The Christmas Boot

by Lisa Wheeler, Michael Glenn Monroe (illustrator)

When lonely old Miss Hannah Greyweather finds a boot in the woods, it fills her life with warmth and magic, but she knows even before its true owner appears that she will have to return it.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Magic

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Timilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely magical

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gathering kindling wood for her fire one day, Hannah, an impoverished older woman living in solitude in the deep woods, comes upon a shiny black boot, and putting it on, finds it a perfect fit. Wondering about the boot's mate as she goes to sleep, she is surprised to discover a matching pair waiting for her the next morning. Her wish for warm mittens is likewise granted, as is her desire for a fine home. But when a roly-poly stranger in a red suit shows up to claim the boot, and she returns it to its rightful owner, Hannah's blessings disappear. Or do they...?

A sweet new holiday holiday picture-book featuring a heartwarming tale and beautiful illustrations, The Christmas Boot highlights a number of important ideas - that companionship is preferable to wealth; that the satisfaction of basic needs is sometimes a surer route to happiness than excessive material indulgence; that we shouldn't keep what doesn't belong to us, even when we are in need ourselves - while also delivering an entertaining Santa story. The artwork by Caldecott medalist Jerry Pinkney is immensely appealing, capturing Hannah's joyful experiences perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for new Christmas stories featuring both morality and magic.

[Christine (Tina) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the biggest, mushiest sap there ever has been! This is such a sweet story - made me tear up!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated Christmas Story. Loved this sweet book and the Wonderful surprise at the end.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Hannah finds a left boot in the snow, she decides to put it on her freezing, rag wrapped foot. It fits perfectly and is warm and cozy. That night she wishes she also had the right boot and when she awakens the next morning, the right and left boot are at the side of her bed. She works tirelessly, noticing how warm her feet are inside the boots. She is thankful though she wishes she also had a pair of gloves. The next morning, the gloves are beside the boots. When her wish grows--and is answered again--she feels a little discomfort. But then a kind stranger arrives and asks if perhaps she has his left boot. This kind stranger, dressed in red with a long white beard, leaves Hannah with the perfect gift.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book sharing a message of kindness and generosity!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about kindness/generosity being rewarded.

[Staciel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite thing to do right after Thanksgiving is visit my local indie bookshop and read all of the wonderful holiday/Christmas books that they display before taking 'the one' home with me.

This book was my 2016 selection...it beat out two other great books (which may still come home & be reviewed later), and has been read and enjoyed by every member of my family. And when my husband will sit down and read a picture book all by himself-- that is saying something.

A magical Santa story that focuses on the few simple things that we need to be truly happy.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gotta tell you, I wasn't expecting the story to go the way it did at all! It does not appear to be a retelling, so it seems this deliciously original Christmas story is brand new. It takes a classic fairy tale element and mixes in Santa Claus to glorious effect. Pinkney's illustrations likely mean this will eventually achieve classic kid lit status. I'd call it an essential Christmas picture book. Well done!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending is a big let-down.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Loved the illustrations! May win awards!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

WONDERFUL!! Christmas in a book!

[Stephanie Chiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Boot is a story about a poor, lonely woman, who finds a boot in the woods one day. On her way home from making her daily trip into the woods for various needs (today, it was for fire wood), she finds this black boot with nobody in sight, so knowing how cold her own feet were (she was so poor, she did not even own boots nor mittens), she slides the boot onto her foot. To her surprise, a once boot which was too large for her foot, conforms to her shoe size, and now fits perfectly. She limps home and before she goes to sleep that night, which for a second boot, which appears the next morning. She happily does her chores warmly that day, and as the night concludes, wishes for a pair of mittens, which also show up the next morning and fit perfectly. That morning, she jokes about a fancy house and what was to come next before leaving, so happily, to do her chores. On her way home, a giant, fancy house awaits her as she gawks at the site. When she enters the house, she realizes the house doesn't fit her perfectly like the boots and the mittens. Then she receives a knock on the door. It was Santa. She, having never before had company, invites him inside and he politely asks for his boot back. She gives it to him and when he puts it on, it conforms to his size. Everything she had wished for disappears, and goes back to the way it once was. Santa apologized and asked what she really wanted in life. She told him a friend and warm boots and mittens. He gave her the tangible items and went on his way. As she climbed into bed that night, she realized there was a puppy in one of the boots.
I found this book very sweet. It truly captures the idea of Christmas magic. I think the only thing I didn't quite like about it was the fact that the woman in the story was much older than I had expected. Typically, children's book authors try to focus on main characters who are children, to connect the reader to the story better, and choosing to feature a middle- to old-aged woman, loses that connection that could have easily been made with an orphaned child, for example. Even if child readers cannot connect to the "orphaned" portion of that type of main character, the fact that the main character would still be a child, would allow children to understand "they're somewhat like me." I think that's the only place the story fell short, besides maybe adding more detail into the setting. For example, I wondered where this took place. Lots of Christmas stories have been published, and they all have similar themes, arriving to "Christmas is magical," and I think the author ended up at the place, but the way she arrived there was unique. It wasn't a typical story where everything is either gumdrops and rainbows, nor was it a Grinch/ Scrooge story either, and so I liked that.
To recap, although children would have a difficult time connecting to this character and certain details like setting were never addressed, The Christmas Boot is a sweet story and arrives at the idea of "magical Christmas," in a unique way.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed that the synopsis gave absolutely everything away! That may have coloured my opinion of this book somewhat.

This is basically a story of a lonely old woman who finds one of Santa's magic boots in the forest on Christmas morning. (No idea how he could've lost it, unless he took off his boots in the sleigh on the way home.) As she idly makes wishes, they just happen to come true, until she's wished herself a fancy house and a great big feast, all without really meaning to. When Santa finally shows up to retrieve his boot, she tells him what she really wants: someone to talk to. Now, why this is Santa's responsibility, I have no idea; she appears to be living out in the middle of nowhere by choice. In any case, Santa gives her a puppy. I guess that makes a sort of sense; after all, she did say she wanted someone to talk to, not someone to talk with.

I have mixed feelings about the illustrations. Some of them I liked, but others I found a little creepy. Hannah herself doesn't always look the same from page to page, and that added to the feeling that the pictures were a little uneven. The snowman looked downright evil, but the illustrations of the fancy house were pretty. I'm really not sure what to make of the visual side of this book.

Overall, this wasn't terrible, but I didn't love it. I'm sure it'll have its audience. (Although, I would recommend reading it or giving it to kids without telling them what it's about; it would've been a lot more fun to discover the twists and turns while reading, rather than having them all spoiled before I even opened the book.)

[Hannah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

While gathering wood on a cold snowy day, Hannah Greyweather came across one blank boot. Her foot was cold so she slipped it on. Although it looked bigger than her foot, it fit just perfect! On her walk back to her tiny shack, he left foot was awfully warm. That night, she said to the boot “I only wish I had your mate.” In the morning, a second boot appeared! This time, both feet were kept nice and warm while she gathered wood. That night, she said to the boots “If I had mittens as toasty warm, I would be the happiest woman in the world.” That morning, a pair of red mittens were inside her boots! Talking to the mittens, she said “Will it give me a fluffy feather bed? A fabulous feast? A big fancy house?” When she came back from doing her chores, her tiny shack became a fancy house, filled with a fabulous feast and a feather bed. Although that was great, it wasn’t Hannah’s style. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and saw a man in a red suit with a long white beard that was looking for his missing boot. When he asked if he could give Hannah anything, she said “someone to talk to. But warm boots and a pair of mittens would be mighty fine.” Suddenly, a pair of boots and mittens appeared. The man went on his way, and when Hannah took a closer look at her boots, there was a puppy waiting inside.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
This book had a really good story to it. A lonely lady was gathering wood in the cold forest and she talked to the trees, but they were silent. She headed home and she found a very nice boot and she put it on her foot and walked home, her one foot was cold but the other one was nice and warm. She wished she had another boot. in the morning, she found another boot and now both boots fit. That night she wished for some mittens, and inside her boots were two mittens in the morning. She got carried away and asked for a big house and plenty to eat. When she came home she found a fancy big house all decorated for Christmas and all kinds of good things to eat. But she didn't feel good about the house and things. That night a stranger stopped at her house, he wore a red suit and one boot. He came in and they visited and she told him she must give him back his boot. Then the house went away and she was in her small house again. The man asked her if she needed anything and she said a friend and boots and mittens. The next morning she found some thing in her boot, read the book and find out, it made her very happy. I recommend anyone to read this book, it is a very feel good book.

[Alex Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book is about a lady named Hannah Greyweather who lives deep in a forest. One day she finds a black boot and tries it on. It fits her and continues to wear it throughout the day to keep her foot warm. She then wishes she had the other boot before going to bed. She wakes up the next morning with the second boot and then wishes for mittens at the end of the day. She wakes up to mittens and wishes for a lot of things that would make her life luxurious. A mysterious man then comes to her new luxurious house and asks if she has his boot. This mas is Santa and so when he puts on the boot, all the other stuff goes away. Before he leaves, Santa asks Hannah if she wants anything. She said I just want someone to talk to but a pair of boots and mittens will do and they pop up on her house. Before she goes to bed she finds a puppy in one of her boots and it ends with Santa saying Merry Christmas. Overall, it is a pretty well thought out book with beautiful art. I just did not like the your wish will always come true aspect though it was cute.

[Katherine Easterday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book because of a few reasons. I like how it is a very simple book with not too may characters, or other aspects, but it is still interesting. I think what makes it interesting and engaging because of the conflict, and also because the reader has to make inferences about what is going on. For example, instead of saying she doesn't have very much, it talks about her feet being cold and her sliding her bandaged feet into the warm boot. The reader has to infer that she doesn't have much. Also, in the story, it doesn't say that the man was Santa, it said that he was a man with a white beard, that wore a red suit and a red hat. Also, this is a great example of the pictures working with the words because you could see in the picture that it was Santa, even thought the words didn't say it was. I think this is a good book!

[Destiny Leskovac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christmas Boot is a charming story about a poor, lonely, elderly woman who finds a single boot in the forest. She is overjoyed because her feet are very cold. Before she falls asleep that night, she places the single boot by her bed and wishes she had its’ mate. She wakes up to a pleasant surprise. The next few days, she makes wishes that continue to come true. Then, one day, the owner of the boots comes for them. The elderly woman immediately hands them over because she knows they do not belong to her. She is given some gifts for this kind act. One of these gifts changes her life and provides her with companionship. Children will adore this story that demonstrates the true meaning of Christmas.

[Carly Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favorite books that I read for this assignment! I shared with my students I tutored and they loved it also! This is a sweet and heart-warming story about a woman who does not have much, but on a walk one day she finds a single boot. What she does not know is that this boot is magic. It then gives her everything she wishes for, but in the end, she sees that she is happy with what she has in life. I was excited to see what would happen next in the story and continued to read until the ending. I think that this is a great book to help students with predictions on what might happen next. The illustrations in the story made me feel as if I were there, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I am glad I read it.

[Jordyn Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Christmas story. Not only were the illustrations perfect, but also the story was very heart-warming and touching. When Hannah finds a left boot in the snow, she puts it on her very cold foot. The shoes fits perfectly and she wishes that she had the right boot to make a perfect pair. When she wakes up the next morning she is surprised with the right boot on the side of her bed. She then wishes for a pair of gloves and the next morning she is surprised by a pair of gloves by her side. The story continues on. I loved this book a lot and think children would truly enjoy hearing this book aloud around Christmas time.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah is a lonely woman. And on Christmas morning, a day which was no different for her than any other, she is out gathering wood when she finds a boot “deepest black upon purist white.” Since her feet are freezing, she puts the one boot on and makes her way home. That night she wishes for the boot’s mate and the next morning, it appears next to her bedside. Next a pair of toasty mittens appear when she wishes for them. But why are her wishes coming true? And whose boot did she find? A mysterious visitor comes knocking and he has the answer to those questions ... and more.

A sweet story with beautiful illustrations.

[Zachary Rhodanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has won the Golden Kite Award. In this story, Hannah is out gathering kindling and stumbles across a warm black boot. Hannah is a poor woman, so she does not have nice boots to keep her feet warm. The next morning, she wakes up to find two black boots sitting by her bead. Later on, Santa Claus appears at her door with only one boot and gifts her a puppy. The warm colors and shading in the illustrations allows the reader to experience the warm cozy feeling of Christmas by a fire. This is a great book for students to use their imagination and focus on what Christmas is all about, which is being with loved ones.

[Selina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah is lonley while she gathers kindling in the forest and finds a warm black boot in the snow. She is a poor woman and doesnt even have any shoes. She wishes that she could have another boot for her other foot. The next morning, she wakes up to another boot by her bed. The more she wishes, the more gifts come to her. Santa Claus ends up arriving at her door with another big surprise. This book is a very cute Christmas story and I love the illustrations throughout the whole book. The author is from Michigan and I think she does a good job representing a true Michigan winter.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this book is a great Christmas magic book. It is so sweet and easy to read and understand. It shows that an elderly woman goes into the woods to collect wood for a fire. she then comes across a lonely boot in the forest. She gets very excited because her feet were very cold. She makes a wish and soon enough it comes true. She knows the true meaning of right and wrong and is rewarded for he acts. I feel this book has the real true meaning of Christmas and I feel it will make the children excited more than ever.

[Rose Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Greyweather is out gathering kindling on Christmas Day when she finds a boot. She puts her rag-wrapped foot into it. It fits exactly to her foot. Later, when she goes to bed, she wished for the boot's mate. In the morning, it is there. The next night, she wished for warm mittens. The next morning, there they are. She queries if the boot were magic, would it give her a big house and fabulous feast. When she returns, there they are. But they didn't feel quite right like the boots and mittens had. And, then she has a visitor.

Fourth- or fifth-grade reading level.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warm Pinkney illustrations, yet reminding me of Jan Brett. Folk storyish, about a woman with no shoes out in winter who finds a boot. Thankful at bedtime for a warm foot, she wishes for its mate, which appears when she awakens. Next she wishes for mittens, which appear. She speculates further and is surprised at all that comes to her, until the boot's owner comes to ask for it back. Now will all the "things" stay with her?

[Ashley Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this sweet and magical story. I loved that the main character was not a child which I often see in holiday children's books. Additionally, I loved the underlying message throughout the text. This story reminds us of the real magic found during the holiday season. The illustrations were soft and magical as well however, I would have liked to see fresh, bold colors. Overall, great story for all!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful Christmas story for preschoolers! When I saw the cover I was afraid it was going to be a re-telling of the story about all the animals who find a lost mitten and try to fit in it, but it wasn't. It's a wonderful story about being thankful for what we have, told in the most delightful way!

[Sarah Herb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing read aloud boot for around the holidays. The story is well written and even though the pictures are very old, they fit the story. When I started reading the book I was confused of the purpose, but the realization that the boot was magical was fun to learn at the end. It leaves a lot of room for questioning students and teachable moments.