Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber
As read by Tom Brokaw
Illustrated by Robert T. Barrett
Published: October 15th, 2013
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
ISBN13: 978-1-60907-700-6
FTC FYI: Received a hardcover copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Mindy
Inside Book Jacket Summary
From little things come big things.
Christmas from Heaven is the story of the humble beginnings of what became a beacon of hope to a war-torn land, the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much needed supplies into a Soviet blockaded Berlin.
As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of the Tempelhof Air Base. Knowing that they had very little, he one day offered them some chewing gum. From that small act, an idea sprang: He would “bomb” Berlin with candy. Fashioning small parachutes, he and his crew sent them floating down as the approached the Berlin airport, wiggling the wings of their C-54 as a signal to the children that their anticipated cargo would soon arrive.
Lt. Halvorsen became known by hundreds, if not thousands, of children in Berlin as “Uncle Wiggly Wings” or “The Candy Bomber”. Word soon spread, and donations of candy and other supplies poured in from sympathetic American. Lt. Halvorsen’s small idea became a great symbol of hope, not only to German children in a bombed-out city, but to all those who yearned for freedom.
My Review
I was able to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas performance last year, Home for the Holidays (which I will review this week) I was extremely touched by story of “The Candy Bomber”. And to top it off, Lt. Halvorsen made an appearance as well. That was very touching. I know I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes. This book beautifully expresses Lt. Halvorsen’s story. I loved how there were actual pictures along with the illustrations in the book. It added a wonderful real factor to this beautiful true story. My favorite thing was the note on the very last page, written by a young girl, thanking the Flyer Uncle for the sky food. Very sweet. What an amazing story and an amazing man. This book will be a welcome addition to our family Christmas book library.
Purchase Links
Deseret Book / Amazon / Seagull Book / Barnes and Noble
The Biblical Names of Christ Ornament Set
These beautiful ornaments depict the biblical names of Christ. My family and I decorated our tree over the weekend and put these lovely ornaments on. On the back of the case they came in, there are scriptures that reference each of the names on the ornaments. My family and I had a Family Home Evening and read each of these scriptures. These ornaments are beautiful and a great addition to our decorations.
Purchase Links
One Response to “Christmas from Heaven – Blog Tour and Names of Christ Ornament Set”
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I love that Brokaw is honoring this generation with various projects. It always struck me as ironic that our generation–the one that cried not to trust anyone over 30 and saying how much they had ruined the work–can now look back and see what amazing things they accomplished. It’s like the adolescent has finally grown up.