Thomas's Christmas Delivery (Thomas & Friends)

As a mom, I love reading this book to my son(3). It doesn't scare him like some do. Its just a really nice story and the fact that its all about giving during Christmas is an added bonus. Thomas does good deeds in this one to help children and my son loves it. Most of the time he's sleeping before I get to the end of the book lol

"Puff, puff. Peep, peep. Snowflakes were just starting to fall as Thomas climbed the steep hill. It was Christmas Eve and Thomas wanted to be back in his shed with his friends. The engines' stockings were going to be hung soon and Thomas didn't want to miss that. But Thomas was a Really Useful Engine and he had three very important deliveries to make...and they could not wait." -- From the book My son is an ardent fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, so we have quite a few of the Thomas books. Most reinforce the same rudeness, pettiness, and competitiveness of the TV series. However, Thomas' Christmas Delivery offers quite a different tale. One snowy day, the night before Christmas, Thomas must make three important scheduled deliveries--food for the Community Hall for the big celebration, parcels to the school for the children that were unable to go home for the holidays, and presents for the residents of the Children's Hospital in Vicarstown. It just so happens that Sir Topham Hatt comes out of the hospital, telling Thomas he has a very important job for him: delivering a toy train to a little boy with a broken leg. Thomas is worried that Father Christmas will forget him, especially since Thomas' stocking wasn't hung before he left. Thomas perseveres in the dark, snowy night, delivering the toy to the ecstatic--and grateful--injured boy and his Mom. Ever so slowly, Thomas makes his way home--exhausted. Happily, his stocking is filled the next morning with the very thing he wanted most--coal! The lavish illustrations by Tommy Stubbs are stunning. The people--carolers, Mrs. Kyndley, the trains--look so life-like. Snow-laden trees, billowing steam, colorful presents, cheery lighted windows--the images are almost photo-realistic at times. I've not seen a finer illustrated Thomas book thus far. The story is engaging and heartwarming, and it's great to (finally!) see a Thomas story that's not centered around rudeness or harassment. Only one other train makes an appearance in Thomas' Christmas Delivery--Percy--and he peeps "Good morning, Thomas! Merry Christmas!" as the two discover their filled stockings. This is a lovely Christmas book for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine series. The sparkling holographic silver snowflakes on this hardcover book adds a nice touch, as well. A joy to read--especially with the gorgeous illustrations--Thomas' Christmas Delivery is a wonderful addition to any child's library.

This book has replaced "Thomas and the Shooting Star" (also illustrated by Tommy Stubbs) as the most beautifully illustrated Thomas book. The illustrations are so lifelike and have such depth to them they make "...Shooting Star" look blurry in comparison. The story is very nice as well. A great, feel-good christmas tale of how Thomas brings deliveries on christmas eve. I've been reading this one to my 3 year old almost daily since we we got the book, and so far neither of us has grown tired of it.