Advent Calendar: Day 13 and Day 14

December 13:

Here is a great wintery book to read this time of year. The Twelve Days of Winter shows an elementary school classroom as their teacher introduces a new winter activity every day. The text allows children to recite/sing/chant along with the accumulating counting rhyme, but the pictures that illustrate the story are made to be pored over. An observant urchin will notice the dancing girl, the shy student who needs to stay close to teacher, the two rough-housing boys, and one kid who has a finger up his nose in every scene! This one really tickled me.

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December 14:

In Listen to the Silent Night, by Dandi Daley Mackall, we learn that things were maybe not all that silent in the stable on the night Jesus was born! From the sound of the sheep and cattle rustling and baaing to the fluttering on angel wings, to the excited murmur of shepherds, the story of the Nativity is told in a way that is both reverent and clever.  And as you can probably tell, I am a sucker for a beautifully illustrated book. This one is lovely!

Found one!

So every year when I'm out Christmas shopping (or sometimes Christmas window-shopping), I play a little game with myself, to see where I will see the first religious Christmas decoration or ornament. Part of the reason for my quest is that I collect "Holy Family" tree ornaments.  I have some beautiful ones; some were gifts, but many I have found during my yearly "game."

Well, of course I find an angel or two pretty quickly, and of course angels count. One or two times I have seen a menorah ornament, which seems confusing to me -- but I suspect that in families where one parent is Christian and one parent is Jewish, a menorah tree ornament feels like a fine blending of two customs.  The most unusual religious tree ornament I have ever seen was a lovely glass ornament of the Buddha.  At which I got very tickled and had to go sit down because I was laughing so hard.

This year the winner of my internal contest -- the store where I saw the first Nativity display -- was Pottery Barn Kids.  Here is their fun (and spendy) manger scene.

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And here are a few great books to get us us caught up on our Advent calendar:

Day 8:

Here's a pretty little picture book about the life of Mary, Jesus's mother.  In my house, today is a perfect day for a book like this, since December 8 is the day on which Catholics commemorate Mary's immaculate conception.

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Day 9:

Today's book is another that is out of print.  Lucky for us that we can access all, all the books through abebooks.com This fabulous website gives book lovers the ability to find books at used book stores all over the English speaking world.  Can I get an amen for buying a beloved and out-of-print book from a nice little New Zealand bookstore with a cat and a generous return policy?!

Din, Dan Don, It's Christmas, by Janina Domanska, is based on a Polish carol. It depicts a procession of birds and people together, as they make their way toward the manger where Jesus has been born. The illustrations evoke stained glass windows, and the simple words evoke an earlier time.

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Day 10:

Here's a reminder that every creature is unique and wonderful in ways that cannot be duplicated. No Two Alike, by Keith Baker, is a quietly lovely depiction of a winter landscape. We see that while some things seem similar, really every creature has its unique place in the pattern of life.

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Day 11:

The Christmas Magic, by Lauren Thompson, offers a view of Santa Claus as he prepares for Christmas. In her telling of the story, Santa is more removed from the world, and he works quite alone as he readies the reindeer, prepares gifts for every girl and boy in the world, and polishes his sled and its jingle bells.

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Day 12:

Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise was a big hit with all my urchins when they were little. I think the idea of a very sophisticated and world-weary dog, who works in an ice cream factory, just tickled their funny-bones. When you add the fact that he's got a very thoughtful girlfriend and a terrific imagination, you have the makings of a great wintery book.

Moe the Dog and his girlfriend Arlene long for a summery paradise where they can relax and get away from their bitter cold lives at the ice cream factory. While others are enjoying the freebies that come their way,  Moe just wants to go south where it is warm.  How will he and Arlene figure out a way to experience the vacation of their dreams?

Advent Calendar: Day Seven

On the second Sunday of Advent, here is a lovely book about the night Jesus was born.  In Only a Star, by Margery Facklam, a little girl asks her father, "Were there any decorations for Jesus when he was born in the stable?" "Only a star," her dad answers.

The rest of the book shows, though gorgeously detailed illustrations, just how that little star's light transformed everything it touched -- so that the stable was beautifully decorated: "But it glistened on dewdrops and turned them to diamonds. Spidery threads became ribbons of silk." Wonderful.

Saint Nicholas Day!

Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas! Did you put your shoes out last night? 

OK, so some of us get a little confused from time to time about the whole St. Nicholas v. Santa Claus split personality thing, and we wonder how we should talk to our kids about it. Well, I read this great blog post yesterday, and I think the blogger did a fabulous job of explaining why we should not feel angsty about these conversations.  She has such a great take on what really can be a tricky issue -- I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

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Today's Advent calendar book is, of course, one about the good man himself, in his Santa guise. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is written by the great  L. Frank Baum, of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz fame.  This beautifully illustrated book tells the legend of the early life of Santa -- as opposed to being a biography of St. Nicholas.  It's a fun fantasy about Santa's childhood and early mission to make children happy. There are other editions of the story, with beautiful illustrations -- but they have been simplified and the story is somewhat diminished. While I do love a gorgeous picture book, I hate to see this terrific story dumbed down. So I prefer this edition. 

You might also enjoy an edition that contains both of Baum's Santa stories ("The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" and "A Kidnapped Santa"), published as L. Frank Baum's Book of Santa Claus.  It's fun, too!

Advent Books: Days Four and Five

The book behind the virtual door of our virtual Advent calendar on Day Four is this adorable little book, written by Margaret Wise Brown in 1952.  You remember Miss Brown from her classic bedtime books, Goodnight, Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd. This edition of Christmas in the Barn is illustrated by the equally famously fabulous Barbara Cooney; alas it is out of print. the link will take you to a more recently published edition (equally cute, but not evocative of my childhood the way this one is).

This simple little book tells the Nativity story for very young children, often using words from traditional Christmas carols and hymns. Mommy or Daddy might just start singing the words to this book during story time -- it's hard to stop yourself!  A very satisfying book.

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Here is Day Five's story, and oh, my goodness -- I love this book!  Snow Party is written by Harriet Ziefert -- a favorite author in our family because she wrote our beloved A New Coat For Anna.  Here, the simple story is really the backdrop for the gorgeous illustrations by Mark Jones (Zeifert waited to publish the book until she had the right illustrator -- what a good decision!).

This is one of those books that kids (even pre-readers) will pore over, because the level of detail in each image is so lovely. A fabulous find -- I just wish I had experienced it with my own urchins when they were small.