The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog
-
-
4.7 • 9 Ratings
-
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
One of the warmest, funniest, and most delightful Christmas stories ever—from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Barry.
With fond nostalgia, Dave Barry takes readers back to a simpler time: The year is 1960, and young Doug Barnes is playing a shepherd in the Christmas pageant at St. John’s Episcopal Church—which is a very big deal. But there are problems everywhere. His fellow shepherds are misbehaving, which makes their director, Mrs. Elkins, yell at all of them; the girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart, athletic, and cute; the family dog is doing very poorly, and they have no idea what they’re going to tell Doug’s little sister, Becky, who’s playing one of the Host of Angels and who loves the dog more than anything; and his dad’s just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant after all.
But Christmas is a time of miracles. And for Doug and his family, this will be the most miraculous Christmas of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A charmed dog, a talking pig and a murdered vicar.The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle DogDave Barry. Putnam, (128p) Pulitzer Prize winning humorist Barry (Big Trouble) spins a nostalgic tale about a boy and his dog on Christmas Eve, 1960. Junior high schooler Doug Barnes is playing a shepherd in the Christmas pageant at the bat-infested Episcopal Church. When the Barnes family dog dies on Christmas Eve, Doug and his father end up adopting a shelter dog, Walter, a charmer who manages to wreck the pageant. Accompanying Barry's snappy narrative are photos and goofy advertisements from the period. Barry is a crowd pleaser and doesn't disappoint with this tale.
Customer Reviews
A real Christmas story
A wonderful story about how life isn’t perfect, it’s much better than that.
A Classic
Why hasn't someone made this into a movie?! I have read this book every Christmas since the year it came out, just as I have watched A Christmas Story. They are both about the same things: loving, if a little skewed, family values.The setting is a much simpler, more innocent time, when hilarity for school age boys involves making fart noises. The plot is simple yet moves along (too) quickly and you can't wait to read what happens next. Please-everyone who has seen A Christmas Story 300 times-read this. It will become a part of your holiday traditions. Love love love.