Plumpergut Meets the Magic Butterbee A Christmas Story

When my older daughter was about to enter her first year in school I began to worry. She was serious and sensitive AND fervently believed in Santa Claus. What could I do to protect her and her younger sister? What could I do to protect Santa? All those years of praising Santa. What had we been thinking?

No matter which way I finagled the situation Santa's goose was soon to be cooked ( not to mention my own) at the hands of some know-it-all first-grade classmate!

Then in the dark of night under the influence of too much, coffee was it? TADAAH! PLUMPERGUT TO THE RESCUE! One moment Plumpergut was not, and the next moment he was. Not only that, but he was suddenly and forever 13.

In the latest version, Santa sends a seriously disturbed Plumpergut on a quest to find himself, and in the process, to (of course) save Christmas. Along the way, he encounters many good and bad characters. The most important of them is Ozzie, a Christmas scribe mouse who, of all things, is trying to find himself.

Joseph Morton- prize-winning journalist; author of the coming-of-age novel, From the Forest of Eden; of selected short stories, Stories From Over the Edge of Time; and of selected poems and plays, On a Witch's Dare- teams here with daughter, Darcie Leighty, whose delightful illustrations breathe even greater life into this whimsical Christmas adventure: Plumpergut Meets the Magic Butterbee.

Other works by Darcie Leighty include illustrations for a variety of magazines, and for the children's book, Maggie Mae's Busy Day, by Patty Morton. Her countless paintings grace the walls of dozens of homes and businesses. Currently, the artist teaches fifth-grade students at Periwinkle Elementary School, Albany, Oregon. The artist may be contacted at Studiooorange@gmail.com.

The author lives with his wife, Dee, on Harstine Island, Washington.