25 Days – Book 18: The Cowboy’s Christmas

I’m so excited about today’s book, The Cowboy’s Christmas by Joan Walsh Anglund. This is a sweet little book from 1972 and is the last in her pseudo series of four about The Brave Cowboy.

In this little book, there is a cowboy who is very busy (as is his invisible friend bear). Starting on December 1, the cowboy (and bear) are doing all sorts of holiday preparation including making things, wrapping gifts, and being especially polite.

As the story unfolds, somehow the cowboy is always being good and kind and keeping out of trouble; but always incredibly busy.

And then December 24th arrives and he goes to bed with prayers and dreams to awake on a great Christmas morning.

Oh, this lovely little book! All of Ms. Anglund’s books are generally charming and sweet, but this brave little cowboy just really captures your heart. The book is about 6″ x 7″ inches and perfectly huggable in size and character. Without an overly climactic plot, it is somewhat surprising that this story works so well and keeps you reading. The cowboy is so adorable and his activities are fun to follow along; but especially fun is studying what his invisible friends are doing. One of the unique characteristics of this series is the two-color art. The “real” activities with the cowboy are in black, and the invisible ones are in red, including his friend bear and several cute little mice. It is like a peek into his fantastic imagination!

Joan Walsh Anglund is also a busy woman! She has a lot of books to her name with her signature style of characters that are easy to spot (and love!). Her official fan site has all the books listed, plus her collectibles and more. Her books (that I’m familiar with) are always light and lovely. A fresh and simple read every time.

You’ll never regret getting to know the brave little cowboy and especially celebrating the holiday season with him (and his friends).

Follow along our book adventure at 25 Days of Christmas Books.