Based on the classic 1946 movie, a heartwarming story follows Tommy Bailey, the youngest son of George and Mary Bailey, as he, during a time of crisis, learns what is important in life with help from an angel-in-training named Arthur. Grade 2-4–Written to honor the 60th anniversary of the film by the actor who played Tommy Bailey, this original story places his character in the limelight while merely rehashing the plot of the movie. As a young boy, he, like his father George, intervenes in a few situations to improve the course of people's lives. Then, at 11, Tommy misplaces the money that his sixth-grade class collected for the library fund and, feeling desperate, runs to the town bridge, wishing he'd never been born. Magically, a novice angel appears to show him how many lives he has touched, and the rest is predictable. The film's charitable themes are adequately transposed to the book, and the illustrations nicely convey the tale's old-fashioned wholesomeness. However, with a film as beloved and widely available as this one, it is hard to imagine why anyone would need this rather superfluous book. Gathering up the family and watching the holiday classic has sufficed for the last 60 years; it might be just as good a choice now. –Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Jimmy Hawkins played the part of Tommy Bailey in Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life . He lives in Los Angeles. Douglas B. Jones lives in Nelson, British Columbia.