The Christmas Boot

by Kady MacDonald Denton

While playing outside one day, Jeremy and Alison find a big black boot that seems to be filled with a never-ending supply of toys.

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas

26 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1990

About the author

Kady MacDonald Denton is a Canadian creator of children's books, primarily an illustrator of picture books. She lives in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Valetta Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert! This book's layout, binding, and illustrations give it the feel of '50s and '60s classics. The story revolves around a girl, Alison, and a boy, Jeremy, who find a magical boot in a tree. They puzzle over who it may belong to, and pull various toys from the boot while doing so. They share the toys with their friends, and eventually speculate the boot must be Santa's, so they go to Alison's house to leave the boot by her fireplace and wait for Santa. The kids pretend to sleep, and when they open their eyes, the boot is gone. They rush outside and decide that Santa must already be gone.

I must say, I found the ending to be a bit of a let-down. No tell-tale bites missing from cookies, or sooty footprints by the fireplace, or gifts under the tree - no indication whatsoever that Santa actually came, versus perhaps a random boot thief or the family dog or ornery sibling carrying off the boot. For a Christmas book, it felt a bit sad in the end. That said, if you like vintage-style picture books with light references to magic and giving, you may just love this story.