This Way to Christmas (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Children's Holiday TaleBy Ruth Sawyer
Length4h 24m
About this audiobook
Ruth Sawyer's This Way to Christmas is a luminous children's Christmas book that gathers legend, folklore, and domestic feeling into a unified seasonal pilgrimage. Framed by a child's movement toward Christmas, it draws upon the oral tale, the medieval exemplum, and the devotional story, yet its prose remains direct, musical, and intimate. The book belongs to the early twentieth-century revival of literary storytelling for children, when folk materials were reshaped into artful narratives without losing their communal warmth. Sawyer was one of America's great professional storytellers, later honored with the Newbery Medal, and her lifelong interest in oral tradition deeply informs this work. Born in Massachusetts and educated through wide travel and listening, she absorbed Irish, Spanish, and American narrative traditions, treating stories as living speech rather than museum pieces. This Way to Christmas reflects her belief that wonder, ritual, and shared memory could nurture a child's moral imagination. Readers who value Christmas literature beyond sentimentality will find this book especially rewarding. It offers enchantment, reverence, and cultural breadth, making it ideal for families, teachers, and scholars of children's literature. Sawyer's humane artistry reminds us that Christmas is approached not merely through celebration, but through story.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreChildren's Literature
Length4 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 20, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5I. The Chapter Before the Beginning
Show all chaptersShow less
6II. The Locked-out Fairy
7III. Barney’s Tale of the Wee Red Cap
8IV. David Goes Seeking the Way to Christmas and Finds the Flagman
9V. The Pathway to Uncle Joab and a New Santa Claus
10VI. The Locked-out Fairy Again Leads the Way and David Hears of a Christmas Promise
11VII. The Trapper’s Tale of the First Birthday
12VIII. The Christmas that was Nearly Lost
13IX. St. Bridget
14X. The Chapter After the End
15Analysis
16Reflection
17Memorable Quotes
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