Recognize the name of the first author listed for this book? Sure enough, Julie Andrews, star of stage and film, is a children’s author. I confess, I didn’t know that until I picked up this book. Let’s take a peek at this amazing woman’s surprising talent.
“Dumpy Saves Christmas” is the story of Dumpy, a dump truck. He lives on Merryhill Farm, where everyone is scrambling around to get ready for Christmas, which is the very next day.
Pop-Up takes his grandson, Charlie, out to the shed so they can give Dumpy a can of anti-freeze to keep him going in the cold weather. Charlie suggests that Dumpy needs a new blanket to keep his engine warm, and he thinks he’ll ask Santa for it that very night.
When they get back to the house, they can smell all the wonderful things that are being baked in the kitchen. Charlie gets to work on his letter to Santa, asking for something for every member of his family, Dumpy included. He hangs up his list, right by his stocking, and climbs into bed. He’s too excited to sleep, though, and is still awake when he hears someone say, “Drat!” outside his bedroom window.
It was Santa Claus! Rudolph’s allergies are keeping his nose from shining, and they just crashed into Charlie’s roof. The sleigh is broken and Santa doesn’t know how they’re going to deliver the rest of the gifts to the children all over the world. Charlie suggests that they hook the reindeer to Dumpy and fly him around the world, and the elves can stay behind and fix the sleigh while they’re gone. Santa thinks it’s a wonderful idea, and asks Charlie to come along and be his helper. Off they fly, into the night.
They zoom past Paris and Greece, seeing all the marvelous landmarks. By the end of the night, Santa proclaims that Dumpy deserves a gold star, and sure enough, come Christmas morning, when the family goes out to visit Dumpy in the shed, a bright and shiny gold star is on Dumpy’s hood. No one but Charlie knows how it got there. Oh — and Dumpy did get his blanket, too.
(This book was published in 2001 by Hyperion and was illustrated by Tony Walton.)
Related Blogs: