Gold Medallion Award-winner Bob Welch crafts 52 nuggets of Bible-based wisdom from one of the most popular novels of all time, A Christmas Carol. “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” “No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.” “God bless us, every one.” The lessons and stories from the beloved novel A Christmas Carol point to bedrock values we all share. Award-winning author Bob Welch takes readers deeper into the nuances of this classic by Charles Dickens. From the miserliness of Scrooge to the innocence of Tiny Tim, 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol will inspire readers to live for what really matters, not only at Christmas, but all year long.

Bob Welch takes us deeper into the nuances of Frank Capra's 1946 tribute to bedrock values.

A miser learns the true meaning of Christmas when three ghostly visitors review his past and foretell his future.

If George and Mary Bailey are annual guests at your home every winter, you already know that It's a Wonderful Life is more than just a holiday tradition--it's a powerful reminder that our lives can change everyone around us, for better or worse. But what can this Christmas classic teach us about our everyday lives? 52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life will change the way you think about this holiday staple, from the lightheartedness of George and Mary's floor-parting dance to the poignancy of a community that rallies to save a desperate man, Bob Welch's 52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life will inspire you to live for the things that matter most. Welch invites us to revisit the defining lessons in Frank Capra's 1946 classic and discover new dimensions of the film you've seen time and again, including: What can we all learn from Mary's quiet contentedness? Can George's selflessness make you rethink your own priorities? What impact do we have on the people around us? Join Welch for a close-up of the characters and themes that shape this timeless story of resilience and redemption. You'll be reminded that life's most important work is often the work we never planned to do, that God can use the most unlikely among us to get the job done, and that grace is the greatest gift we can possibly give. Discover why It's a Wonderful Life is more than just a holiday tradition--it's an inspiration for us to lead better lives, to become people of honor and integrity, and to recognize what really matters.

Gold Medallion Award-winner Bob Welch crafts 52 nuggets of Bible-based wisdom from one of the most popular novels, musicals, and films of all time: Les Misérables. In 52 Little Lessons from Les Misérables, Bob Welch walks readers through Hugo’s masterpiece, extracting dozens of uniquely spiritual reflections from this enduring portrait of poverty, social injustice, mercy, and redemption. Welch reminds us that Jean Valjean’s life provides the truest example of why real love is found in the grittiest places, and that hearts are made whole beneath the crush of mercy. Most important, though, Welch keeps returning to the intersections of faith and reality throughout Hugo’s writing—those places where mercy becomes an inroad to the heart, and where love is only truly received when it is given without condition. Discover again why life’s purpose is found not in attending to personal needs and desires, but in responding to the hearts of others.

Inventing Scrooge uncovers the real-life inspirations from Charles Dickens’ own world that led to the fascinating creation of his most beloved tale: A Christmas Carol. When Charles Dickens created the story that would become A Christmas Carol, little did he know that his “ghostly little book” would reinvent the way we celebrate Christmas. From a graveyard in Edinburgh to the Marshalsea Prison in London to his schoolboy years in Chatham and even his lifelong fascination with dance, so much of Dickens’ past and present are woven into the characters and themes of A Christmas Carol. And by understanding the story behind the story, readers will come to embrace the holiday classic all the more. To this day, we look to the Christmas season as a time of warmth and celebration among family, friends, and strangers alike. And every year at Christmastime, not only do our lives get better for all the festivity, but we get better, as people. Just like Ebenezer Scrooge.

‘It’s a tough gig to write a book that is both academic and accessible. And yet Stuart and Amy have pulled this off. It is a brilliant boon to the English teaching community.’ - Mary Myatt Ready to Teach: A Christmas Carol brings together the deep subject knowledge, resources and classroom strategies needed to teach Dickens’s most famous Christmas story, as well as the pedagogical theory behind why these ideas work, helping teachers to deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum with impact. With fresh approaches building on the success of Ready to Teach: Macbeth, each chapter contains lesson-by-lesson essays and commentaries that enhance subject knowledge on key areas of the text alongside fully resourced lessons reflecting current and dynamic best practice. The book also offers an introduction to the key pedagogical concepts which underpin the lessons and why they are proven to help students develop powerful knowledge and key skills. Whether you are new to teaching or looking for different ways into the text, Ready to Teach: A Christmas Carol is the ideal companion to the study of this 19th century classic. With a foreword by Mary Myatt.