There are plenty of beloved books that people pull out at Christmas, books like A Christmas Carol or The Polar Express. Here are three that you may not have read. The newest is 60 years old and still in print. The other two are out-of-print but can be found for less than $20 each.
The Story of Holly & Ivy
The Story of Holly & Ivy (1957) almost promises that all will be well with its very first sentence: “This is a story about wishing.” Of course, not all wishes come true, but you know right away that in this story, wishes have power. It’s about a doll, Holly, who wishes for a little girl, and an orphan girl, Ivy, who wishes to spend Christmas with a family of her own. The doll and the girl meet each other through a shop window, and both know they belong together. There are obstacles along the way — especially in the form of a very nasty toy owl, a villain that terrifies the other toys in the shop. But Godden promised you that this was a story about wishing, and so you know that Holly and Ivy will overcome everything that comes between them.
I’ve written about Godden’s doll books before. Similar themes pop up among them, including wishing. More than once in Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, Miss Flower frets “What can we do?” Miss Happiness responds, “Wish.” You might say that Godden was the Walt Disney of doll stories.
There are multiple editions of this book. I recommend the one with Barbara Cooney’s illustrations. It’s currently in print.
The Doll in the Window
The Doll in the Window (1953) by Pamela Bianco presumably was illustrated by the author. If not, it’s a pity that the illustrator wasn’t credited, because the pictures are part of what makes the book special.
This is another story about a girl and a doll in a shop window, but it’s very different from Godden’s book. Victoria, the oldest of six girls, is saving her coins to buy her sisters Christmas presents. When she falls in love with a doll in the toy shop, she has a dilemma: buy herself the doll, or buy presents for her sisters. The story is simple and offers a clear message about buying gifts for yourself, but one character, a Cub Scout, saves the story from becoming too moralistic. Although his selflessness is offered as a contrast to Victoria’s selfish wishes, he also brings some much-needed humor to the book.
“Why are you crying?” he asked.
“I’m not crying,” said Victoria. To change the subject, she pointed to the beautiful doll. “She’s pretty. Isn’t she?”
“Yes,” said the little boy. “She’s as pretty as anything, and she really flies!”
“Really flies?” said Victoria. “What do you mean?”
“Oh!” said the little boy, laughing. “I meant the blue airplane.”
“I meant the doll,” said Victoria. “I hadn’t even noticed the airplane.”
The little boy looked at the beautiful doll. “She’s pretty, too,” he said. “A streamlined doll.”
Of the three books in this post, I understand why this one is out of print. It’s a bit simplistic and right on the edge of being too preachy. Still, it’s worth hunting down for the story and the illustrations.
The Christmas Anna Angel
The Christmas Anna Angel (1944) was written by Newbery Award-winner Ruth Sawyer and illustrated by another Newberry winner, Kate Seredy. It’s a shame this gorgeous book is no longer in print. Sawyer takes us to war-torn Hungary, where Anna dreams of Christmas cakes, although she is told that the shortage of flour means there will be no cakes this year.
The children always felt very brave while they were looking through the windows; but when St. Nicholas sprang out of his sleigh, when his hand lifted the latch and he stepped inside the door — then they scampered like frightened mice into corners.
The Christmas saint was big and towering. His bishop’s hat with the golden cross reached almost to the rafters. His bunda was the most beautiful the children had ever seen, with colored pictures of angels and stars, of shepherds and mangers. He pointed to Anna: “You, Anna, have you been a good girl?”
Anna’s voice squeaked like a little mouse: “I haven’t been too good. I have washed the dishes and said my prayers; but I did take the frog to school and put it in Minka Czurczor’s desk — to scare her.”
“Not too good — but then — not too bad.” St. Nicholas looked at Anna’s mother, then back at Anna: “One present is deserved. What shall it be?”
Anna answered quickly: “One Christmas cake — shaped like a little clock. Please, St. Nicholas.”
“I have already told you,” Matyas Rado began. They were all looking at Anna. They were expected her to change her Christmas wish. That seemed too much to ask of anyone.
The Christmas Anna Angel is not to everyone’s taste. One reviewer on Goodreads called the book “weird.” Another said “it was too long and wordy.” Nevertheless, I heartily recommend it. I’ve read it over and over since I was a child. If you only seek out one of the three books in this post, make it this one.