Nature writer Helen Hoover wrote Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman, and Betsy Bowen illustrated it with hand-colored woodcuts. It is a forest Christmas story with a message of peace, tolerance, and kindness. The animals in the forest have to Christmas dinner because the good woodsman fell inside his cabin, so the wolf ends up helping. This is a realistic story and there isn't too much about Christmas other than the meal. The book could be used at other times of the calendar year. Children could be asked inferring questions as the story is read. ( )

Amazon.com Beloved nature writer Helen Hoover tells a delightful children’s fable that will stir a sense of wonder and discovery in anyone who has ever felt the magic of the forest and imagined it a lively village of talking animals.

Many years ago Great Wolf, a mighty hunter feared by all the animals in the forest, looked down on a deer, squirrel, and chickadee waiting for the Good Woodsman to provide a feast of cedar, corn, and seeds. The animals discover the Good Woodsman injured inside his house and with no fire in his stove. Worrying that he will freeze, the animals are disheartened that they have no way to help him. Great Wolf knew only he could rescue the Good Woodsman. When Great Wolf’s plan succeeds, the animals and the Good Woodsman invite the once-ostracized wolf to share Christmas dinner, and they realize that everyone has good things to offer if given the opportunity.
From the Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman, published in 1967, to The Hero of Bremen, published in 1993, award-winning Charles Mikolaycak has delighted children and adults alike with his exquisitely designed and articulated illustrations.