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A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge
As a lone cowboy struggles to make his way to a fatherless boy for Christmas, a child keeps vigil and prays for his dear friend's difficult journey.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Audrey Wood
75 books301 followersAudrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 19, 2019
This was a hefty read for a picture book. The pages were full of words, huge paragraphs that add up to a long read. This would require quite a bit of attention to get through. The illustrations were okay, a bit too dark and stark for me, with not much color, mostly browns and blacks. The people looked a little odd with their exaggerated expressions and I didn't really like them.
The story is about a cowboy who keeps returning to this widow and her son every year, keeping his best friend's promise to care for his wife and children once he died. He got sick and almost died on the trail in the snow, but they nursed him back to health. His personality changed and he was going to leave to find work, but the boy proposed he marry his mom and be his dad. I had thought of that from the very beginning. It was cute how the horses attended the wedding. Every year they went up to the ridge where they had found Cully and they celebrated Christmas. It showed the 3 of them at a campfire, with the horse behind them, and Cully singing and playing guitar.
The best part about it was learning about cowboy life, what kind of encounters they have on the trail and what they do. They chase strays for extra money. When they sleep on the range they make a circle out of a horsehair rope and put their blanket inside the circle, because rattlesnakes won't cross horsehair. Cook boiled beans over the fire in a pot. Cows got stuck in the mud and had to be lassoed and pulled out. Lightning struck them. Bears attacked their camps, looking for food in the chuck wagon. He wrote that the biggest cause of death for cowboys was pneumonia, not Indian attacks or gunfights. They also faced prairie fires, cattle stampedes, lightning strikes, and rattlesnakes. It was so dangerous that they rarely survived past 30. That definitely ruined the romantic image of cowboys. It's cool that widows ran farms, ranches, newspapers, inns, bakeries, and other businesses single-handedly.
There was a page showing three cowhands, with the big shadow of a bear standing up cast on the boulder behind them. That was a cool image, and I liked how each story was accompanied by a picture to show us what it looked like.
There was a cool legend that if a cowboy dies alone on the range his soul turns into a shooting star and goes to heaven.
One story was about the cowboys capturing a bear with their lariat. No word on how they did it. Wouldn't they have used lassos? A lariat goes around your neck, so how did they capture a bear??
There was one weird instance where Cully pulled a bull out of the mud and it chased him around, until "a pretty heifer called him over for a kiss." Ew. I can't stand when people talk about animals doing human things.
This wasn't really a Christmas story. It just happened to occur at Christmas Eve, and Cully gave him a bridle for Christmas, but there was no Christmas celebrating to it. It was barely even mentioned. Not really the holiday read you would expect.
The story is about a cowboy who keeps returning to this widow and her son every year, keeping his best friend's promise to care for his wife and children once he died. He got sick and almost died on the trail in the snow, but they nursed him back to health. His personality changed and he was going to leave to find work, but the boy proposed he marry his mom and be his dad. I had thought of that from the very beginning. It was cute how the horses attended the wedding. Every year they went up to the ridge where they had found Cully and they celebrated Christmas. It showed the 3 of them at a campfire, with the horse behind them, and Cully singing and playing guitar.
The best part about it was learning about cowboy life, what kind of encounters they have on the trail and what they do. They chase strays for extra money. When they sleep on the range they make a circle out of a horsehair rope and put their blanket inside the circle, because rattlesnakes won't cross horsehair. Cook boiled beans over the fire in a pot. Cows got stuck in the mud and had to be lassoed and pulled out. Lightning struck them. Bears attacked their camps, looking for food in the chuck wagon. He wrote that the biggest cause of death for cowboys was pneumonia, not Indian attacks or gunfights. They also faced prairie fires, cattle stampedes, lightning strikes, and rattlesnakes. It was so dangerous that they rarely survived past 30. That definitely ruined the romantic image of cowboys. It's cool that widows ran farms, ranches, newspapers, inns, bakeries, and other businesses single-handedly.
There was a page showing three cowhands, with the big shadow of a bear standing up cast on the boulder behind them. That was a cool image, and I liked how each story was accompanied by a picture to show us what it looked like.
There was a cool legend that if a cowboy dies alone on the range his soul turns into a shooting star and goes to heaven.
One story was about the cowboys capturing a bear with their lariat. No word on how they did it. Wouldn't they have used lassos? A lariat goes around your neck, so how did they capture a bear??
There was one weird instance where Cully pulled a bull out of the mud and it chased him around, until "a pretty heifer called him over for a kiss." Ew. I can't stand when people talk about animals doing human things.
This wasn't really a Christmas story. It just happened to occur at Christmas Eve, and Cully gave him a bridle for Christmas, but there was no Christmas celebrating to it. It was barely even mentioned. Not really the holiday read you would expect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2015
A great book for a family Christmas book read-aloud evening. A holiday tale of the rugged west, emphasizing principles of hard work, faith, and determination. Sometimes you need a miracle when you really care about someone...and sometimes you are the miracle that's needed.
November 21, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date: 11-21
Grade Range: 3-6
This book takes place in the wild west. The little boy, Evan, and his family moved west to start a new life, but then his father dies. They have a ranch hand who helps out and always visits them every Christmas with a cowboy gift for Evan. He wants to become a cowboy until one night, he ends up saving the life of the ranch hand. It is an emotional read that teaches compassion and to have hope and faith. It is beautiful Christmas story and is fitting for the holidays.
Date: 11-21
Grade Range: 3-6
This book takes place in the wild west. The little boy, Evan, and his family moved west to start a new life, but then his father dies. They have a ranch hand who helps out and always visits them every Christmas with a cowboy gift for Evan. He wants to become a cowboy until one night, he ends up saving the life of the ranch hand. It is an emotional read that teaches compassion and to have hope and faith. It is beautiful Christmas story and is fitting for the holidays.
December 22, 2018
I picked this up in my Elementary Library and it is a great story for the season and for anyone who has lost a parent and is missing them during the season. It is beautifully written. I would recommend it to 3rd grade and up.
December 29, 2018
Realistic look at life in the frontier American west.
December 11, 2023
Sometimes we make our own miracles with a bit of Christmas magic guiding us.
Read
May 9, 2025Not interesting to me. DNF
January 11, 2020
The images were lifelike, very different from other books. The shine on the horses when the mom and boy are riding through the woods and he's holding the lantern back behind him, it looked like real toy horses almost. The book captured light well, like on the last page with them around the campfire. The pink/orange of the clouds was pretty.
When cowboys sleep out on ranges they make a circle of horsehair rope and lay their blanket inside it. Snakes wouldn't cross over horsehair ropes. I wondered if that was true or an old wive's tale.
They say when a cowboy does alone on the ridge his soul shoots to heaven like a star.
It got away from the Christmas feel when it turned into spring.
It ended with them saying each Christmas they kept a vow they made on their wedding day, that they would go up to Lone Pine Ridge and have a cowboy Christmas under the stars.
It showed them playing the guitar under the stars with candles lit up around them. It didn't look like Christmas.
I knew the mom and the cowboy would end up getting married. But it felt like in the end they got married out of necessity. Just because the boy pointed out that she needed a husband and he needed a father. She blushed and his eyes got big in wonder, like he never thought of it before. I thought he would ask on his own.
I loved the idea behind the book, how the author was inspired by American women pioneers of the West. How kids had to learn to be brave.
Many women were widower and raised their families by themselves. They had their own farms, ranches, newspapers, inns, bakeries and other things. The biggest cause of death for cowboys was pneumonia, not Indian warfare or gunfights as movies would suggest. Also prairie fires, cattle stampedes, lightning striker, rattlesnakes, and bears.
Life on the trail was an unhealthy occupation, and cowboys rarely made it past 30. That was shocking to me.
I also liked hearing from the illustrator on how these images were different for her, capturing the weather and colors of certain scenes. He described them as looser and more painterly, a style between Frederick Remington and N.C. Wyeth.
I wondered what medium was used; it was oil paint on canvas.
I liked the blue snow and sky on the inside covers.
When cowboys sleep out on ranges they make a circle of horsehair rope and lay their blanket inside it. Snakes wouldn't cross over horsehair ropes. I wondered if that was true or an old wive's tale.
They say when a cowboy does alone on the ridge his soul shoots to heaven like a star.
It got away from the Christmas feel when it turned into spring.
It ended with them saying each Christmas they kept a vow they made on their wedding day, that they would go up to Lone Pine Ridge and have a cowboy Christmas under the stars.
It showed them playing the guitar under the stars with candles lit up around them. It didn't look like Christmas.
I knew the mom and the cowboy would end up getting married. But it felt like in the end they got married out of necessity. Just because the boy pointed out that she needed a husband and he needed a father. She blushed and his eyes got big in wonder, like he never thought of it before. I thought he would ask on his own.
I loved the idea behind the book, how the author was inspired by American women pioneers of the West. How kids had to learn to be brave.
Many women were widower and raised their families by themselves. They had their own farms, ranches, newspapers, inns, bakeries and other things. The biggest cause of death for cowboys was pneumonia, not Indian warfare or gunfights as movies would suggest. Also prairie fires, cattle stampedes, lightning striker, rattlesnakes, and bears.
Life on the trail was an unhealthy occupation, and cowboys rarely made it past 30. That was shocking to me.
I also liked hearing from the illustrator on how these images were different for her, capturing the weather and colors of certain scenes. He described them as looser and more painterly, a style between Frederick Remington and N.C. Wyeth.
I wondered what medium was used; it was oil paint on canvas.
I liked the blue snow and sky on the inside covers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2022
I remember my mom getting this book from our local library one Christmas season when I was in elementary school. After the first read, A Cowboy Christmas became one of my favorite picture books. I still love it to this day!
The art in this book is beautiful, the story is touching, and the happy ending is perfect for any season. I highly recommend this book to children and adults who want to embrace their inner child.
five stars
dates read: January 20th- January 20th
Audrey Wood
The art in this book is beautiful, the story is touching, and the happy ending is perfect for any season. I highly recommend this book to children and adults who want to embrace their inner child.
five stars
dates read: January 20th- January 20th
Audrey Wood
January 23, 2017
Here is a wonderful story about a boy named Evan. Sadly Evan has lost his father and lives out in the open country with just his mom. Cully, his fathers best friend, takes the role of surrogates father and helps out at the ranch and helps him learn some things about the ranch and life. Cully isn't around every day he comes and goes, as he has his own life and work he must attend to as well. This is a very well done, very well illustrated novel about how one person can make a real difference in another's life.
December 18, 2012
This is our second year reading this book and we really like it.. although we are hard-pressed to say why exactly.. for certain - we love the illustrations.. the expressions on the character's faces are very well done and some of them are good for a giggle!
I think I like it because its a simple story of loyalty and sticking to one's word... and when you do that, sometimes some wonderful happens.
Very cute story!
I think I like it because its a simple story of loyalty and sticking to one's word... and when you do that, sometimes some wonderful happens.
Very cute story!
November 19, 2010
This is a great books and wonderful story. I think this would be a wonderful read aloud at Christmas especially for someone who is living a rural lifestyle or wishing for something a little different.
December 12, 2011
Wood is a fabulous storyteller. Evan and his mother were visited by a cowboy every year at Christmas. The cowboy told exciting stories and helped them around the ranch. One year, was different--thanks to Evan.
Touching story. Illustrations are showcased as double spreads like artwork.
Touching story. Illustrations are showcased as double spreads like artwork.
March 14, 2012
This is more of a cowboy book than it is a Christmas book. The thing I like about this book is the weaving of interesting details from the cowboy era. It also has a satisfying, kid-friendly ending (though a bit predictable).
January 1, 2013
We read this book for the first time this Christmas season, I'm not sure it's a keeper. While it had a happy ending there really wasn't very much substance to the story or the characters.
October 15, 2013
A very enjoyable story, I would recommend it; though I am not sure that I would add it to my annual Christmas reading list.
December 19, 2024
This is one of my favorite Christmas books.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews