Prairie Christmas

by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Eleven-year-old Emma is disappointed when her mother, a doctor, has to deliver a baby on Christmas Day. But when she arrives with Mama at the house, Emma realizes she isn't the only one whose Christmas has been interrupted.With warm pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, this story offers a glimpse of life on the prairie in the 1800s. And, like Emma, readers will be reminded that easing someone else's pain can often help ease their own.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Elizabeth Van Steenwyk is the award-winning author of more than seventy published books for young people. After graduating from Knox College, she went on to spend ten years writing for radio and television with a concentration on children's programming. She lives in California.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of Christmas book. This is about giving instead of taking on Christmas.

This is set in the 1880s and the mother is the doctor for the town. She and her daughter are called to deliver a baby on Christmas eve. The daughter helps bring Christmas to the 2 children as the mother isn't able too.

Those pioneers were tough people is all I have to say.

Such a different story. It has the spirit of Christmas shining through while not being all that Christmas-y. It was good.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I Love it: Because it’s about a woman doctor in the 1880’s and shows how a ten year old girl helps the siblings by taking their mind off their worries and the birthing mother. She celebrates the spirit of Christmas by helping the siblings decorate their tree with strands of horse hair and ribbons. At first she is upset because she realizes her Christmas plans have been derailed. Then she sees the younger siblings and realizes they aren’t having much of a Christmas either. She makes Christmas pudding because they didn’t get dinner and soon is offering comfort and sharing her lap with them. Emma sings songs to lighten the sounds of birthing and the cries of the baby bring a lump in my throat as I realize the baby is here and is OK. This the perfect story for new families and mothers and daughters everywhere. Especially at Christmas.

[Helen-Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased this at Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis. An interesting story of an 11 year old girl whose mother is a doctor in Nebraska in the late 1800s, called out on Christmas Day to deliver a baby. The girl accompanies her, mentally bomoaning her own ruined Christmas. Predictably, Christmas turns out to be quite special. A nice story, but the writing is a bit heavy. Still, I am happy to add it to my "bookshlef" of Christmas books.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story of a Christmas in Nebraska. Told from the perspective of a girl whose mother is a doctor, the story is simple, but sweet with a good reminder that the best Christmases are when you help others. The illustrations were good, and I look forward to reading this story to nieces and nephews.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mature, quiet theme for a picture book. Ages 7-9.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming.
A young girl learns how serving others can help us forget our own problems.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just an okay read at best for me. I didn't enjoy the story or really anything about it, except that it was set in the 1800's and I love that time period. The sketchy, loose illustrations didn't suit the story or make it any better, and I don't think the style of artwork captured that time period very well. I didn't enjoy looking at any of the pictures.

The story wasn't what I thought it would be, so it was that deflating feeling that my expectations surpassed it. My library had a different summary than the one in the book.

"On the Nebraska prairie in 1880, eleven-year-old Emma finds a way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas while her mother, a midwife, delivers a baby on Christmas Eve."

That mislead me to believe the girl was alone with other family members and celebrating Christmas prairie-style. I was disappointed that the girl accompanied her mom to the birth; that wasn't anywhere near as interesting as what I thought would happen. I wasn't interested in the birth or the two siblings anxious about it, so it went from what I thought was a lighthearted tale something like Little House on the Prairie to a way-to-mature experience with childbirth that kids would be averse to. Kids would probably be grossed out and horrified to be reading about a mom in pain, moaning and making noises that frighten the children. I mean, come on. Kids, especially ones reading picture books, do not need to be exposed to the horrors of having babies. Like, whoa. Totally not PG. Even though there weren't any details except the sounds the mom was making, the very topic and the running of your mind filling in the gaps definitely sends this over the edge as inappropriate.

It would have been nice to have an introduction to the characters before we were jammed right into the urgency of them immediately having to leave their home in the middle of the night. We didn't even get to know their names or history before they're rushing to assist a neighbor, Van Der Meers, which was a really complex name for a kid book. We even get to know the guy's name that came over to tell them the woman needed help. I was definitely wondering how the woman and her daughter were living alone at this time. There was no mention of a father whatsoever, which was just strange to me. I thought it should be mentioned if he was dead, and that his presence was missed especially on Christmas day, but got nothing.

Her mom was a doctor, and it was insight into the way of life back then because her mom thought it was time for women to be doctors.

There was a lot of writing, definitely too much to go on the page. And I quickly noticed how so many different things would be written that was happening to the characters, but the picture beside that page would only show one of those scenes. That really took away a lot from the story that there would be so many ideas we didn't get to see.

I thought it was odd how it took them an hour to reach the family's house, because they had a horse. That's a long way to travel. It was weird how the house and barn were joined together under one roof. I've never heard of that. The family got one side and the animals the other, and the animals could look into the home through the "half-open doors." I had no idea what that looked like, had never heard of a structure like this and didn't get to see a picture of it until 19 pages later. That's ridiculous. The picture beside this writing showed their horse walking up to the house.

The Christmas custom was a little fuzzy. I've never heard of people in the 1800's staying up until 12 a.m. on Christmas morning. It was 2 a.m. when they got to their house, and the family's Christmas tree was unfinished. Did they really stay up all night to decorate their tree? Wouldn't they just wait until Christmas morning after sleeping? That's way too late for anyone to stay up, especially children.

Also a new custom that the kids slept in a sleeping cupboard in the wall. We didn't find out the girl's name until the children ask her.

They heard their mom groan and that was when Emma realized that Hansie and Will's Christmas wasn't going any better than hers. She set about keeping them entertained and distracted from their mom's noises. I was surprised at how well Emma made herself at home. It seemed to be really lacking in manners the way she helped herself to things and did things without asking. Will got an apple and Emma's horse, Old Dan, shook his head. Emma told them he likes apples and just takes one and gives it to him without asking. That's their food, and she just fed it to her horse without asking if she could first! What person helps their self to someone else's food?

It seemed a very strange custom to pull loose hair out of her horse's mane and use them as tinsel on the tree. I didn't know if that was something the author made up or if people in Nebraska in the 1880's actually did that. Very unusual to hang horse hair on a tree.

She cooked for them because the girl said she was hungry. She got rice, cinnamon, sugar, salt and raisins, and Hansie said "Porridge" and Emma corrected her by saying "Christmas porridge." I don't think corrected was the right word, because it sounded like the girl had done something wrong, and she didn't. What's the difference between porridge and Christmas porridge?

"We hear more alarming sounds from the bedroom." Kids shouldn't be exposed to this kind of stuff. It might scare some of them imagining the kinds of sounds.

The story was just too long too, which made it worse. Emma decided to sang to distract them from the sounds, but the kids didn't know the words to Silent Night. Hansie found yard to put on the tree, and Will put his dad's cigar wrappers on there. I don't think mentioning cigars is good in a kid's book either, and wow, what resourceful decorations. When Emma found berries in a bowl and added those to the three I'd had enough of her. I could not believe she took someone else's food and put it on the tree.

John Cooper, the man that had come to Emma's house to summon her mom, arrived with a plate of cookies and two men, one holding a lamb and its baby and another a goat, which didn't really look like a goat. He said he saw the lamp burning all night and they were worried. I was surprised and didn't understand the logistics of his knowing the couple needed help delivering the baby and riding to get the midwife, and him being able to see their light was on. He must be a really close neighbor, which was surprising because it took Emma and her mom an hour to get to their house, so obviously they live nowhere in sight of each other.

It was way too in-depth for the subject. I couldn't believe I was reading this in a picture book. She told him the baby wasn't here yet and he said "Not yet? But it has been so long . . ." We look at one another. How much longer will we wait?"
Like, what?!?! I guess this would be good if children were being introduced into the topic of childbearing, like if they were having a new sibling and curious as to how it was going to get here. I didn't find it a good use of my time that I was reading about people staring at each other fretting over the noises they were hearing and the amount of time it was taking to deliver the baby.

The only nice thing to happen was that Hansie told Emma she was glad she was there, because she didn't think they were going to have Christmas. So at least Emma was a help to the kids in comforting them and providing entertainment.

They hear the baby cry and Will said "He's here!" It could have been a girl. He also dropped the plate of cookies, "but no one minds." Wow, one more annoyance. The neighbor took the time to bring over cookies and they're dropped onto the floor. What a total waste. That shouldn't have happened.

Emma's mom was tired and Emma decided she'd do the dishes all by herself that night. Guess it might teach kids to help their parents out, esp if they notice they're tired..Idk.

The details went overboard, made the book way longer than it needed to be. The dad brings the wife and child out of the room because it's warmer out here, Mrs. Van Der Meer walks slowly and carefully. Whoa! Info overload. Surprised nursing or anything else wasn't mentioned.

Just got to see what the half-open doors leading to the barn looked like, way too far into the story. Her horse, and their cow and donkey looked in, kind of like the nativity scene. Three men are there like the wise men, bearing gifts for the baby. The goat for milk and the lambs for wool. I don't think it needed to be done like Jesus's birth, because it's just a regular baby and not symbolizing Jesus.

It was so dumb how Will and Hansie gave the baby apples. What kind of a gift are apples for a newborn baby? It's not like she could eat them. And they didn't have to give her anything. You don't have to give a gift to a baby. And they'd known she was coming for 9 months. Seems like they could have had a proper gift ready in that time, to where they didn't have to grab apples off the table for their new sister. I didn't like that Emma gave the baby her scarf. What is up with people giving things away to a baby? Emma had just said at the start of the book it used to be too long but that she's starting to grow into it since she's almost 11, but all of a sudden gives it up because she's outgrown it tonight. How did she outgrow it?

The book ended with Emma vowing that she'll always remember this Christmas. I didn't think it was that special to remember so strongly.

I didn't enjoy being along for the ride with the delivery, or their homemade Christmas in someone else's house. This definitely wasn't the Christmas story on the prairie I was looking for.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I instantly don’t like that this is in present tense. I hate present tense!
When I read over the description, I thought that the main character’s mom was giving birth, not that they were neighbors to the pregnant woman.
The pictures capture the colors of the prairie.
This just hit me the wrong way: ‘Mama always goes when someone comes to tell her she’s needed.’ It’s a nice thing to do! I was shocked when I read that her mom was a doctor. Even though the year is 1880, I didn’t know women could be doctors then. And if she’s a doctor, then it’s all the more reason to go when someone needs you!
I wish the drawings were clearer. The girl standing in the doorway has a dark, obscure face, with sort of smeared features.
I like the stars in the sky above the house. It’s interesting how the barn and house were built under one roof. I’ve never heard of that before.
I also liked learning the bag attached to the horse’s bridles that they eat out of is called a nosebag.
The dad looks like a character from tv, maybe Little House on the Prairie.

“Is our new baby here yet?” the little boy asks. He comes to stand close to me.
“No,” I say. “It might take a while.” Most of my Christmas, I add to myself.’
That was kind of funny.

I wish the girl had a better name than “Hansie.”

‘“Don’t be afraid,” I tell them. They’re not having much of a Christmas either.’
I wish there was more feeling here.

All of a sudden it says ‘Will helps himself to an apple from a wooden bowl on the table, and Old Dan begins to shake his head.’ I didn’t realize Dan was that close to them. I knew she said the animals could see into the house through a half-door, but I didn’t know that meant they could literally stick their heads over the doors. I do like the horse’s bridle with jingle bells on it.

It says ‘Then I get an idea.
“What are you doing?” Hansie asks.’
It didn’t say she was doing anything. You have to tell us.

‘“I want my mama,” he begins.
So do I, I think. But I am older so I do not say that aloud. I can spare a hug though. It’s good for him and for me as well.’
That was nice she gave him a hug.

When she opens the door to find three neighbors there, holding baby goats, and a plate of cookies, it just rang the Three Wise Men for me. Also, the mom goat is way too small. She’s the size of the babies, and just has an old-looking face. She should be quite a bit bigger than them!

I like the page with all of them dancing and cheering, and the soft colors of the men’s shirts, and their bandanas.

‘Mama comes out. She looks tired, and I remind myself to do the dishes all by myself tonight.’ that was nice. I was surprised to hear that the mom was going to be walking into the living room. That seems really soon to be walking around!

When the horse, donkey and cow show up in the door, above the crowd in the living room, it just smacks of the Nativity Scene.

I was surprised when she gave her scarf to the baby. She says ‘the baby will grow into its miles of warmth, as I did, and one day outgrow it, as I have done tonight.’ How can you outgrow it when at the beginning of the book you said ‘little by little I’m growing into it now that I’m almost eleven.’ Unless you grew out of it in a matter of hours. Also, it’s a practical item that you’re going to need, so I wouldn’t be giving it away!

I wish this story was about an actual prairie Christmas, instead of a birthing story. Seems like when someone does a story in prairie times, it’s about birth, or a fire, or tornado or something. I wanted to actually read about traditions from prairie times.

[JD Waggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was delightful.

This is a beautiful story of a girl accompanying her mother to help deliver a baby on the frontier in the early hours of Christmas morning. I love that the mom is a doctor and that the book quietly points out that women can and should do that. And I love that the narrator is a girl herself, strong and responsible but still a kid. She has to figure out how to help while her mom deals with the coming child, and she does a fine job of it.

The Christian Christmas story hovers in the background of this--an uncertain birth with animals as part of the scene and some men who bring gifts for the newborn--but you don't have to read that overlay if you're not into it. I like the ambiguity, and the possibility of all the conversations this can spark with a kid listening along.

The art is also quite lovely, soft colors spilling slightly over sketched lines. All in all, a solid book that I may end up adding to my collection for the youngsters in my life.

[Ember Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very pleased with this story. It is a fast read with perfect artwork. The story follows a young girl who lives on the prairie with her mother who is a doctor (which is a pretty big deal for that time!). On Christmas, her mother gets called to an emergency birth and she has to go with her. The young girl thinks that her Christmas is ruined, but then realized that she isn't the only one feeling this way. The woman who is having a baby also has two other children who are very worried. The young girl in this story gets to learn that the true spirit of Christmas is in your heart, and often times helping others can make you feel better too.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why more people don't love this book! I love it, because it's a feminist-minded children's book that features a home birth. My eldest loves the spunky female protagonist with a pioneer setting.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl travels with her mother to deliver a baby on Christmas. She thinks her Christmas is ruined but she soon learns the true meaning of Christmas.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fiction; Juvenile/Christmas
2 stars

[Kristina]

Lovely but too long to read in one sitting, so not great as an "X" picture book.

[Lauren Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This plot of this picture book shares several parallels with the nativity story.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

For part of our Christmas celebration this month, my husband and I took a tour at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge where they had Christmas on the Prairie. Unfortunately the signed up children didn't appear but we still had one of the older women read a Christmas book to us with a choice between a local woman whose work I didn't get, this book or an excerpt from the Little House series. And it was this book that won the vote.

I think many of us were quite expecting a much different read from this book based on its title but instead received a much different story. Instead the book takes place in Nebraska at a time when women were starting to become doctors instead of just midwives while we only have our narrator to confirm her mother was the former and not a latter as it is the latter that is much needed in this tale. Either way a call from a neighbor ends up sending this mother and daughter pair out into the dark Christmas Eve to help a woman in need.

The story is a bit on the predictable side since you basically are introducing to a frustrated girl who just doesn't want to wait and waste her Christmas on a delivery. And as time passes for her she notices that there are two other little children at the house already who are scared about the events occurring in the next room over. Busying herself she helps them to take care of decorations that have been dropped by the wayside and helping them to get their minds off the sounds from next door even when other neighbors come by to visit.

It was cute and charming but not many traditions were shared from an actual prairie Christmas since I really can't see many choosing to decorate their tree with horse hair. Along with lengthy text, bland colored illustrations and a more mature theme this is more a book to share with adults or mature children rather than to share it as a light Christmas read.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Emma is used to accompanying her doctor mother when she is called out at all hours, but when a neighbor arrives Christmas Eve night with the news that a baby is coming and the doctor is needed, she resents having to spend this special time away from home. Waiting in the Van Der Meers home however, she soon realizes that the two children of the house are equally disappointed at having Christmas interrupted, and sets out to provide them with the holiday cheer they are missing...

Set in Nebraska in the 1880s, Prairie Christmas is the first book I have read from author Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, who appears to be quite prolific, and the third from illustrator Ronald Himler. It pairs an engaging and ultimately moving narrative with lovely pencil and watercolor artwork, capturing both the rougher conditions of that earlier time and place, and the holiday spirit that nevertheless was able to thrive there, with a little encouragement. I found myself moved by the story here, and by the implicit lesson about forgetting our own trouble through being of service to others—a message most appropriate for the time of year. I also greatly appreciated the subtle parallels to the story of the Nativity—the Christmas birth in a home that is also a stable, the arrival of neighbors with gifts for the baby—which some young people might catch, but which will certainly strike older readers. Recommended to picture book readers looking for Christmas stories with a prairie pioneer setting and/or a theme of helping others at the holidays.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story that takes young readers back to 1880, a time when life on the prairie was very difficult, especially if you needed a doctor. Emma's mother is a doctor (during a time period when there weren't very many women doctors) and one of their neighbors on the Nebraska prairie has gone into labor on Christmas Eve. Emma's mother and Emma hitch up the horse and wagon and ride into the night, so that they can help. While Emma's mother is helping deliver the baby, Emma helps Hansie and Will, the expectant family's children, celebrate Christmas by decorating the tree with them and cooking porridge for them to eat. After the baby is born, Emma feels especially proud that she was able to step up and help when these children needed it most. The lovely watercolor illustrations complement the story nicely. This book would be a good one to share with young readers during the days leading up to Christmas.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1880 and Emma, 10, is the daughter of a doctor which is quite a novelty for that time seeing as the doctor is her mother. It is the early hours of Christmas Day and a knock is heard at the door requesting the doctor to come help deliver a baby. Emma is not too happy that this day has to be the same as any other.

Not enjoying the wait for the baby to arrive, Emma soon realises that there are two young children in the house who are scared for their mother. Instead of continuing her "sulk", Emma becomes the grown up, keeping the children occupied and fed. Once the neighbours start arriving with gifts for the newborn baby that has yet to be born, they sit around waiting. It is not until they hear the newborn cry do they start celebrating.

A truly delightful story that emulates the story of that first Christmas so long ago.

[Deanna]

Great historical story.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little girl waits while her mother helps deliver a neighbors baby.

[Nanny B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

[Taisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uninterested and uninteresting narrator. She goes with her mother to deliver a baby in the country, but the author doesn't place her in the room so she doesn't have any interesting details to share. There's just a lot of waiting around, away from the action. What a missed opportunity! At the end, she says she'll never forget that Christmas, but there was no experience or event relayed in the story to constitute a worthwhile memory. There are so many better Christmas books than this one. Don't waste your time.