It's our last storytime before Christmas, and our last of 2015, so I picked a lovely trio to end us on. We'll start up in January with lots of books about snow, and hope that Mother Nature gets the hint.
Snowmen at Christmas
Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
ISBN: 0803729952
Luminous but cheerful and lighthearted spread paintings of animated snowpeople all festive.
This is actually a sequel to Snowmen at Night, but I like this one better as a Christmas story. That said, I do have, and might read Snowmen at Night in the next couple of months with all the snowy themes. This one is nice for Christmas for several reasons:
1) rhyming text means I can get through a slightly more substantial story in much better time.
2) this is one of the least-Christmassy Christmas books out there (only one veiled religious reference)
3) snowman party.
A Short History of Christmas
Sally Lee (consulting editor: Gail Saunders-Smith)
ISBN: 9781491460955
Very primary-grade juvenile nonfiction explaining the historic basis for Christmas traditions.
Really loving this series, and very happy to see them on the shelves. This one is just as factual as Thanksgiving, and very straightforward, starting with the December festival of Saturnalia, the birth of Jesus, choosing of December 25th by church leaders, Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, the tradition of caroling, Queen Victoria's German Christmas tree, and modern traditions of charity. Not bad for just under 250 words total. I just really wish there were similar books for the less-recognized holidays of the season: Hanukkah, Eid, and Solstice.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Karma Wilson, Jane Chapman
ISBN: 0689852789
Bear and Friends series, Bear's friends help him stay awake for Christmas Eve and Morning.
I adore this Christmas book. It's so sweet and perfect and has just about everything you'd want out of a Christmas book - including the difficulties that children have staying awake for the fun! Bear is the perfect sleepy focus, and all his friends are genuinely helpful and caring. This entire series is beautiful, but this one is perfect for Christmas in a way that is deeply satisfying. I personally would have been fine without an appearance by Santa as well, but that's not a battle I feel motivated about - it's just a slight preference.
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