best woodcarver in the town: “He wasn’t an old man, but if you saw him, you might think he was, the way he walked bent forward with his head down.”
One day the widow McDowell and her seven-year-old son, Thomas, knock on Mr. Toomey’s door in hopes that he will carve a replacement of their treasured nativity set lost in their move. “They mean very much to me. I can’t remember a Christmas without them,” says widow McDowell. Reluctantly and with some attitude, Mr. Toomey agrees to take on the project.
Thomas is enamored by the woodworker and his beautiful carvings. He hopes to be a woodworker someday and asks to watch Mr. Toomey carve the nativity set. As Thomas helps and learns to carve, a sweet relationship develops between them. He quietly tells Mr. Toomey what the countenance of each figure should look like. Thomas tells him, “It is a beautiful sheep, nice and curly, but my sheep looked happy.”
On their visits to watch Mr. Toomey carve their nativity set, the widow McDowell shows practical kindness to him: “She touched the woodcarver on the shoulder and placed a cup of tea and a bun next to him.” Ultimately, it becomes a story of redemption.
Irish illustrator P.J. Lynch beautifully illustrates this book with detailed, realistic watercolor artwork. It has been a classic in our family for the past 25 years, and it will warm your heart this Christmas.
Check this book out from the church library.
Katie has a background in digital marketing. She grew up at Faith Bible Church and serves in Aspiring Women and as a writer for Living Faith magazine.
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