by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickley – Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

I read this book before the Christmas holiday and although it is not a Christmas book, it filled me with the holiday spirit. I re-read it for this post and I love this book today as much as I did when I originally read it.

Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney have captured the Christmas Spirit in a very comforting, pure, and relatable story. The idyllic illustrations by Eugene Yelchin bring readers into the story.
The story follows Samuel and his father, looking to secure a source of milk for their family. They embark on a series of trades beginning with a knife to be traded for assorted other valuables. Everyone seems to have a valuable item that means more to the person looking to trade it than the owner. The trading continues as the storm rages on. Until Samuel’s father finally trades for the item his mother wants most, a milk cow.

Follow this father and son as they work to accomplish a seemingly endless goal. Through snowstorms, cold weather, they work to accomplish their goal – all on a Long Road on a Short Day.

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