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The Magical Christmas Horse

With Audio Recording

Illustrated by Wendell Minor / Read by Mary Higgins Clark

About The Book

New York Times bestselling collaborators Mary Higgins Clark and Wendell Minor tell a touching Christmas story of a heartwarming family celebration and the meaning of Christmas.

Johnny’s wish had come true. His family would be visiting his grandparents for Christmas. His grandparents lived in an old house in New England where his father had been born. The family together, the smells of the cookies baking, the snowy Christmas tree farm with trees of so many shapes and sizes, and most of all the wooden horse he had told his brother Liam about would make this the best Christmas ever. In his grandparents’ attic Johnny finds many treasures, but the wooden horse he remembered so well is missing. How can Johnny make his brother’s Christmas wish come true?

Beloved and internationally bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark’s loving story together with Wendell Minor’s captivating paintings make The Magical Christmas Horse a book that captures the true heart of Christmas and one that families will make part of their Christmas tradition year after year.

About The Author

Photograph © Bernard Vidal

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark wrote over forty suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, You Don’t Own Me, and Piece of My Heart. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she coauthored five suspense novels. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.

About The Illustrator

Photograph ©: Bob Shaw

Wendell Minor has illustrated dozens of picture books, and his work has won countless awards and is in permanent collections of such institutions as the Museum of American Illustration and the Library of Congress. His cover illustrations have graced some of the most significant novels of our time by authors such as Toni Morrison, David McCullough, and James Michener. He lives in Washington, Connecticut. Visit him online at MinorArt.com.

About The Reader

Photograph © Bernard Vidal

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark wrote over forty suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, You Don’t Own Me, and Piece of My Heart. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she coauthored five suspense novels. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (October 25, 2011)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442434301
  • Ages: 4 - 8

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Raves and Reviews

Eight-year-old Johnny is eager to visit his grandparents in their big stone house in Connecticut. He vividly remembers his last trip there when he was three, and his strongest memory is of a beautiful, hand-carved wooden horse. Johnny tells his little brother, Liam, that this year, it will be his turn to enjoy it–but the horse has vanished. Will wishing be enough to bring it back on Christmas Day? This story of a caring family, skillfully illustrated in gouache and watercolor, warmly and effectively conveys the selfless ideal of the season.
School Library Journal, October 2011

“Nostalgic paintings and narrative, along with these collaborators’ (Ghost Ship) hefty fan bases, are likely to make this a solid holiday seller...Minor’s gouache and watercolor art, featuring his characteristic exquisite detail, gives the book its magic” – Publisher’s Weekly, September 2011

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