At the J-Bar Nothing Ranch on Christmas Eve, Patricia, Jason and their mother are waiting alone for their father to return from his drive. With an approaching Blizzard, they decide to go ahead and find a tree themselves, a scraggly mesquite branch that is not nearly as pretty as the cedar tree their father usually brings them.
Patricia and Jason are snug in their beds after finishing their chores early, when Patricia hears the corral gate banging in the wind. Not wanting her mother to find out she didn’t do her chores right, she sneaks outside with Jason into the dangerous storm. They close the gate, but the wind and ice keeps them from making back to the house, so they prepare to spend the night in the barn.
Worried about their father, who is still out in the cold, they make their beds on loose hay in a horse stall, not expecting the special surprise that will make this a wonderful Christmas after all.
About the Author/Illustrator
Author/illustrator James Rice (1934-2004) produced sixty books, including illustrations for Pelican's treasured The Night Before Christmas Series. Rice's first book, the well-loved classic Cajun Night Before Christmas®, has more than 750,000 copies in print. Young readers also enjoy his Cowboy Night Before Christmas and Cowboy Rodeo, both published by Pelican. With over 1.5 million copies of his books in print, Rice ranks among the nation's best-selling creators of children's books, receiving awards from the Printer Industries of America.
CHRISTMAS AT THE J-O
Written and Illustrated by James Rice
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations / Christmas & Advent
32 pp. 8 1/2 x 11
Color illustrations
ISBN: 9781565540873 hc