Grandma Beverley used to say that David was the beatinest boy that ever grew up in the Valley. And David was sure that his grandmother was the smartest, most wonderful woman in the world. His Grandma never fussed and knew an awful lot of useful things — like hunting possums, milking cows, and robbing bee trees. 

It was funny — he hadn't liked the idea of going to live with the tall, strange woman even though he was homeless. But they were a real family now.

As Christmas drew near, David resolved that he would somehow raise enough money to buy Grandma Beverley a present. He wanted to make her the happiest woman in the world. 

This is the story of David's struggle to get that gift — from the tense moment when he almost sold the bee-tree honey to the day he finished a perfect present made from materials that had been right at hand all the time. 

A rugged story of the Kentucky mountains, and yet a tenderhearted one — a story which readers of all ages, from David's to Grandma Beverley's, will love. 

From the dust jacket