Lovely illustrations show an old donkey, lonely, lame and cold on Christmas eve. When the donkey meets a man who needs some help delivering some packages he bravely offers to help. When the donkey walks along with this man he begins to feel better and at the end of his journey he becomes a gift to a family who give him a loving home.
This is a nice Christmas story with a happy fulfilling ending. When my daughter was small she used to find it strange that Father Christmas wore white but she really enjoyed the way you felt so sorry for the donkey at the start and felt so happy at the end.
This is a beautiful story -- beautifully told and beautifully illustrated. A lonely old donkey meets up with Father Christmas and offers to help him carry a heavy sack full of gifts. The best gift was for the donkey. Sweet story.
A lonely, lame, and hungry donkey finds himself helping Father Christmas travel with his last bag of gifts the last twelve miles to reach Green Lane Hollow, as the night fades, and Christmas Day approaches Father Christmas leaves the donkey, but what happens next is the magic of the season.
This donkey wants nothing more than someone to love and for someone to love him in return. He gets his wish on Christmas by none other than Santa himself.
Synopsis:"A tired old donkey searches for food on Christmas Eve. Suddenly, he hears the sound of silver bells and galloping hoofs. Who could it be but Father Christmas, with a very special Christmas present for a lonely donkey."Ormerod's illustrations combine dramatic silhouettes,iridescent silver, and delicate line-and-watercolor pictures to create a sense of the mystery and wonder of a clear Christmas night."
My Review: One of the best Christmas books so far! Bitter sweet, happy, and adorable all rolled into one. Really helps to explain to little ones that there are worse off and that sometimes the things that you can't see or purchase with money are the best gifts. There are so many little lessons packed into this story. The images are kind of simple, monotone but the touches of silver caught Munchkin's eyes. It was a little long for my little guy (only 3 months) so it took 2 nights but would be a good one for a preschooler.
A wonderfully traditional story, my favourite Christmas read of 2014 ... so far, made all the more charming by the simplicity of the story with its message that sometimes the best gifts are those that are given freely.
With beautiful illustrations simply done in monotone with a sparse use of silver hi-lighting there really is something incredibly memorising about the whole book.
Three stars for the story and an extra star for the beautiful illustrations. A lonely donkey with a stiff leg meets Father Christmas in a field. After he helps Father Christmas carry his load to the nearby village, he is led to the home of a loving family who care for him.
Sweet British story of father Christmas, definitely not Santa, although he says that he also answers to that name. A happy ending as the virtuous donkey Is rewarded with a good home.