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The Shepherd's Coat

The Shepherd's Coat

by Caryll Houselander

Illustrated by Jess Mason

Format
Regular price $24.95 USD
Regular price $24.95 USD Sale price $24.95 USD
SAVE 0% Sold Out FREE USA SHIPPINGMADE IN ITALY

CMA 2025 Book Award for Design and Production: Children’s Book (Honorable Mention)

Benji the shepherd boy’s dearest wish is to find the Baby Jesus and give him his most prized possession: a sheepskin coat. What will he do when he discovers a lost little boy trembling in the cold? Should he give the coat away to someone who desperately needs it or keep it in case he finds the Christ child? This story, beautifully told by beloved spiritual writer Caryll Houselander, reveals deep spiritual truths through an encounter with Jesus and a reminder that what we do for the least of these, we do for him. With breathtaking illustrations by Jess Mason, this stunning book will be a favorite Christmas story for families to enjoy again and again.

Details

Publisher: Word on Fire Votive
ISBN: 978-1-68578-165-1
Binding: Hardcover
Page count: 36
Dimensions: 8.25 x 10.25 (in)
Thickness: 0.38 (in)
Made in: Italy
Language: English
Release date: Nov 11, 2024
Age Range: 5–11

About the Author

Caryll Houselander

Caryll Houselander was born in 1901 in Bath, England. She became Catholic when she was a little girl, and during her life she wrote many books, including the spiritual classic The Reed Of God. She also wrote beautiful stories for children that inspire her readers to find the Christ Child in every person they encounter.

Jess Mason

Jess Mason is an illustrator, cat lover, and reader of books. She graduated from the University of Worcester with a First in Illustration in 2018. Since then, she has worked on a variety of middle grade books and picture books. She lives in Worcestershire, England, with her cat, Steve.

Shipping & Returns

When will my order ship?

  • When items are in-stock, orders placed before 8am CT should ship out that same business day from our Illinois warehouse. 
  • Depending on your shipping address and the shipping method you select at checkout, in-stock items should arrive between 7-10 business days.
  • If your order contains a preordered/backordered item, no items in your order will ship until the preordered item becomes available (i.e. your order will ship all at once.)

 

Do you ship internationally?

  • We offer two international shipping methods, Passport and DHL. Passport has all taxes and duties included in the shipping cost. DHL is delivered duties unpaid, and you may be responsible for taxes and duties when your package is delivered. 
  • International orders are subject to unpredictable delays by customs, and are subject to security mandates, duties, and other fees upon receipt.  
  • Please allow international orders a significant amount of flexibility in timeframe to receipt. 
  • We do accept international returns, but we are unable to generate return labels for international shipments. 

 

Can I make changes or corrections to my order?

  • Please contact us as soon as possible—ideally within 2 hours of placing your order—at 866-928-1237 or sales@wordonfire.org with your order correction details. We’ll work quickly to see if any edits to your order are still possible.
  • Once an order has shipped, we are unable to cancel it.

Return Policy

For non-damaged, standard returns:

Our products may be returned if they were purchased within the last 90 days, are unused, and are still in their original packaging. Original shipping costs are already collected by the shipper, and therefore the original shipping costs are not refundable.

We will provide a pre-paid return label to you. The maximum shipping cost covered will be $20. If the return shipping costs in excess of $20 to ship it to us, that will be deducted from the refund amount. (Meaning, if one orders 30 bibles and changes their mind after receiving them, it would not be good stewarding of our donor-provided funds for the ministry to cover that return shipment.)


Exceptions and limitations:

  • Bulk books (evangelization pricing): Books sold in pre-boxed quantities are evangelistic in nature and priced as low as possible, and we cover the original shipping cost. For that reason, we are unable to cover return shipping costs for bulk books. If you choose to return a bulk book, return shipping will be the customer’s responsibility in that case.
  • Seasonal titles (including Advent and Lenten Gospel Reflections): Seasonal titles are final sale and are not eligible for returns or refunds.


For damaged items: 

For damages to the item that are significant in nature, such as missing pages, large gashes in the cover, major creases in the cover, or dents, etc, please email us at sales@wordonfire.org for a no-cost replacement. For minor damages, like a nick or otherwise tiny blemish, or a slightly bent inward corner, or a slightly flaked embossing, these returns may be accepted but the return shipping will not be covered in order to be good stewards of the donor provided funds that make our non-profit ministry possible. For items that are shipped in protective packaging, such as the Leather Bible, note that the outer box is meant to absorb damage in shipping, and the box should not be considered the product itself, and the box is not replaceable.

 

How can I set up my return? 

Please email us to set up your return at sales@wordonfire.org. 

Your order record will be retrieved by the system based on the email address you used to make the purchase. For this reason, please have the email address or the order number (example: Q######) handy when beginning the return process. We are able to accept international returns, but we are unable to generate return shipping labels from countries outside the United States.  

 

View full details
Caryll Houselander headshot

About the Author

Caryll Houselander was born in 1901 in Bath, England. She became Catholic when she was a little girl, and during her life she wrote many books, including the spiritual classic The Reed Of God. She also wrote beautiful stories for children that inspire her readers to find the Christ Child in every person they encounter.

Jess Mason headshot

About the Illustrator

Jess Mason is an illustrator, cat lover, and reader of books. She graduated from the University of Worcester with a First in Illustration in 2018. Since then, she has worked on a variety of middle grade books and picture books. She lives in Worcestershire, England, with her cat, Steve.

What People are Saying

Sarah Clarkson headshot

“A tender story of a shepherd boy's cherished desire to find and honor the Christ child, this gentle story will be a gift of a tale for families to savor at Christmas. Houselander's imaginative narration and the sweet illustrations make this book a delight for children and a gift to treasure.”

—Sarah Clarkson, author of This Beautiful Truth

Julia Meszaros headshot

“This beautiful story gently conveys the pillars of Houselander's spirituality: that we know Christ through his mother, that we meet him in one another, and that we are called to be his hands and feet in the world today. This lovingly illustrated edition makes these truths available to a new generation of children.”

—Julia Meszaros, (co-)editor of Caryll Houselander's novel The Dry Wood

Tyler Blanski headshot

“Mason's artwork has a timeless quality. The soft and alluring illustrations capture the rolling rural settings of biblical times and the characters express a real humanity. One can almost get lost in the pages; they evoke the peacefulness of God and complement Houselander's simple text, which has a unique way of making children feel present and included in this warm story about a small boy with a big heart. A charming tale that makes our Savior's words come to life: ‘What you did to the least of these you did to me.’”

—Tyler Blanski, author of An Immovable Feast: How I Gave Up Spirituality for a Life of Religious Abundance

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