Do Not Open Until Christmas ― Short Stories

Once, when I was talking to Rosemary Sutcliffe about why we wrote what we did, she said“ We write the books that come to us asking to be written.” She was right. And it is true of short stories too. The ones I’ve gathered together for this book all came to me as ideas wanting me to write them. When an idea like that arrives, I can hardly wait to begin…Jean Little (from the Introduction).Do Not Open Until Christmas is a collection of themed short stories by critically-acclaimed, bestselling children’s author Jean Little. These eleven tales, ranging from historical to contemporary, explore the human spirit and the awakening calls of hope and joy which beckon to all of us each holiday season.The plots and settings are simple and moving, from a boy seeking the perfect present for his teacher, to a young sister facing her first Christmas without her twin. Scrap is the story of a homeless boy taken into care, and ultimately sent to Canada, as a Barnardo orphan. Ten Lords A-Leaping, paints the portrait of a young girl learning how to waltz in a wheelchair. Will is the impatient son and sibling who simply can’t wait to open his presents. Patrick Fisher discovers the magical gift for his bedridden grandfather, while Thomas shares his first Christmas with his new foster family. Jean Little’s stories are moving and thought-provoking. Like all her prose, these offerings are easily read over and over again, individually or together.

Jean Little, one of North America’s most respected and beloved children’s authors was born in Taiwan in 1932.Graduating from the University of Toronto with honours in English, she embarked on a distinguished career, teaching children with special needs, before turning her attention to children’s books. Jean Little’s first book, Take Wing, was published in 1968. Favorites among her other books include From Anna, Mine for Keeps, Willow & Twig, Take Wing, Kate, and Look Through My Window, among others. Jean Little is the recipient of the Vicky Metcalfe Award for Literature for Young People, the Matt Cohen Award, The Canada Council Literature Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Order of Canada, the Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Award, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.She lives in Guelph, Ontario, with her nephew, and several dogs.