Christmas Books

I love traditions. I love Christmas traditions most of all - and this is one of my favorites. Each year on Christmas Eve the kids get to open one present after our dinner & program. It always contains new pajamas to wear to bed that night & a Christmas book.

When Rebekah was a baby one of the first traditions I implemented was to buy a new book each Christmas and to give it to her on Christmas Eve.

Years later when Emily was born I bought two copies of the same book and decided to put a bookplate with a message in it to each of them, which would also make sure their name was in it & they wouldn't get mixed up. That continued for several years - even until after I had Jane. I kind of thought that I would keep buying the kids each a copy of the same book and then when Bek left home I would buy the younger kids the one's I had bought for Bek before they were born....

Then a few years ago I thought to myself - "Am I not going to buy Bek books for Christmas Eve just because she turns 18? She's going to come home for Christmas & I'll have a book for the younger kids & not for her?" I realized that I would probably always carry on this tradition - eventually buying books to give to their families - to be read to my grandchildren. I also realized that our children were going to leave home and take most of our collection of Christmas books - why hadn't I been buying a copy of each for myself?

So I went back & ordered more of each of them - to ensure I had 5 copies of every book. One for each of the kids and one for us. It took some work (& I don't think Rick loved the credit card bill) but I got most of them. Now it's fair. They will all start their own families with a great collection of Christmas books - one's they will have enjoyed at each Christmas of their childhood.

I try to choose books that will be uplifting and teach them about Christ, goodwill to men, increase their Christmas Spirit, etc. But sometimes I just choose book that are fun. We read these each night in December. I count back & start to read them so we will read the last one on the 23rd and then they'll get the new one on the 24th. Only a couple more years & we'll have to start in November!

Here they are -

1993 – The Littlest Angel

I bought mostly because of the title. Rebekah was a baby - my little angel. It's the story of a little angel in heaven who wants to join the choir, but is not really such a good singer. Cute.

 1994 – Wombat Divine
(Mem Fox)

Purchased for their Australian heritage! Actually who doesn't love Mem Fox? This is a really sweet story about Wombat trying to find a role in the nativity play where all the characters are Australian Bush animals.

1995 – How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(Dr. Seuss)

I am actually not a big fan of Dr. Suess but who can resist the line

"What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Here's to hoping that this one will grow our hearts 3 sizes!

1996 – The Tale of the Three Trees
(Angele Elwell Hunt)

Definitely my biggest "crying" book. Actually, I am usually sobbing so hard by the end of this one that I have to have one of the girls finish reading it for me. This year Bek read it and also got teary - I warned her she's on the path to being as weepy as me!

A really beautiful story which is also appropriate for Easter.

Every home should have this book.

1997 – When Jesus was Born In Bethlehem
(Joseph Brickey)

 Scriptural text of the Nativity with Beautiful illustrations. Also a big "crying" book for me. (Crying when reading their books is another of my Christmas traditions.)

1998 – The Last Straw
(Frederick H. Thury)

A story of a camel who is chosen to carry the Wise Men's gifts to Bethlehem. The camel is boastful about his strength. Along the way people add to his burden and ask him to take their gifts too. Right as he arrives at the stable he falls on his knees because he is too laden down. Others follw his example and kneel before the Baby. Then he realizes that he has been proud and is humbled. A cute and simple story for small children - can lead into a great discussion about why we give gifts at Christmas.

This one I could not find anywhere, I think it's probably out of print - so we only have one copy of it.

1999 – The Nativity
(Mem Fox & Julie Vivas)

The  only thing better than Mem Fox books are Mem Fox books that have been illustrated by Julie Vivas. Lovely illustrations with more or less scriptural text for the Nativity story. Illustrations of the Infant Jesus that will melt your heart. (I frequently also cry in this one.)

2000 – The Polar Express
(Chris Van Ahlsburg)

The classic. The bookplate for this one says that we hope they always "Hear the bell." I love Santa & that magical (too fleeting) part of childhood and that this book celebrates it.

2001 – The Legend of the Candy Cane
(Lori Walburg)

The storyline for this book seems to me to be a bit contrived (there are several others in this series that I have not bought because of that.) However, it has sweet sentiments (no pun intended), is one of Emily's favorites and the kids enjoy it each year.

2002 – Christmas Day in the Morning
(Pearl S. Buck)

Another "cryer" for me. A beautiful story about a son who gives service to his Dad on Christmas morning and learns more about giving and the true spirit of the season. I used this one for a Family Home Evening lesson on service this year. We are trying hard to scale back our Christmas and give service to those we love. We also decided as a family to ask for mosquito nets to be donated to children in Africa instead of gifts for ourselves from all our extended family (cousins, Grandparents, etc.) The kids gave ME a gift by readily agreeing to that idea. This is a wonderful book to help teach the joy of service.

2003 – The Christmas Candle
(Richard Paul Evans)

This is a "Christmas Carol-esque" story of a young man who learns compassion for others on his journey home for Christmas with his family through a special candle. My kids like it and it does give a good message of "love thy neighbor." I get a sense that the author was trying hard to make it meaningful yet the story seems to me to be underdeveloped.

2004 – Snowmen at Night
(Caralyn Buehner)

Comes in the "fun" category. A whimsical story of what snowmen get up to while we are sleeping! My kids love this book and search each illustration to see all the mischief & mayhem of the individual snow people and find the hidden pictures in illustrations. Then when our snowman looks a little "worse for wear" in the mornings we know what he's been up to!

2005 – A Christmas Dress for Ellen
(Thomas S. Monson)

 It's the true story of a family so poor, they will not only be unable to provide Christmas for their children but are also continually cold and hungry with a bleak winter in front of them. One daughter (Ellen) hopes for a dress. In the end the love & service of family members & the mailman save the family. I love this one - but have to be careful. It can prompt questions about why Santa didn't just bring them what they need. There are a few years (around ages 7 - 8 or 9) when my kids get "cluey" enough that I skip reading this one for a while.

2006 – The Innkeeper’s Wife
(Lynda M. Wilson)

The story of the Nativity told from the point of view of Hannah, the innkeepers wife as she takes pity on the young couple in need & helps them. The story ends with Luke stopping at the Inn many years later and Hannah relating the story to him - he then saying he will tell it to all the world. It's a sweet book.

2007 - The Gift of the Magi
(O. Henry)

I have loved this story since I was a little girl - so ironically tragic, yet so beautiful. If you happen not to know it, I won't give the ending away - but go get it!

Set at Christmastime, a lovely tale of a couple's love & devotion to each other.

2008 – Christmas in New York / The Other Wise Man

 I got 2 books in 2008. It had been 10 years since Bek & I moved to New York & we all became a family, so I wanted something about New York, hence the pop-up book. It shows many of the places we love to visit during Christmastime in New York.

The pop-up book is fun, but not really a story so I also got another tale I have loved for years. "The Other Wise Man" was originally written in 1896 and is the story of Artaban one of the Magi who sells everything he owns to buy 3 jewels to give to the Christ child. On the way he stops to help an injured man. It takes 33 years and all his jewels before he finds his King.

This is an abbreviated version of the story. When my little kids are older, I'd love to get the full version for them all.

2009 – God Bless Your Way
(Emily Freeman)

A weary old man (Micah) travels to Bethlehem and sees Mary & Joseph along the way. Once he reaches Bethlehem he also finds there is no-where to stay. The innkeepers wife gives him a blanket and a poor family gives him some bread. He then comes across the stable with Mary, Joseph & the Newborn Jesus.  They invite him in and he gives them the bread & blanket. For some reason I find this story really touching. That those with almost nothing to give (the Innkeepers wife, the family, then Micah himself) gave what little they could. Also, the illustrations of the baby Jesus are just beautiful.

2010 – The Mitten
(Jan Brett)

SSShhhhhh - don't tell my kids that this is the book for this year. Not really a Christmas story as much as a winter one, but one that is beloved by our family.  We love all of Jan Brett's books and she made a visit to Emily's school last year - so now Em in particular loves her even more. We love Jan's beautiful illustrations, not to mention I fully plan on being a Grandma who knits mittens for her grandchildren!

I have  list of a few that I plan on getting in the future - for example the full version of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", and I'd love to find one that is out of print called "A Night Without Darkness; A Nephite Christmas Story." I often keep my eyes out just after Christmas for books on sale. I always get a nice hardcover book for these and have often got them just after Christmas for a deal & put them away for the next year.

What are your favorite Christmas books? I'm always on the lookout for new great one's.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Rebekah and I read " The Chronicles of Narnia" when she was 5 1/2 & 6 years old. I adore these books and planned to read them to all my kids around the same age. Fast forward a few years to when Emily was 5 & 6 and find me having 2 babies in a year and a half and super busy ... we just didn't get to them.

She has been begging me to read them to her and I keep putting her off. We read the Roald Dahl series (I adore them too - I am currently reading "The BFG" to J&J) and then a few others and Anne of Green Gables .... but we somehow never seem to get around to Lewis' books and that makes me sad.

So, this summer (as we have been making our summer goals), she asked if she could read them as one of her educational goals. She's a fast reader, she loves to read, I know she could probably finish the series in a week. Reading 7 books is a great educational goal. One way or another, Emily will have read those books before the end of summer. So my problem is twofold & I need input from you;

(1) I wanted to read them to her. To share that experience & give her that memory with me. I can only read a chapter a night and we won't get though them nearly as fast ... so what do you think I should do? Let her read them by herself or make her read them with me? OR read a chapter a night with me and read on by herself during the day. That would be disjointed for me, but I think I could remember them well enough to do it.

(2) Whether we read together or another way - which order should we read them in? I was a purist when I read them with Bek and we read them in chronological order. However, there are good arguments for reading them in published order, or at least reading "The Lion" first and then going in chronological order after that (which is how I originally read them as a child)?

How have you read them? What do you recommend?

Publication order	Chronological order	Written order	Final Completion order
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	The Magician's Nephew	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian	The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	Prince Caspian	Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	The Horse and His Boy	The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair	Prince Caspian	The Horse and His Boy	The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy	The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	The Silver Chair	The Silver Chair
The Magician's Nephew	The Silver Chair	The Magician's Nephew	The Last Battle
The Last Battle	The Last Battle	The Last Battle	The Magician's Nephew

I am probably making too big a deal of this but there are several books, or series of books, that are on my "My-kids-must-read-because-it-will-impact-their-lives-for-good" list and these are definitely on that list. Also, I feel pretty guilty that she hasn't read them yet & she's already 9!

Please weigh in & help us make our decision!

* (Book order chart from Wikipedia)

Book Buddies

I walked into the living room to discover these guys today.

This makes me happy.

Brava Strega Nona!

There are a couple of really great toy stores near where Emily plays soccer. My kids are always delighted when we can go browse in one after Emily's game.

Last Saturday, we came across this book. Of course, I was instantly drawn to it - not only because I recognized Strega Nona - but because all of Tomie dePaola's illustrations are so recognizable. (I think I recently read somewhere that he has authored or illustrated almost 200 books.)

Then I opened it up and literally caught my breath. Rick was standing beside me. In an almost reverent whisper I said to him "Oh, I want this." It was then that I turned back to the front cover & saw that Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart's names were there too.
I was giddy - a trifecta of masters!

Rick looked at the price, then flipped the corners of the pages - "There are only six pages!" he exclaimed (he's not as "into" children's books as I am.)

Oh, but JUST LOOK at those pages -

These pictures don't do it justice! You should see the one where Strega Nona tells the story of Big Anthony & the magic pasta pot (which happens to be one of our favorite Strega Nona stories.)

The story is beautifully simple - Strega Nona shares her words of wisdom for leading a magical life. Each of the six pages is a tribute to an important value.

We have several really wonderful pop-up books (My collection started in 1991 with "Don't Go Out Tonight" by Babbette Cole, which is still one of my favorites.) The pop-up books in our house, are the only one's off limits to the kids. They are on the top shelf. They belong to me, and are read only by me to them. It may seem severe - but I think it actually makes reading them more of a treat. Like they are being rewarded with something when we take one down, and they get to pull the tabs, make things move & open windows.

This book is officially on my wish list.

Halloween Pie

"On Halloween, Old Witch baked a scrumptious Halloween pie. Then, setting it aside to cool, she leaped on her broom and flew off to make some mischief. Soon the wind began to blow. It blew down Old Witch's chimney and out her window. It blew through the trees and over the graveyard fence. And with it went the spicy scent of Halloween pie. Zombie in his cave sniffed the wind. Skeleton in his grave sniffed the wind. Vampire, Banshee, Ghoul, and Ghost sniffed the wind. Then they all rose from the graveyard and followed their noses to Old Witch's cottage. This delicious Halloween romp, filled with spooky sounds and midnight magic, begs to be read aloud again and again and again."

from MichaelOTunnell.com

We love this book. The creatures who come to steal the pie are creepy enough to make for a good spooky Halloween story - but the illustrations are just cute enough to not be scary. Everything turns out alright in the end - and who doesn't love a happy ending!

We all love pumpkin pie at our house (OK, not Emily - but everyone else), which makes this book all the more pleasing. Also features a pumpkin pie recipe in the back. I made it once, not the best I've ever tasted, but not bad.

Make a pumpkin pie, then snuggle up and read this spooky tale with your little one's while it cools.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

I couldn't find the Disney movie to explain the story of Ichabod Crane (I had wanted to play it in the car on the way to "Legend"), but we do have a few books.

This is one of my favorite versions for kids.

It's the "Step Into Reading" version by Natalie Standiford, Illustrated by Donald Cook. The story is perfectly simplified for children - but gets all the main points. The superstitious school master in love with Katrina Van Tassel trying to win her hand, the playful Brom Bones, the night ride over the bridge, the Headless Horseman and the smashed pumpkin - ending with a picture of Brom & Katrina's wedding. The delightful illustrations look like they are colored pencil, and they show Ichabod just as you would imagine him ("a scarecrow off it's post.)

When Rebekah was learning to read, I bought about 200 of these "step into reading books" and we have really got great use out of them (& will continue to do so.) This one is a "step 2" for grades 1 -3. Emily read it to Jacob & Jane several times, and we also read it one night as one of our candlelight stories.

I confess, I like this story a lot more now that we live here and have visited Sunnyside (Washington Irving's place) and the areas where the story is set. Really though, it's an American classic - so I really want my kids to be familiar with the story and you can't go wrong with a classic.

Harry Potter

Emily and I finished reading the first Harry Potter book.

We started reading it at the end of September - once the school routine was in full swing. Rebekah & I read it right after we moved to Brooklyn - 10 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long.

Rebekah was just about to turn 6 at the time, Emily is headed towards 8. I waited with Em, because she gets frightened more easily, and seems to have less of a distinction between what it real or not. However, she'd started to hear things - from cousins & friends and learn a bit about the books and I didn't want them to be ruined for her. I wanted her to experience the books "untainted" by outside tales or spoilers.

So we started, and she was NOT scared. She LOVED it. Our evening routine is that the little one's go to bed at 7, then from 7 - 8 Emily & I do her piano practice & any unfinished homework together. We can read at 8pm. If she's not finished homework & piano, etc by 8, it's too late to read. I have never seen her so motivated to be ready by 8. At the end of each chapter I say "and we'll have to find out what happened next, tomorrow night." Then, she begs for more, "Please just 1 more page. Just read the next line." Sometimes, I give in. Because I love it too.

Although Rebekah has read each book multiple times, I have not read them since my original reading 10 years ago. It has been fun for me to re-read it, especially with the knowledge of what's to come.

When I was Emily's age my Dad read us "The Lord of the Rings." It was a magical experience, and one that I will never forget. I recently learned that my Dad used to pre-read the chapter we were up to each day, so he would know what was going to happen and who said what, so that he could do the right voices. I LOVED the voices my Dad did as he read to us, and how easy it was to follow the story & know who was speaking because of them. It moved me to tears to think that he had put so much effort into making that come alive for us. It had definitely impacted how I have been reading with Emily. I think I've always been a good out-loud reader, (I have lots of inflection in my voice,) but I have made more of an effort to make my reading wonderful & duplicate my experience for Em. I will never have my Dads "voice talent" but I hope that the times we spend reading will stay with her, create a bond between us, and give her a love of reading, and the world that words can take her to.

Thanks Dad, for giving me the gift of a love of reading - so that I can pass it on to my children.

A Job for Wittilda

I have a wooden box in our living room, next to our most comfortable chair. It's full of books, and I change the contents each month. In October it holds all our Halloween books. My dear friend Gabby (the famous Design Mom), gave us the great idea last year to read our Halloween stories every night in October by candlelight. The kids LOVED it, so we're making it tradition.

I have a set of tall candlesticks in the dining room, so we read on our big chair-and-a-half and I move them over next to it. There are 3, which is perfect because three little people like to each blow out a candle when we're finished.

So, here's our first Halloween book review. "A Job for Wittilda" by the wonderful Mark & Caralyn Buehner (the same delightful pair responsible for a few of our other favorites like "Snowmen at Night", "Fanny's Dream" & "It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel.") I picked this up when I was at the library today, and it was a huge hit.

Wittlida the witch has 47 cats, and is running out of food for them, in fact she is down to just one dried rat - so must get a job. After a failed stint in a salon, she finds herself competing for job delivering pizza's. The dilemma comes when she must decide between racing back to wim the job, or saving a cat in need.

Emily in particular, thought it was just hilarious. I love any story that shows witches as soft hearted and kind, so enjoyed it too.

Pick it up at your local library, and read it to your kiddo's by candlelight - they'll love it.

Orange, Pear, Apple Bear.

Many of the best books I've read were recommended by someone to me.
There are so many books I love, that I thought I'd start a new feature - a book review each Monday.

They will most likely be Children's books. Although I used to be an avid reader, I don't get a whole lot of time for reading for myself these days and am happy when I manage to finish the book club book each month. I do read to my kids though, so that will be what you'll find here.
Up first -

Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear
by Emily Gravett.

This book is nothing short of delightful.
Four words in a different order on each page, with accompanying beautiful illustrations. We bought this last year, in Australia. I quite frequently am drawn to books for the illustrations as much as the text, and that was my initial reason for picking up this book.

I will ONLY buy a childrens book if I love it too. There's no way I'm going to read something that grates on my nerves over & over again to my kids. I'm convinced the secret to a successful children's book is one that will please both the kids & their parents. This book has it.

I love this book for the reasons above, for it's silliness and for the way it rhymes and plays with words in such an engaging way.

Beans

We borrowed this book from the library in spring. Jacob loved it, and we read it over & over again. Then we renewed it and read some more, renewed it & read every day ... until I thought we should just buy our own copy - which we did.

The the kids thought it would be great to grow our own beans, like in the book. I've never grown beans before - but thought we'd give it a shot.

We wrapped them in wet paper towel, until they began to sprout and then put them in cups on the kitchen windowsill.

Emily grew 2 - kidney & pinto. Jacob planted a black bean. I have no idea how they'll work out - or if they'll die while we are away, but hopefully the kids will get to see at least a couple of new beans grow.

Jane didn't want to grow a bean, she wanted to grow peas (she loves peas.) The first one didn't come up, so we planted a new one. It's lagging behind the beans and is very small - just the way Jane likes it. She calls it her "baby pea."

We moved them to the garden last week. I'm late on everything in the veggie garden this year. I wasn't sure I was even going to do one with our trip - but decided I couldn't resist. We usually harvest well into fall, so I am hoping we'll still enjoy herbs, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini - and maybe beans - when we get back.

Missing

This is one of the best books out there to explain how a woman's body works. I highly recommend it to everyone. I seriously love this book - great for the lay person, very clear and easy to understand. I think it is better than some of the textbooks I had in nursing school. As far as I am concerned, it is required reading for my daughters.

I was telling someone about it today, and went to get it from the bookshelf, and couldn't find it. I loan out my "birth" (& related) books all the time, and frequently forget to keep track of them.

Does anyone have my copy of this?

GREAT!

Jacob LOVES sharks, I mean this boy really LOVES sharks. So when we saw this book on our trip to Mystic I snapped it up. I love books & movies for him where the sharks are kind or friendly (like in Finding Nemo.) Plus, the author's name is Jane - how can I not love a book written by someone named Jane? Lovely illustrations too.

It has proven to be pretty handy lately. Gilbert the great white shark has a very best friend Raymond the ramora. They have been best friends since Gilbert was a pup. They play finball and tide & seek (cute.) They share everything together. But one day, Raymond moves away with his family and Gilbert is left alone. He grieves the loss of his friend for quite some time, while several in the community try to cheer him up. But life just isn't the same without Raymond ... and Gilbert finds himself working through the grieving process. In the end he begins to hope that Raymond is enjoying his new home, and then makes a new friend.

Gilbert the Great has been a helpful story for my little boy grieving the loss of his buddy Colin. I recommend it for anyone who's friend has moved, who loves sharks, or just as a cute book to read to your kiddos.