"He is Stubby Pringle, cowhand of the Triple X, and this is his night to howl. [Born] with spurs on, nursed on tarantula juice, weaned on rawhide, at home in the saddle of a hurricane in the shape of horse that can race to the outer edge of eternity and back, heading now for highjinks two months overdue. He is ten feet tall and the horse is gigantic, with wings, iron-boned and dynamite-fueled, soaring in forty-foot leaps down the flank of the whitened wonder of a winter world."
But as the lights of the schoolhouse flicker into sight, Stubby hears ax strokes bouncing weakly and clumsily off of unyielding wood. He turns off of the path to valley, and finds a homesteading family struck by illness and sudden poverty. They have no fuel to keep their fire going, no Christmas tree or decorations, and no gifts for the little children. The dance calls to Stubby, but he chooses to stay and help the family, and with a little "can-do and make-do," gives them a Christmas that Santa Claus himself admires.
Though the story fills just 40 too-short pages, Stubby Pringle's Christmas is a potent read. Older children and tweens in particular will resonate with its straight-shooting but vibrant text and gruff-with-a-heart-of-gold characters. Artist Lorence Bjorklund's pencil illustrations are irresistible, inviting readers to gallop Stubby's roan through a realistically rugged landscape and to lend Stubby a hand in readying the family's accurately depicted 19th century pioneer home for Christmas. As a final gift, the story's message about the joy of offering service to those in need might also trigger a discussion about how today's kids and families can help others during the holidays and throughout the year.
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The only thing that's more fun than enjoying a great story is enjoying it with others. So pull up a chair, a tack trunk, or a hay bale. Pour yourself and your pony some peppermint tea. And, please, share your thoughts!