I’m looking for a children’s book that I read as a child in 1995-1997. It’s about Christmas and it was set in an old village. There’s a girl who needs a pair of new shoes. There are beautiful ones in a cobbler’s shop. I think she learns about generosity or does something generous for someone else in the community. At the end of the book, she is gifted with the new shoes from the cobbler’s shop. I vaguely remember the plot being something along the lines of a cobbler making them for someone else but giving them to the girl instead, or maybe her brother/father save up to get these shoes.

Dear Stump-Solvers, I'd love to find a children's book I read to my kids in the late 80s-early 90s. Here's what I remember: A slug is moving along and ridiculed by a snail, because the slug doesn't have a shell. The slug suffers a loss of confidence and sadly slimes along. I remember the slime to cross hot pavement. SPOILER: Eventually the slug meets another slug and is happy. Thank you!

Christian novel published no later than the early 2000s, possibly earlier. Paperback cover was dark blue or black with a horizontal photo of four tornadoes closing in on a church tower. The premise centers around four strangers (two men and two women) who are mysteriously summoned to a small town called Haven. One of the strangers is a man named Gabe who has some attitude/anger/commitment issues, and another is a housewife who feels stuck in her life. When they arrive in Haven, they are all shown to hotel rooms that mysteriously match their personalities; for example, one woman finds CDs to her favorite Broadway musicals, including Cats. During their stay, they all undergo various tests of faith which culminates in a church tower being surrounded by four tornadoes -- only those with faith in God escape with their lives as they all confront the issues that have been holding them back. Scattered details I remember: - One of the four strangers meets a young man named Art (it's possible that Art tries to rob a gas station in Haven, then finds himself unable to leave town?), and together they break into the local school. Art sees a sign light up that spells "A-R-T" and thinks God is trying to tell him something. - Toward the end of their stay in Haven, they're invited to a banquet with all of their favorite meals. Gabe's favorite foods are all described as "starch city." (The things that stick with you. . . ) - At the end of the book, everyone returns to their homes, only to discover that the town called Haven never existed on any map/in any history book. It's heavily implied, if not outright stated, that their guide(s) in Haven was an angel. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I've been searching for this book for years to no avail!