It is love at first sight when Jamie glimpses Angus “staring forlornly” out of a store window. Jamie, a preschooler, convinces his mother that Angus, a toy bull, should be purchased for his Christmas gift, even though the holiday is months away. His mother capitulates, but warns him that Angus must wait on the closet shelf until Christmas Day arrives. The anticipation endures for months, while Jamie patiently prepares a farm for Angus to live on, constructed realistically out of sewing scraps, Popsicle sticks, and painted cardboard tubes. Christmas morning arrives at last, and Angus is installed as Jamie’s companion and confidant. Six chapters chronicle Jamie and Angus’s adventures together, all created from credible aspects of a preschooler’s world including a visit from a favorite uncle, a near-disaster when the dry-clean only toy is tossed in the washing machine, and the wedding of a beloved babysitter. Jamie is a likable child without being overly precious, and his relationship with Angus is one that will feel familiar to anyone whose cherished toy has attained family member status. Frequent pencil illustrations add visual interest to a book perfectly suited for bedtime reading-aloud. (Ages 4-7)

"Sentimental in only the right ways. . . .A perfectly charming collection." — THE HORN BOOK (starred review)

The moment Jamie sets eyes on Angus in the toy shop, with his silky coat and forlorn gaze, he knows they belong together. On Christmas morning, the two are united at last, and the coveted Highland bull becomes Jamie’s constant companion — through an ill-fated run-in with the washing machine, Uncle Edward’s jump-training sessions, a stay at the hospital, and three more amusing adventures from Britain’s Children’s Laureate.