Melissa is a young girl who moves with her family to Oregon via The Oregon Trail. She has been allowed to bring one prized possession and she struggles to see that the porcelain angel that has topped the family Christmas tree makes the journey safely. 32 pages, 16 illustrations.

This adventure on the Oregon Trail has added educational tools including a map, lists of supplies, info on the trail, links to sites and games about the Oregon trail. Five extra pages of activities.

REVIEW

This is a lovely book about friendship between two very different people from opposite cultures. It is also a tale about hope and the magic of Christmas. Children will delight in the colorful illustrations as they learn about the Oregon Trail and the pioneers, their hardships and dreams of a better life. At the end of the book there's a section with activities and information about the pilgrims, as well as a game and a map.

The Christmas Angel will make a lovely Christmas gift to any child as well as an excellent tool for teachers to teach this era of American history.

Reviewed by: Mayra Calvani
Midwest Book Review

EXCERPT

Melissa loved the angel more than any other treasure her father had brought her from his journeys across the sea. Often when he was away and she missed him, she would take the angel out of its storage box and look at it to assure herself that he would return safely.

Recently, her father had stayed close to Philadelphia, tending to his legal practice like the dutiful attorney he was. But she knew he would soon be off to a new adventure.

Bradford Wheeler let the front door slam behind him as he entered the house with haste.

"Melissa, where's your mother?" Her father called out when he saw the three of them at the tree. He shrugged his coat into the entry chair without waiting for Lannie to assist him.

"Bradford, what is it?" Mrs. Wheeler asked as she rushed into the living room from the kitchen. She wiped her hands hastily on her apron.

"The best news! There's a party gathering a wagon train to go west this spring. This time, I'm not going alone!" He lifted Melissa into the air. "Decide what you want to keep. We're going to Oregon!"

He announced this with an enthusiasm that made his wife wonder if he had lost his mind.

"You have the rest of the winter to decide what to leave behind," he said as a look of dismay showed on his wife's face. "We'll only take the necessities. Each of you can choose something special to take along. Do be sure it is your most prized possession. There won't be room to take non-essentials.