I chose to feature these two books simultaneously because they both have similar themes and are both new books with story lines different than the same old Christmas stories with Santa and elves and toys and reindeer in distress. But that's where their similarities end. The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll is set in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression while A Song in Bethlehem is set, well, in Bethlehem during the first Christmas. While The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll focuses more on family and sharing, A Song in Bethlehem focuses more on kindness, compassion and faith.
Which one do I recommend? Well, it depends on what you're looking for.
A Song in Bethlehem has a more serious tone and has more religious undertones since it is about the birth of Christ. The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll is a little more lighthearted and gets more in depth with the characters and will make you laugh. Because of this, if I had to only choose one, I would choose this book. Both, however, would make great additions to your book collection.
Showing posts with label the all I'll ever want Christmas Doll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the all I'll ever want Christmas Doll. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll, Life Lessons
This book resonates with me because of the lessons it teaches, but the great thing is that Patricia C. McKissack gets these lessons across so well that kids who read it won’t feel like they’re being “preached” at. Three of the most important lessons I got from the book are:
1. People are more important than things
First, McKissack does a beautiful job of demonstrating through a bit of humor that people are indeed more important than things. When Nella first claims Baby Betty as her own, she has a great time playing all alone with her…for a while. Then Nella gets increasingly frustrated when Baby Betty doesn’t respond to her stories or songs until she finally sees her sisters in the other room having a great time playing together and feels sad and lonely. It’s not until she invites her sisters to join her and Baby Betty for tea that she truly has a good time. In fact EVERYONE has a good time, and Nella is finally able to say it was the best Christmas ever.
2. Be thankful for what you have
The second lesson the book teaches us it to be thankful for what you have. The Pearson’s have to fill the cracks and line the walls with newspaper to keep the cold out. They are in the Great Depression, and money (and work and food and toys) is hard to come by. Yet, when the girls receive their bags of raisins and nuts for Christmas, they are very pleased because it’s the most they’ve ever received. And when they get the Baby Betty doll, they are excited beyond belief. Children who are used to receiving tons and tons of gifts may be horrified at the meager gifts the girls receive, and it’s a perfect opportunity to let them know that are many kids out there who are less fortunate than them. It could also be a good time to introduce them to charitable giving and get them involved in helping out kids who are less fortunate. Perhaps volunteer at a local food bank, participate in a toy drive, or “adopt a family” for the holidays. Your children may have great pleasure going out and finding the ”perfect” gift.
3. Share what you are fortunate enough to have
Finally, McKissack shows us that by sharing what you do have, everyone wins. Nella is miserable until she asks her sisters to join in the fun and have tea with “their” Baby Betty doll. A great lesson, especially if you have kids who squabble over toys and other things a lot.
1. People are more important than things
First, McKissack does a beautiful job of demonstrating through a bit of humor that people are indeed more important than things. When Nella first claims Baby Betty as her own, she has a great time playing all alone with her…for a while. Then Nella gets increasingly frustrated when Baby Betty doesn’t respond to her stories or songs until she finally sees her sisters in the other room having a great time playing together and feels sad and lonely. It’s not until she invites her sisters to join her and Baby Betty for tea that she truly has a good time. In fact EVERYONE has a good time, and Nella is finally able to say it was the best Christmas ever.
2. Be thankful for what you have
The second lesson the book teaches us it to be thankful for what you have. The Pearson’s have to fill the cracks and line the walls with newspaper to keep the cold out. They are in the Great Depression, and money (and work and food and toys) is hard to come by. Yet, when the girls receive their bags of raisins and nuts for Christmas, they are very pleased because it’s the most they’ve ever received. And when they get the Baby Betty doll, they are excited beyond belief. Children who are used to receiving tons and tons of gifts may be horrified at the meager gifts the girls receive, and it’s a perfect opportunity to let them know that are many kids out there who are less fortunate than them. It could also be a good time to introduce them to charitable giving and get them involved in helping out kids who are less fortunate. Perhaps volunteer at a local food bank, participate in a toy drive, or “adopt a family” for the holidays. Your children may have great pleasure going out and finding the ”perfect” gift.
3. Share what you are fortunate enough to have
Finally, McKissack shows us that by sharing what you do have, everyone wins. Nella is miserable until she asks her sisters to join in the fun and have tea with “their” Baby Betty doll. A great lesson, especially if you have kids who squabble over toys and other things a lot.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Spotlight on Patricia C. McKissack and Jerry Pinkney
Quick bios of the author of and illustrator of The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll
Patricia C. McKissack was born in Tennessee but moved to St. Louis to live with her grandparents after her parents divorced. After many years as a teacher and children’s book editor, she launched her writing career and the rest is history. A writer of children’s picture books, nonfiction, and short stories with the main focus on African American history and biography, McKissack won the Newbery Honor Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for her 1992 book, The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural.
Other notable books include Mirandy and Brother Wind 
and Nettie Jo's Friends.
Jerry Pinkney was born in Philadelphia and has illustrated more than 75 children’s books, many of them featuring multicultural and African American themes. He has received many distinguished awards including five Caldecott Honor Awards and five Coretta Scott King Awards. Pinkey’s watercolor illustrations are vibrant and make the characters come to life. The Patchwork Quilt
and Aesop's Fables
are among my favorites.
Patricia C. McKissack was born in Tennessee but moved to St. Louis to live with her grandparents after her parents divorced. After many years as a teacher and children’s book editor, she launched her writing career and the rest is history. A writer of children’s picture books, nonfiction, and short stories with the main focus on African American history and biography, McKissack won the Newbery Honor Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for her 1992 book, The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural.
Other notable books include Mirandy and Brother Wind and Nettie Jo's Friends.Jerry Pinkney was born in Philadelphia and has illustrated more than 75 children’s books, many of them featuring multicultural and African American themes. He has received many distinguished awards including five Caldecott Honor Awards and five Coretta Scott King Awards. Pinkey’s watercolor illustrations are vibrant and make the characters come to life. The Patchwork Quilt
and Aesop's Fables are among my favorites.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll, Learning Activities
VOCABULARY/LANGUAGE BUILDING
Gifts:
Talk to your children about gift giving. Have them identify and describe a gift they’ve received or given. If they’re learning question words, try this format or something similar:
*Who gave the gift?
*What was it?
*When did you receive it?
*Where did you receive it?
*How did you receive it?
*Why did the person give it to you?
Letter to Santa:
In the book, Nella writes a letter to Santa. Your child may want to write his/her own letter to Santa.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The Great Depression
This book is a great supplement if you’re a teacher (public or home school) and are teaching about the Great Depression. Children will be able to identify more with the Great Depression if they “know someone” who lived during it. Go through the book and point out some of the details that indicate the family is not well off, the newspapers lining the walls, for example.
Other Great Depression books like I particularly like include:
Children of the Depression
A collection of images of children who lived through the Great Depression. Some are heart wrenching as you can imagine, but it puts a real face on the Depression and has a wealth of discussion opportunities.
Rose's Journal: The Story of a Girl in the Great Depression
From Amazon: Rose keeps a journal of her family's difficult times on their farm during the days of the Dust Bowl in 1935.
DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITIES
*Nella is delighted with Baby Betty for a while, but she soon realizes that she can’t talk or sing or laugh with her. She misses her sisters. Talk about friendship and the importance of people over things. Have your children identify special friends in their life, including their siblings, and talk about what they love the most about them.
*The story begins with the line, “Christmas always came to our house, but Santy Claus only showed up once in a while.” For your Santa believers, this could get a little dicey because how could Santa discriminate against poor people? After all, it’s the “bad” kids who get shifted, right? The question is sure to pop up as you read the book. I honestly don’t know what advice to give you to help you navigate this one because you know your kids best. All I can tell you is to talk about the fact that sometimes there wasn’t enough money in Nella’s house for Christmas gifts but they still celebrated Christmas with their families. This could be a lead-in to the discussion of the true meaning of the holiday—not the gift-giving part.
*Nella learns how sharing the doll with her sisters makes a more enjoyable experience with everyone. For those of you who have “sharing issues”, this could be a good opportunity to talk to your child about the importance of sharing and the benefit to all.
What ideas do you have?
Check in tomorrow to learn more about the author and illustrator of this book.
Gifts:
Talk to your children about gift giving. Have them identify and describe a gift they’ve received or given. If they’re learning question words, try this format or something similar:
*Who gave the gift?
*What was it?
*When did you receive it?
*Where did you receive it?
*How did you receive it?
*Why did the person give it to you?
Letter to Santa:
In the book, Nella writes a letter to Santa. Your child may want to write his/her own letter to Santa.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The Great Depression
This book is a great supplement if you’re a teacher (public or home school) and are teaching about the Great Depression. Children will be able to identify more with the Great Depression if they “know someone” who lived during it. Go through the book and point out some of the details that indicate the family is not well off, the newspapers lining the walls, for example.
Other Great Depression books like I particularly like include:
Children of the Depression
A collection of images of children who lived through the Great Depression. Some are heart wrenching as you can imagine, but it puts a real face on the Depression and has a wealth of discussion opportunities.
Rose's Journal: The Story of a Girl in the Great Depression
From Amazon: Rose keeps a journal of her family's difficult times on their farm during the days of the Dust Bowl in 1935.
DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITIES
*Nella is delighted with Baby Betty for a while, but she soon realizes that she can’t talk or sing or laugh with her. She misses her sisters. Talk about friendship and the importance of people over things. Have your children identify special friends in their life, including their siblings, and talk about what they love the most about them.
*The story begins with the line, “Christmas always came to our house, but Santy Claus only showed up once in a while.” For your Santa believers, this could get a little dicey because how could Santa discriminate against poor people? After all, it’s the “bad” kids who get shifted, right? The question is sure to pop up as you read the book. I honestly don’t know what advice to give you to help you navigate this one because you know your kids best. All I can tell you is to talk about the fact that sometimes there wasn’t enough money in Nella’s house for Christmas gifts but they still celebrated Christmas with their families. This could be a lead-in to the discussion of the true meaning of the holiday—not the gift-giving part.
*Nella learns how sharing the doll with her sisters makes a more enjoyable experience with everyone. For those of you who have “sharing issues”, this could be a good opportunity to talk to your child about the importance of sharing and the benefit to all.
What ideas do you have?
Check in tomorrow to learn more about the author and illustrator of this book.
Monday, December 3, 2007
The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll, Overview
This week, I'm reviewing two new books with a Christmas theme. Both are very different, but both are great picks if you're looking for something new for your child.
The first one is The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
Fast Facts:
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrator:Jerry Pinkney
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 11, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0375837590
ISBN-13: 978-0375837593
Review
“Christmas always came to our house, but Santy Claus only showed up once in a while.” Can I just say, “Wow!” Upon reading this book’s first and mighty powerful sentence, I was hooked.
Set during the Great Depression, Nella Pearson and her family don’t have a lot. In fact, they have to line their walls with pages from the Pittsburgh Courier for insulation. But all Nella can think of is Santy Claus bringing her a brand new Baby Betty doll. When Christmas rolls around, Nella and her sisters get the doll much to their surprise and delight. Nella claims the doll for herself and sets off with her new friend, but soon finds that Baby Betty isn’t all she’s cracked up to be.
Patricia C. McKissack adds depth to the story through her realistic and often humorous dialogue. I found myself chuckling aloud as Nella gets more and more frustrated with Baby Betty’s lack of response to her singing and storytelling. And Jerry Pinkney brings the characters to life with his detailed, vibrant, and lifelike watercolor illustrations.
With the increasing commercialism of Christmas, The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll brings us back to earth and teaches us to appreciate what we have and that things are not more important than people.
This multiple award-winning team has created a heartwarming tale that is sure to become a classic.
Check in tomorrow for reading tips and learning activities.
The first one is The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
Fast Facts:
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrator:Jerry Pinkney
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 11, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0375837590
ISBN-13: 978-0375837593
Review
“Christmas always came to our house, but Santy Claus only showed up once in a while.” Can I just say, “Wow!” Upon reading this book’s first and mighty powerful sentence, I was hooked.
Set during the Great Depression, Nella Pearson and her family don’t have a lot. In fact, they have to line their walls with pages from the Pittsburgh Courier for insulation. But all Nella can think of is Santy Claus bringing her a brand new Baby Betty doll. When Christmas rolls around, Nella and her sisters get the doll much to their surprise and delight. Nella claims the doll for herself and sets off with her new friend, but soon finds that Baby Betty isn’t all she’s cracked up to be.
Patricia C. McKissack adds depth to the story through her realistic and often humorous dialogue. I found myself chuckling aloud as Nella gets more and more frustrated with Baby Betty’s lack of response to her singing and storytelling. And Jerry Pinkney brings the characters to life with his detailed, vibrant, and lifelike watercolor illustrations.
With the increasing commercialism of Christmas, The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll brings us back to earth and teaches us to appreciate what we have and that things are not more important than people.
This multiple award-winning team has created a heartwarming tale that is sure to become a classic.
Check in tomorrow for reading tips and learning activities.
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