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The Legend of the Candy Cane
One dark November night a stranger rides into a small prairie town. Who is he? Why has he come? The townspeople wish he were a doctor, a dressmaker, or a trader. But the children have the greatest wish of all, a deep, quiet, secret wish. Then a young girl named Lucy befriends the newcomer. When he reveals his identity and shares with her the legend of the candy cane, she discovers fulfillment of her wishes and the answer to her town's dreams. Now will she share what she has learned? Warm, lavish illustrations by James Bernardin bring to life a timeless tale by Lori Walburg, a story that will help families celebrate the mystery and miracle of Christmas―for many Christmases to come.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 1997
105 people are currently reading
1438 people want to read
About the author
Lori Walburg
11 books3 followersLori Walburg attended Dordt College and graduated from Calvin College and the University of Iowa. Lori is the author of the bestselling The Legend of the Candy Cane and The Legend of the Easter Egg. She lives with her husband and two children in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
November 17, 2021
The colorful, breathtaking illustrations greatly add to this wonderful (Christian) legend of the candy cane. This may become a favorite read for families during the Christmas season!
December 27, 2018
The Legend of the Candy Cane, with its religious theme, is a perfect read for the Christmas season. Children will be enthralled by the candy store and will delight in learning more about a popular Christmas treat. A nice family read reflecting the true meaning of the season.
December 21, 2021
A super cute and delicious story of a candy store coming to a small village and the creation of the candy cane.
November 17, 2021
A lovely story with beautifully detailed illustrations. This is a very nice Christmas read and children will enjoy the scenes in the sweetshop. Funnily enough I read about the history of the candy cane a few weeks ago and it was interesting to read about this same potential origin in the back pages. A good Christmas picture book with some interesting history.
Read on open library.
Read on open library.
December 9, 2014
Truthfully, this is not a five-star book. I keep five stars for Shakespeare, Homer, Jane Austen and the like. But when your teenage daughter brings this book to you near bedtime, snuggles up on the couch next to you, rests her head on your shoulder and says, "Mom, this is my favorite Christmas book. Would you read it to me?", then you feel like giving it five stars.
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December 16, 2024One of the little man's most favorite Christmas books and one I love reading to him, too. Even if I did start to memorize a lot of it!
December 4, 2020
I love the illustrations. It's like a beautiful dream. I do not know much about the religious background the story is based on towards the end of the story but yes, a good read.
December 14, 2019
Another beautifully illustrated book describing the Christian symbolism in the candy cane.
September 30, 2014
What a sweet interesting book The Legend of the Candy Cane is even though is geared for toddlers, it kept the attention of my nine year old. The book is made of hard cardboard, and great for little hands to carry around.
The book is beautifully illustrated with bright colors, and the children noticed the dog and cat in the pictures. The boys wished they could be Lucy and help unpack all that candy; a child’s dream comes true.
When it came time to tell the legend of the Candy Cane, they were enthralled at the story, and sad about Jesus blood being represented by the red and white stripe. They have looked this book over and over, and are able to read a lot of the words themselves. This one is a real keeper for the Christmas Season, right on our coffee table.
I received this book from Booklook Bloggers of Harper Collins Christian Book Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review.
The book is beautifully illustrated with bright colors, and the children noticed the dog and cat in the pictures. The boys wished they could be Lucy and help unpack all that candy; a child’s dream comes true.
When it came time to tell the legend of the Candy Cane, they were enthralled at the story, and sad about Jesus blood being represented by the red and white stripe. They have looked this book over and over, and are able to read a lot of the words themselves. This one is a real keeper for the Christmas Season, right on our coffee table.
I received this book from Booklook Bloggers of Harper Collins Christian Book Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review.
December 23, 2018
2018: this is a highly recommended book. It is important to us to read it each year. It has a Christ-centered focus.
I love this book. We read it each year for our Christmas advent.
I love this book. We read it each year for our Christmas advent.
December 2, 2020
Love this one! <3
October 9, 2024
Beautiful story of the birth of a candy cane.
December 9, 2019
I read this every year at Christmas. So way too many times.
November 30, 2018
My favorite
November 1, 2013
The Legend of the Candy Cane is one of those Christmas books that I will love having out on my coffee table (which may be a little loaded down if I don't stop buying). The illustrations are beautiful. The story of the young girl, Lucy, helping Mr. Sonneman, the new neighbor, get his business ready to open is sweet, but I thought there were a couple issues. One is that Walburg talks about how the whole town wonders about this man and what he is doing, but no one talks to him except this little girl. I thought that was a great jumping-off point for a valuable lesson, but it was never mentioned again. The other element that I wasn't in love with was the whole purpose of the book (at least according to the title). The story of the man opening the store and his helper led to the telling of the legend of the candy cane - of course...after all it is the title of the book. However, the legend of how the candy cane came to be used for a Christmas treat is a bit heavy-handed within the story. The wording was too adult focused. It needed to be integrated within the actual story of Lucy and Mr. Sonneman for children to really enjoy it.
December 13, 2023
My in-laws gave this book to our boys for Christmas 1999 and we read it several times each Advent and Christmas season while they were growing up. Now that they are adults and living on their own, I still read this book every year as part of my holiday traditions along side watching A Christmas Carol and others.
December 13, 2016
While I love the story about the candy cane itself, I was extremely apprehensive reading it to my daughter. The story has a little girl hanging out in a candy store. With a man. A lot. Alone. No way! Back to the library it went!
December 29, 2020
We at The Literature Ladies cherish this story for both the childhood memory it is to us and for the bigger story it tells: our hope is found in the blood of Jesus, who came to earth as a baby and died on a cross to reunite us before God. To us, that reunion and restoration is the very best Christmas gift of all.
Read more on our blog!
Read more on our blog!
January 6, 2023
This book was cute! It was longer than I expected, but a cute story about the beginning of the candy cane. It is a religious story, so that definitely is a big deal for some people when choosing to read books. If you are really religious, you will probably love this book for your kids. If you aren’t very religious or are not religious at all, you might want to skip this one.
December 7, 2024
I picked this up not realizing this would be a religious Christmas book. Though we are not a religious family, I have no issue with the occasional religious Christmas story. This one certainly caught me off guard though. The intensity in some of the descriptions of what happened to Jesus seemed to be a bit much for a children's picture book. I did enjoy the illustrations.
December 28, 2019
Sadly, this year was the first year I didn't receive or buy any candy canes. In spite of this, my youngest son and I (and some of my other sons) enjoyed reading the legend behind this Christmas treat, as well as some of the factual history.
December 12, 2020
An interesting children’s story about the history of the candy cane. If you ever want to learn how candy canes are made, YouTube it - what a cool process!
December 3, 2021
One of my favorite Christmas books to read to my kids every year. 🥰
December 23, 2024
We like to read this book each year at Christmas 💚 I see that there’s a few different versions now, but the one that uses James Bernardin’s illustrations is definitely the best (imho 😉) ❤️
June 18, 2020
Cute children's book with really good illustrations!
November 27, 2022
I purchased this book years ago. I LOVE this book! We "decorate" with it every year at Christmas time. Wish I could find some more prints of it to give to my children who are no longer living at home.
December 15, 2020
This book tells the story of the candy cane: what the “J” shape stands for, what the staff shape represents, and what the red and white colors on it mean. It was very short and sweet! :)
December 1, 2022
The original version is my favorite: the illustrations by James Bernardin are much nicer (a more realistic painting style than the newer version's that are quite caricatuted with too-big heads!).
December 18, 2016
Instantly didn't think this would be good because of the illustrations. They're cartoon-like.
Why are they gray?
Cheesy how the man, dog and cat are looking straight at the reader.
It says the townspeople heard the pum, pum, pum of his hammer. Hammers don't make that noise. And saws don't really sound like snish, snish, snish.
I guess it's part of the story, but if the townspeople wanted to know who it was, and why he was in their abandoned building, they would ask.
It's weird that they aren't. They thought he was a doctor, tailor or trader. But why would he be in there building things?
The girl is sweet to ask if he needed help, but very dangerous to go to a stranger!
It's a little much seeing the dog, car and rat in every page.
The girls stocking foot looks cute! & her curly hair and bow. Her look of surprise is cute too, but it's zombie-like. I wish the characters looked more real.
Where did he get all the crates? He only came with small items.
Wow, it's a candy store. I'm disappointed. I didn't know the secret thing the kids wished for was a candy story! Wow I can't believe I didn't see that coming. I assumed it was soemthing to do with Santa.
I love all the colors of the candy spread across the page around the girls delighted face. The dog and cat look cute with their eyes closed.
She started to say the kids wished for this, and he says he knew.
Was he already planning to open shop there? How did his supplies get there?
It says he had pink and white peppermints for church, and butterscotch for company, which I had never heard of. I've also never seen pink and white peppermint.
It's cool how she spotted a red and white striped candy stick with a crook on the end.
He asked her what letter it looked like, and I was surprised when he said J for Jesus. I've never thought it looked like a J.
The page with the shepherds in the field in front of the night sky was pretty. & the lighter sky. The shepherd looks terrified rather than wonderois. I wish he had a better expression.
I wish the angels in the sky looked more real and tangible. They're faded and hard to make out. And all one color.
When he asks who the first were to find out about Jesus I didn't even know, and so was surprised when the little girl said the shepherds in the field who were watching over their flock at night.
This was something I'd never heard: "the prophet Isaiah said, 'by his stripes we are healed.' Before he died on the cross, Jesus was whipped. He bled terribly. The red reminds us of his suffering and his blood.'
Never would have imagined that,& it's kind of heavy to put in a kids book. I also dw think about blood while I'm eating.
"But then, the candy is white as well. When we give our lives to Jesus, his blood washes away our sins, making us white and pure as snow."
I wonder where her parents are through all of this!
I wish we could see them reading to the townspeople.
'In every home, they told the story, they left a small gift, and they gave an invitation.'
The store opened on Christmas Eve, which was an odd time. Stores should be closed then. Farmers came hoping to trade grain for Christmas gifts. Surely they would have bought presents by now!
The window of the store looked white, and wasn't see through. Yet the kids were standing in the window. It didn't look like they were standing inside the store.
This sounded weird: 'Yes, they had come to share in the opening of the candy store.'
I would say 'the misery of his death.' It's bringing the mood down.
I liked the history of the candy came at the end. I had never heard of the history of the candy cane and didn't know it was real. I thought this author made it up.
Very cool learning something knew. I love legends. & ill think of this when I eat candy canes.
Why are they gray?
Cheesy how the man, dog and cat are looking straight at the reader.
It says the townspeople heard the pum, pum, pum of his hammer. Hammers don't make that noise. And saws don't really sound like snish, snish, snish.
I guess it's part of the story, but if the townspeople wanted to know who it was, and why he was in their abandoned building, they would ask.
It's weird that they aren't. They thought he was a doctor, tailor or trader. But why would he be in there building things?
The girl is sweet to ask if he needed help, but very dangerous to go to a stranger!
It's a little much seeing the dog, car and rat in every page.
The girls stocking foot looks cute! & her curly hair and bow. Her look of surprise is cute too, but it's zombie-like. I wish the characters looked more real.
Where did he get all the crates? He only came with small items.
Wow, it's a candy store. I'm disappointed. I didn't know the secret thing the kids wished for was a candy story! Wow I can't believe I didn't see that coming. I assumed it was soemthing to do with Santa.
I love all the colors of the candy spread across the page around the girls delighted face. The dog and cat look cute with their eyes closed.
She started to say the kids wished for this, and he says he knew.
Was he already planning to open shop there? How did his supplies get there?
It says he had pink and white peppermints for church, and butterscotch for company, which I had never heard of. I've also never seen pink and white peppermint.
It's cool how she spotted a red and white striped candy stick with a crook on the end.
He asked her what letter it looked like, and I was surprised when he said J for Jesus. I've never thought it looked like a J.
The page with the shepherds in the field in front of the night sky was pretty. & the lighter sky. The shepherd looks terrified rather than wonderois. I wish he had a better expression.
I wish the angels in the sky looked more real and tangible. They're faded and hard to make out. And all one color.
When he asks who the first were to find out about Jesus I didn't even know, and so was surprised when the little girl said the shepherds in the field who were watching over their flock at night.
This was something I'd never heard: "the prophet Isaiah said, 'by his stripes we are healed.' Before he died on the cross, Jesus was whipped. He bled terribly. The red reminds us of his suffering and his blood.'
Never would have imagined that,& it's kind of heavy to put in a kids book. I also dw think about blood while I'm eating.
"But then, the candy is white as well. When we give our lives to Jesus, his blood washes away our sins, making us white and pure as snow."
I wonder where her parents are through all of this!
I wish we could see them reading to the townspeople.
'In every home, they told the story, they left a small gift, and they gave an invitation.'
The store opened on Christmas Eve, which was an odd time. Stores should be closed then. Farmers came hoping to trade grain for Christmas gifts. Surely they would have bought presents by now!
The window of the store looked white, and wasn't see through. Yet the kids were standing in the window. It didn't look like they were standing inside the store.
This sounded weird: 'Yes, they had come to share in the opening of the candy store.'
I would say 'the misery of his death.' It's bringing the mood down.
I liked the history of the candy came at the end. I had never heard of the history of the candy cane and didn't know it was real. I thought this author made it up.
Very cool learning something knew. I love legends. & ill think of this when I eat candy canes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2014
This book was a bit disappointing. The illustrations are very old fashioned, which is quaint, but rather unappealing and comes off a bit odd. The story tries to ascribe religious meaning to the shape and colors of the candy cane.
The story explains that the shape J is for Jesus and flipped the other way, for the shepherd’s staff. They then assign the colors to give them a religious meaning. The assign red for the beating that made Jesus blood run down like red stripes and white for being washed clean from Jesus’ forgiveness. It appears that this has been toned down in words and illustrations from previous versions, but it still is a concept that small children will not understand. The thing that concerned me the most is that while the book is labeled for ages 4-8, this is a board book which is usually given to younger children 1-4.
I do not recommend this book for below age 4 and probably would raise that age up a little. I would recommend the parent read the book first, and decide if your child is ready for the content.
I received this book from the BookLook blogger program in exchange for an honest review.
The story explains that the shape J is for Jesus and flipped the other way, for the shepherd’s staff. They then assign the colors to give them a religious meaning. The assign red for the beating that made Jesus blood run down like red stripes and white for being washed clean from Jesus’ forgiveness. It appears that this has been toned down in words and illustrations from previous versions, but it still is a concept that small children will not understand. The thing that concerned me the most is that while the book is labeled for ages 4-8, this is a board book which is usually given to younger children 1-4.
I do not recommend this book for below age 4 and probably would raise that age up a little. I would recommend the parent read the book first, and decide if your child is ready for the content.
I received this book from the BookLook blogger program in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews