When Mother Was Eleven-Foot-Four: A Christmas Memory - Hardcover

Camery-Hoggatt, Jerry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0800718364 ISBN 13: 9780800718367

Publisher: Revell, 2007

Synopsis

Mother is only four-foot-eleven on the outside but eleven-foot-four on the inside, especially at Christmas. Every year she decorates a huge tree and gives an extravagant number of gifts. When life takes a turn for the worst and Mother loses her Christmas spirit, her young sons decide to do something about it. In their attempt to help her, they discover that Christmas is a celebration of God's extravagant gift to us. This enduring story is sure to become a classic for children ages four through eight and for anyone young at heart. It is beautifully illustrated by an award-winning artist and follows in the tradition of the bestselling The Polar Express.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"When everything was ready, Pudge got to turn on the lights . . . and all at once, like magic . . . it was Christmas." Mother was only four-foot-eleven-inches tall on the outside, but when she was at her best she stood eleven-foot-four on the inside. And every Christmas she was at her best. Mother would carefully decorate a twelve-foot Christmas tree and load extravagant presents beneath its branches, and the magic of the holiday would begin. Then one year, everything changed. Mother cried on Christmas. As her sons tried to encourage her, they learned what it means to give good gifts--to be eleven-foot-four on the inside. When Mother Was Eleven-Foot-Four is beautifully illustrated and masterfully written for children ages four through eight and anyone young at heart. Your family will treasure it each year as a heart-warming story of hope and grace--a reminder that Christmas is a celebration of God's extravagant gift to us. Jerry Camery-Hoggatt, author of five books, is professor of New Testament and narrative theology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. He loves writing and preaching, but more than anything he loves telling stories. He takes special joy in discovering the ways God complicates our plots in an artful play to turn us into more interesting and Christlike characters. Mark Elliott illustrated the children's picture book classic Candle in the Window and numerous young adult book covers, including the Newbery-Award-winning series the Princess Tales. He lives on a working sheep farm in the lower Hudson Valley along with two donkeys and two crazy long-haired cats.

From the Inside Flap

Mother is a tiny woman-4'11''-except when life demands that she draw herself up to her "full height" of 11'4.'' Christmas is one of those times.

Father is opposed to celebrating Christmas, Mother is a romantic who loves every little thing about it. So every year the couple fights about whether the holiday will be celebrated in their house or not. And every year Jerry and his brothers eavesdrop nervously until their mother ensures that Christmas wins out.

When things take a turn for the worst, Mother and the boys find themselves struggling with poverty and depressed circumstances. Mother tries to make the best of things, but when she loses the holiday spirit, her young sons decide to do something about it. In their attempt to help her, they discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Jerry Camery-Hoggatt is Professor of New Testament and Narrative Theology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. He is the author of several books, including Speaking of God.

Edition details

• Publisher: Revell
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0800718364
• ISBN 13: 9780800718367
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32