Sam's Christmas Wish Hardcover – September 30, 2014

"Sam's Christmas Wish" is a beautifully illustrated 9 1/2 inch by 11 1/2 inch children's Christmas Book. The hardback book has an attention getting full color pictorial cover and matching dust jacket. The pictorial cover shows Sam Edwards and his two children standing at their open front door on Christmas morning staring at a pile of Christmas gifts from an unknown giver. There are 28 pages in this book. The book can be read in 15 - 20 minutes. It would make a wonderful and powerful read aloud book for the classroom or a good night story to be read to children during the Christmas Season. Every other page is a beautiful and realistic illustration. Dan Burry, the illustrator, did a magnificent job of portraying the feelings and emotions of each of the characters in the story.Dan Edwards was very grumpy since he lost his job a few weeks before Christmas. He, like many men and fathers was a proud man and took charity from no one. He didn't want any "do-gooders" coming to his house bringing gifts and food this Christmas season. On Christmas Eve Sam falls asleep and awakens Christmas morning to lots of wrapped gifts for the childrem and a large ham laying under a Christmas tree. Sam was highly offended and called the sheriff to report that someone had broken into his home and delivered these unwanted and unappreciated gifts. The sheriff arrives on the scene and neither he or Sam could find any tracks or evidence of anybody coming to the house the night before in the freshly fallen snow. Sam facetiously suggests that someone must have landed a helicopter on the roof of his house to deliver the presents. Placing a ladder against the side of the house, Sam climbs to the top of the roof but sees no tracks. He looks down at his children and remembers the awe and excitement of the Christmas spirit in his past childhood. He tells the children that there are tracks around the chimney and has a change of heart asking the children what they were waiting for -the Christmas presents must be for them. For the next 36 years there was no one in the town that was not touched by the kindnesses of Sam Edwards. Sam often talked to his friend, the sheriff, and told him that he wished he could do what Jesus said in the Bible - something good and in secret so that nobody would ever know. The years progressed and Sam was getting old. Sam had Arthritis in his legs which made it difficult for him to get up and around. He now lived all alone. He missed his wife who had passed away years ago. His children were all grown and had families of their own and lived far away. Sam didn't get very many visitors except for his neighbors - the Gentry Family. It was Christmas Eve and the Gentry family visited Sam and sang Christmas carols. Their visits always put a smile on Sam's face. Late that Christmas Eve night after the Gentry family left, Sam gets the opportunity to fulfill his long cherished wish to do something very special without anyone knowing that he did it. You will want to read this book to experience this beautiful but somewaht sad ending to find out how Sam's wish came true. This book would make a wonderful movie.When I read this book I couldn't help but think of the many times when my school and I tried to deliver special Christmas baskets of food, clothing and toys to needy families and the fathers of some famiilies would not accept the donations. How I wish that they, too, would have experienced the change of heart that Sam did in this story.I bought this book to donate to my public elementary school's library. However, because our schools and society have become so politically correct, some may be offended by an incident in the story where Sam picks up a Bible and reads the following scripture - "That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."I heartily recommend this book. It teaches a wonderful quality of Christmas gift giving -- giving to someone without them or anyone else knowing who the gift giver is. Truly a gem of a book!

This is one of my favorite stories on giving to others anonymously.

Great author, great illustrations, great story.

I listened to George D Durand give this talk a long time ago and had it on cassette which I can't play anymore, so was very pleased to find it in Amazon books. I gave one to each of my grown grandchildren for their Christmas card and they all and love it,

This is a touching Christmas story about a man who recognized the reason for Christmas and performed a Christlike act of selfless charity. I am a grown man and can help but choke up when I read it to my boys!

This is our family's favorite Christmas story! We have been reading it every Christmas Eve for about the last 20 years (we had the original paperback with no pictures). I love this beautiful new book with pictures! This is a treasure!

One of my families favorite stories.

The story is interesting but pretty unbelievable. It was fun to read for the Christmas Memories but the story is just OK. The moral of the story is good and brings a special christmas spirit.