scrounge: /skrounj/ informal verb: to actively seek [books] from any available source
Jan Brett is known for the beautiful and detailed artwork in her books, many of which are set in cold, snowy places. In The Wild Christmas Reindeer, the illustrations involve an entire pile of reindeer who manage to get their antlers all tangled up together! Teeka, one of Santa's helpers, is tasked with getting the reindeer straightened out before it's time to fly the sleigh -- can she do it?
While this story veers a bit from "traditional" Santa lore by giving the reindeer different names, such as Tundra, Bramble, and Lichen (which I think are quite appropriate), it is still a cute story that involves dealing with a confusing situation. On the sidebars of the main illustrations, we see other helpers getting ready as each page counts the way up to Christmas Eve.
Scrounged From: Our local library
Format: Hardcover
Author/illustrator: Jan Brett
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None
How about a fun one for Day 10? How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? Since our son has been interested in dinosaurs for a while, he especially enjoys this series. Generally, each book in the "How Do Dinosaurs..." series uses rhyming text to ask how a dinosaur should behave about the topic at hand, using certain examples of rude/inconsiderate behavior -- in the case of Christmas, things such as opening presents early, picking off ornaments, etc. Then we are assured that this is not how dinosaurs act, and are told about the kind and helpful things they do (helping to trim the tree, etc.).
The illustrations depict enormous, colorful dinosaurs managing somehow to coexist with human parents and friends. Not only is it a fun way to remind children about how to be considerate, but it's also fun to imagine what life would actually be like if we shared it with big, friendly, real-life dinosaurs!
The name of each dinosaur is given somewhere on the page it is introduced, and all of the dinosaurs and names are shown together on the pages inside the front and back covers.
Scrounged From: Our local library
Format: Hardcover
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None
I grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, and while my own children aren't quite ready for that, I found Christmas in the Big Woods to be a wonderful, simple introduction to those stories, as well as a celebration of Christmas in a less materialistic time and place.
With warm illustrations and descriptive text, we are introduced to the Ingalls family: Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, and Carrie, and their log cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. They are preparing to celebrate Christmas with Laura's aunt, uncle, and cousins, who are coming for a visit.
This book briefly shows some of the activities I remember from reading these books years ago: "pancake men" on the griddle, molasses candy poured onto pans of snow, Laura's doll named Charlotte, and new red mittens in her Christmas stocking. Details like this are easy for children's minds to latch on to, and I'm sure that when we do eventually read Little House in the Big Woods it will already seem a little bit familiar thanks to this story. In the meantime, it's a nice bit of nostalgia for those of us who grew up on these stories.
Scrounged From: Our local library
Format: Hardcover
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Illustrator: Renee Graef
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None
Probably most of us have seen film or stage adaptations of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol (my personal favorite is A Muppet Christmas Carol). While the 1840s English in this story would probably place it beyond the read-aloud patience levels of younger children, it is still a short read compared to most of Dickens' other works.
When I read this I enjoyed coming across familiar bits of dialogue that had been used in films, though of course, there is greater depth here to the characters' conversations and decisions than is possible to portray in a movie. I appreciated the heart of the story, which focuses on seeing all people as valuable, not just those with a certain degree of money or status.
Scrounged From: A Christmas gift
Author: Charles Dickens
Pages: 128
Content Advisory: As most probably know, there are ghosts in this story.
For younger children, this picture book version of A Christmas Carol gently adapts Dickens' original tale into something that can be read in an evening or two. The expressive and detailed illustrations, paired with more accessible text, keep the heart of the story in place.
Format: Hardcover
Author: Charles Dickens
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: Same as for the original tale -- the final faceless ghost might be scary for young ones.
Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is another Christmas favorite here, which a lot of us probably know better due to the Christmas special that comes on TV every December.
While Boris Karloff's narration sticks in my mind every time I read this book (as do the memorable songs that accompany the TV special), the book is quite able to stand on its own. I enjoy the rhyming text in Seuss's trademark anapestic style with nonsense words thrown in when called for. And of course, the climax of the story is so beautifully written that even the grinchiest among us might find our hearts growing just a little bit.
As a side note, I particularly like the snazziness of the shiny red and green on the cover of this particular edition.
Scrounged From: Our local bookstore
Format: Hardcover
Author/illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Pages: 64
Content Advisory: None
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