The Three Wishes

Alan Snow

Hardback

About the Book

This is a beautifully illustrated story about a little native American boy that discovers that his reindeer have disappeared into a mysterious cave. He follows them and this story turns out to be about a very special and important person that visits children at Christmas. I liked this story because the character is  from a nomadic family that look after reindeers. 

A beautifully-told and stunningly-illustrated Father Christmas origin story. Coming together like a perfect festive jigsaw, this story explains all of the traditions and myths around Santa Claus, from how he travels around the world in one night, how his sleigh and reindeer can fly, and why he leaves presents, to the origins of his red coat. A young boy is herding his family's reindeer when they are drawn into a mysterious cave.

The cave is the holder of eternal summer, looked after by three strange characters - a wooden creature, a bird and a fish. Once entered, the cave cannot be left without time in the outside world standing still. In his sadness at not being able to leave, the boy is granted three wishes and chooses freedom, happiness and time.

He is told that they will all be granted - eventually. After the first year of working hard in the summer cave, the boy is allowed to see his family in the outside world. Time stands still as he visits his parents, and he leaves gifts behind to show that he has visited.

As the years go by, this annual visit continues and he begins to call on not only his parents, but more and more other families... and Christmas traditions as we know them, start to be created.