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Mary G
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Just wanted to tell y'all about two books we read today
1. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story -- by Gloria Houston and pictures by Barbara Cooney. This is a lovely book, set just at the end of WWI in the Appalachians. It's a beautiful story with a multi-hanky ending   ! Barbara Cooney's pictures are a delight! [My kids thought this a much better story than Cynthia Rylant's Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story.]
2. Christmas Tree Memories by Aliki (which seems to be OOP ) is another keeper. The story talks about how on Christmas Eve, the family gathers around the tree remembering making the ornaments and being given ornaments by close friends. The pictures and descriptions are just enough to show kids what they can make for their trees -- dough hearts, origami birds, pinecone angels, etc. We'll make some of these over hte next few weeks and start our own memories!
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MaryG
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Mary G
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Here are some more we read today -- these are absolutely beautiful!
The Light of Christmas -- by Richard Paul Evans (The Christmas Box guy). This is beautifully illustrated by Daniel Craig with a Northern feel to it -- for those doing a Scandinavian unit it'd be a great addition. What a book....
Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect by Richard H. Schneider. This is lovingly illustrted by Elizabeth Miles and has a medieval air to it. Again, just a great, beautiful picture book.
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree -- by Robert Barry -- is cute rather than beautiful. It's a poem about a single tree that seven different characters can use. The pictures are cartoony but delightful.
We finished up with The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett. We'd done a Jan Brett study last year and the kids really liked this one! When reading it this time they scrutinized the borders -- always something fun that Ms. Brett puts there -- and decided since today is Dec 2nd we should make gingerbread just like the elves do! I found a recipe in Leslie Cefali's book, Cook-a-Book: Reading Activities for PreK to 6. I like this book, but I wish she had an index of the books mentioned. Instead she's got everything else organized by ingredient or type of recipe (dessert, breakfast, bread, etc.). Does anyone know if there's a listing of the books mentioned -- yes, I KNOW I can go through and do it myself, but I was hoping someone had done it already  !
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MaryG
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Elizabeth
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My son is on his way home from a local Catholic bookstore with seven books for me to review  I  this annual ritual. Stay tuned...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| My son is on his way home from a local Catholic bookstore with seven books for me to review I this annual ritual. Stay tuned... |
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Can't wait!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Mary G. wrote:
| We'd done a Jan Brett study last year and the kids really liked this one! When reading it this time they scrutinized the borders -- always something fun that Ms. Brett puts there -- and decided since today is Dec 2nd we should make gingerbread just like the elves do! |
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I love borders in the children's books. Tasha Tudor, Lois Lenski and Elizabeth Orton Jones are some that come to mind that do that, also. Ds can look at a page for hours!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM
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One of my favorite nativity books is The Story of Christmas. The illustrations are beautiful but to me the best thing about it is that it shows baby Jesus breastfeeding. Don't really see that in Christmas books.
Another book I found last year that I especially like because it is about traditions of the southwest is The Santero's Miracle. It is about a santero (carver of wooden saint's images - santos) in New Mexico. The story is about the tradition of santo carving and passing on the tradition - the santeros is teaching his grandson the art of santo carving and telling him about his own experiences. He is working on a carving of San Isidro (Saint Isidore) A big snowstorm has stranded them in their village, so that the boy's parents won't be able to get there for Christmas and a very sick neighbor is not able to get to the hospital. During the night after the santero prays for San Isidro's intercession a miracle occurs that is tied in with the wooden carving.
It really is a lovely book of southwest culture, Christmas traditions, faith, and miracles.
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Mary M. in Denver
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~Rachel~
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I found a couple of new St. Nicholas books... I love the Demi book The Legend of St. Nicholas and I found one called St. Nicholas by Ann Tompert
I also like the book The Christmas Story illuminated by Isabelle Brent. It is the KJV Bible story, but the pictures are beautiful.
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JennGM
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~Rachel~ wrote:
| I found a couple of new St. Nicholas books... I love the Demi book The Legend of St. Nicholas and I found one called St. Nicholas by Ann Tompert |
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Oh good, tell me more about the Demi book. My sister is giving a copy of Mother Teresa for all the families for Christmas. My sister talks about her illustrations just captivate her girls. She caught her younger ones (2 and 4) sitting and discussing the illustrations.
So with all the positive about the Mother Teresa book, I wanted to hear about the St. Nicholas book!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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~Rachel~
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It is wonderful... it truly is. I have also read the Mother Teresa one  .
Basically her rendition is a recounting of the legends associated with St. Nicholas. The text is simple, and not overwhelming in amount. I read it last year to DS... and it is quite plain spoken about the legends of St. Nicholas evolving into Santa Claus  .
As for the Mother Teresa one, I can tell you that it was really good too. You will love it!
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JennGM
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Thanks, Rachel. I don't know much about this author, but it seems he/she is Indian. The mix of Buddhism and Catholicism titles are interesting. Is the faith clear cut in these texts?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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~Rachel~
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Yes, very clear cut. She even has a Papal letter on the back of the Mother one
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~Rachel~
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BTW, her real name is something like Charlotte Demi (as seen in the letter on the Mother one
Here: Demi Biography
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~Rachel~
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Mary G
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We did a unit last year on Chinese New Year -- and her books were a big hit with my littles. Simple, clean prose and gorgeous artwork -- what more could a kid want.
On a side note -- my library HAS the St. Nicholas and Mother Theresa! My dh always love when we can get the books from the library and not HAVE to buy them 
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MaryG
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MaryM
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Mary G. wrote:
| My dh always love when we can get the books from the library and not HAVE to buy them |
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Oh, he probably would like us to stop making book suggestions here, wouldn't he!
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Mary M. in Denver
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Mary G
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Mary M -- don't even say that!
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Elizabeth
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His errand finished, my son called me before he started home.
“It’s snowing!” he exclaimed. Perfect, I thought, snow for “book day.” Book day is a tradition unique to our family. I bring home a stack of Advent and Christmas books from the Paschal Lamb and we all snuggle up and review.
As it turns out, the snow stopped before it really began and instead of curling up for the afternoon, I bundled up small children and went to the Catholic Shop to pick up yet another stack of books. Well supplied, we curled up the next day and shared stories, pictures and even songs.
Knowing that Katie, our youngest, was unlikely to stay with the task for the duration, we began with B is for Bethlehem. Isabel Wilner tells the story of Christmas in lyrical couplets, which are neither sticky nor snooty. The exuberant collage art in this nicely sized board book makes it eye candy for all of us, young or old.
Katie still with us, we moved on to There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve. The prose on each page is sparse, so the book moves quickly enough for little ones, but watercolor illustrations captivate readers and beg us to linger. There is reality here: Mary is very young, the earth is dry and dusty, and the animals don’t speak. But there is beauty and believability in the reality of the miracle.
Linda Schlafer’s A Gift for the Christ Child: A Christmas Folktale is a lovely story of two South American boys who travel from their poor home in the mountains to the glorious church in town to make a Christmas offering on behalf of their family. Along the way, they are called to minister to a woman in need. This book is also illustrated with bright collages, but they are simple collages. And it’s the simplicity of the illustrations that really captivates and truly expresses the message of the story.
In The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston, it’s Ruthie and her mother who must fulfill the family’s Christmas obligation. They are supposed to furnish the perfect Christmas tree for the town’s celebration. Ruthie’s father had chosen the tree before he left to fight in the war. But he has not yet returned home when it is time to harvest the tree for Christmas. This is a touching story of great wealth amidst poverty. Barbara Clooney’s illustrations are wondrous and this lovely tear-jerker is destined to become a family favorite in our house.
We seem to be collecting quite a treasure trove of Saint Nicholas books, so I’m not sure how The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi escaped us until now. A very complete account of the beloved Patron of Children, this book’s gilded pictures are memorable and tease the reader with almost icon-like presentations of modern Christmas symbols. For instance, young Nicholas tosses gold coins into a fur-trimmed red Christmas stocking. There is so much to talk about on every page of this book and so many opportunities for every member of the family to grow closer good St. Nick!
My friend Kathy discovered O Holy Night: Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem at the Catholic Shop and called especially to tell me about it. The first thing that struck me about this book, illustrated by the renowned Faith Ringgold, is that the Holy Family is dark-skinned and the supporting cast is multi-ethnic. The book begins with scripture and then moves to illustrated lyrics of traditional carols. An accompanying CD is a soulful recording of the Harlem Boys Choir singing Christmas carols. Truly, this book and CD set is a sensory feast.
My favorite book this year is a simple one compared to the others. The illustrations are drawn in colored pencil and reflect the message: Christ is not complicated. He is not hard to find. He is simple. He came to the shepherds—poor, uneducated, humble servants. He made himself obvious and available to the lowly. The Shepherd’s Christmas Story by Dandi Daley Mackall evokes the whispers of Old Testament prophecies and underscores the tenderness of the Good Shepherd. Children will like the storyline which is rich with the images of a shepherd’s life, but the message is not a childish one. Children believe in God; they accept Him readily as truth. It is adults who search for God—they seek him, often without knowing what they are seeking. They look for knowledge and nobility, for theological understanding, for outward signs of secular greatness, both for themselves and for their Savior. But they will find Him in infinite simplicity. He is Love. He is the baby, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of Sacrifice, and the risen Lord who commanded Peter to feed his sheep. He made himself known to the uneducated, unsophisticated, simple shepherd who walked solely by faith. This Advent, as we share stories with our children, we pray for an increase in faith, so that though we may not understand at all, we—like the shepherds—will truly know Love.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Rachel May
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Thank you, thank you! If only my Christmas book budget were bigger.
My kids are so attuned to the different skin tones in our family and the other day were asking about what color the holy family was. I sang them a song from an old Christmas albumn ("Some children see him bronzed and brown the Lord of Heaven to Earth come down...."). This book will be great for our ongoing conversation. We really enjoyed Faith Ringgold's Rosa Parks book so I know we'll love this one too.
I bought B is for Bethlehem for my goddaughter and just got it this week. I would love to keep it.
Thanks for the great suggestions!
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Rachel
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Erica Sanchez
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Rachel May wrote:
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A little off the subject....but I can hear Andy Williams singing this....many years spent listening to this Christmas album when we were little...a great song!
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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MarieC
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So many great suggestions! I've just made a couple of requests at the library...looking forward to reading!
We just discovered The Legend of the Christmas Rose and are really enjoying it. It's the story of a little girl whose older brothers are the shepherds the angels appear to. They leave for Bethlehem and she follows after. This story is being enjoyed by all my girls.
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Mary G
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Here are two we read today that were excellent:
1. this one must be OOP: A Gift from Saint Francis: The First Creche -- by Hoanna Cole and lovingly illustrated by Michele Lemieux. The book has an overview of Francis' life and then tells about the first creche -- the pictures alone are worth hunting for this one (we found ours at the library).
2. Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey is written and illustrated by Robert Byrd. tells the story of how the donkey was one of the favored animals, got too big for his britches and turned into a beast of burden. But then is the animal that gets to carry Mary to Bethlehem adn see the Christ Child born. My kids loved the pictures in this book!
ENJOY!
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MaryG
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4Real Forums : Picture Book Discoveries
Topic: Christmas Picture Books
