It’s wintertime in Jeanne-Marie’s small French village, and a light snow is falling. Jean-Marie talks to Patapon, her small sheep, and tells her how excited she is about Christmas. But Patapon has never heard about Christmas.
Jeanne-Marie tells Patapon that Christmas, or Noel, as she calls it, is the day that celebrates the birth of the baby Jesus. And, if you’ve been very good, and you place your wooden shoes by the fireplace, Father Noel will come and fill them with presents.
Patapon becomes very excited, but then sad. She has four shoes, but she can’t take them off. If she can’t put her shoes by the fire, does that mean she won’t get any presents from Father Noel?
Jeanne-Marie isn’t sure, but her mind wanders to all the presents she thinks she might receive. Perhaps a pretty scarf to tie around her head. Patapon agrees. She’ll get a scarf, but Patapon will get nothing. She has no shoes to leave by the fire.
Maybe Father Noel will bring Jeanne-Marie a new doll carriage! She will put Patapon in it and push her all over. That would be fun. Patapon agrees, but she has no shoes of her own. There will be no gift for the little sheep.
Jeanne-Marie has a plan, though. She goes to the village shoemaker and asks him to make a small pair of wooden shoes for Patapon. Jeanne-Marie sets Patapon’s shoes near the fire, next to her own. In the morning, they find their gifts – a nativity set for Jeanne-Marie, and a ribbon with a tinkling bell to go around Patapon’s neck. Father Noel did come, and he did leave a gift for Patapon. What a wonderful, joyous Noel!
Jeanne-Marie is a famous children’s book character in France, and her stories have become popular here in the United States as well. You can find the books in your library and at the bookstore.
(This book was published in 1953 by Charles Scribner’s Sons.)
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