Blog Advent Calendar Tour

I’ve had so much fun reading all of the posts on the Advent Calendar Blog Tour and visiting everyone’s blogs. I’ve been thinking and thinking of a tradition to retell, and I was wracking my brain trying to think of one tradition in particular that stands out besides the presents, the feast, the family, and watching Randy show his mom how the piggies eat in the Christmas Story. Poor Ralphie ended up shooting his eye out after all.

Since this is a blog about children’s books, I first thought of making a list of holiday books, but there are so many of them, and I couldn’t think of one that was my all time favorite until it hit me! One thing that never fails to give me the “warm fuzzies” even now is “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” I remember my sister, brother, and I had a children’s book with this poem, and we would read it over and over and over again as soon as the first hint of Christmas came around. We would reenact the different scenes and be at a loss as to what the father did when he “threw up the sash.” Even as I’m writing this, I’m smiling and know that I want to continue the tradition of reading it to my daughter and seeing her delight as she hears about Santa’s belly shaking like a bowlful of jelly.

Even though the night before Christmas is a few days away, take a few minutes to remember the magic of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”


'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"



There are only a few days left...visit the rest of the tour!
1 December - Becky (Becky's Book Reviews)
2 December - Lisabea (Nose in a Book)
3 December - Marg (Reading Adventures) / Lady Tink (Up Close & Personal with LadyTink)
4 December - Valentina (Valentina's Room)
5 December - Melissa (Book Nut)
6 December - Laura (Musings)
7 December - Wendy (Caribousmom)
8 December - Nymeth (Things Mean A Lot)
9 December - Raidergirl (An Adventure in Reading), Chris (Stuff as Dreams are Made on)
10 December - Dewey (The Hidden Side of a Leaf)
11 December -Suey (It's All About Books)
12 December - Chris (Book-a-rama)
13 December - Jill (The Well-Read Child)/ Stephanie (The Written Word)
14 December - Robin (A Fondness for Reading)
15 December - Alyssa (By The Book)
16 December - Rachel (A Fair Substitute for Heaven)
17 December - Literary Feline (Musings of a Bookish Kitty)
18 December - Dev (Good Reads)
19 December - Callista (S.M.S. Book Reviews)
20 December - Tiny Little Librarian (Tiny Little Librarian)
21 December - Carla (Carla Nayland Historical Fiction)
22 December - Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)
23 December - Booklogged (A Reader's Journal)
24 December - Kailana (The Written World) / Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)

Win a Holiday Gift Basket of Children's Books!

Hi all,
I came across this excellent giveaway at A Readable Feast. She's giving away a gift basket of kids books from Little, Brown, and Company. Click here to learn more!

Spotlight on Anne Sibley O'Brien

Anne Sibley O’Brien’s parents were missionaries, and she grew up in Korea. She now lives in Maine and has illustrated all of Margy Burns Knight’s books and a number of other multicultural books, some of which she also authored. Some notable books include, Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea, and The Princess and the Beggar a Korean Folktale.
Her colorful illustrations are absolutely stunning, highly detailed, and accurately represent people from the cultures featured in the books.

Spotlight on Margy Burns Knight

Margy Burns Knight was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Maine to attend college in 1972 where she still resides and teaches English as a Second Language. Her multicultural books are engaging and excellent starting points to begin introducing different cultures to your child. In addition to Talking Walls and Talking Walls: The Stories Continue, she has written Who Belongs Here?: An American Story, a story of a Cambodian boy who immigrates to the United States to escape his war-torn country,Welcoming Babies, an amazing book about welcoming ceremonies and an excellent gift for new parents, and Africa Is Not A Country, a beautiful picture book that features children in different African countries. She’s also authored a Spanish version of Who Belongs Here? An American Story: Quien Es De Aqui: Una Historia De America.I highly recommend these books to any parent or teacher who wants to teach their kids about different cultures, compassion, and tolerance.

Look Ma! I've got my very own button!

I have to confess that I've been experiencing some serious button envy, so I set out to create my own blog button. After spending an hour trying to figure out how to use the paint bucket tool, (hey, I'm a writer, not a designer) I decided it was time to bring in the big guns. My designer pal Lindsey created this for me, and I think it's way cool. Help me spread the word about The Well-Read Child and grab a button for your site!

Talking Walls, Learning Activities

Talking Walls has a wealth of learning opportunities. I was able to use this book and the follow up, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue as a foundation for a 9-week unit of instruction when I was teaching middle school and high school ESL. While I can’t write about EVERY lesson I taught during the nine weeks, I can tell you how I structured each lesson. I spent approximately 1 ½ to 2 90-minute blocks of instruction on each wall. I’ll use the first wall, The Great Wall of China as an example.

Day 1:

Warm-Up: Where in the World is China? ( 5 min) (The class spent five minutes completing this activity while I took care of administrative stuff such as taking attendance.)
For each wall, I made a handout with a map of the continent in which the country was located and 10 corresponding geographical questions, such as “In which continent is China?,” “Which countries border China on the left?”, and “Which ocean borders China on the right?”. This introduced the country to the students and also helped build vocabulary and geographical knowledge.

Listen to the story on tape: (5 min) When I was teaching, Talking Walls came with an accompanying tape. I can’t seem to find a tape or CD now, but at the time, I would play the tape and students would read along so they could hear the pronunciations of the words along with some cultural music and sounds.

Vocabulary: (15 min) Students would get a list of five to ten new words to add to their “personal dictionaries.” At the beginning of the year, one of our first projects was to create a personal dictionary using a three-ring binder, three-hole punched paper, and tabbed dividers. Each letter would get a divider with a few blank pieces of paper following it. As students learned new vocabulary words, they would add it to their personal dictionaries, with at least two of the following: a definition, a picture, or a sentence using the word. So in this case, the vocabulary words were structure, magnificent, serpent, fortress, boulders, construct, and invader. They could also add any other words that were unfamiliar.

Re-read: (5 min) I would read the story again to the students to give them another opportunity to hear the correct pronunciation of words and to help them gain comprehension.

Discussion: (15 – 20 min) I would lead a discussion about the story, asking different types of comprehension questions. Sometimes students would be familiar with the wall, and I’d ask them to tell me what they knew. I’d then ask some more in-depth or what I called “thinking” questions. In the case of the Great Wall of China, I’d ask why they thought the wall was built, “to keep invaders out or to keep the Chinese at home,” and what the positives and negatives were of each.

Writing Exercise (30 minutes): My students always knew that they would speak, read AND write every day in class. The last part of the class would be dedicated to writing about what they just read and discussed. Sometimes I had specific questions. Other times I left it open-ended. My goal was to get them thinking about the story, the day’s discussion, and vocabulary. While 30 minutes seems like a long time to write, my students who were just learning English really needed this time to form their thoughts in their new language.

Wrap-Up (10 minutes): The last ten minutes of class would be a wrap-up of the day’s lesson. I’d ask them to tell me three things they learned, three things they liked about the story, etc.


Day 2:
Warm-Up: (5 minutes) For day two’s warm-up, I’d have a handout of the flag of the country being featured in the book and ask three to five questions about the flag, such as “What colors are on China’s flag?” and “How many stars are on the flag?”

Review the story: (10 minutes) I’d ask questions about the story to refresh students’ memories and go over the vocabulary words.

About the Culture: (50 minutes) The bulk of day two would be to talk about the culture of the country being featured. I would have handouts, videos when available, websites, etc. Luckily, I had a computer in my classroom that hooked up to the to the television, so I was able to create many different PowerPoint presentations with images, music, and videos I found on the web.

Writing Exercise: (15 minutes) This day’s writing exercise would be more focused. I’d ask them to write 10 things they learned about China that day.

Wrap-Up: (10 minutes) I’d go around the room and ask each student to name one thing they just wrote in their journal.

And that’s how it would mostly go. Sometimes I’d throw in a crossword or word find puzzle. Other times I’d invite a student from the class who was from the featured country to speak about his/her culture. Sometimes I would be able to get some time in the computer lab and have students do a web scavenger hunt and find answers to questions about specific countries and cultures. At the end of the unit, we’d have a final project where students would create a poster with highlights from their own culture and then have a culture day. It was a show and tell of sorts about their own country. Some would bring in a native food to try. Others would bring in jewelry or other cultural artifacts. And others would bring in pictures or tell a story.

There are so many different ways to use this book as a jumping off point to learn vocabulary, geography, history, and about many many different cultures. Let me know what you’ve tried!

I Won I Won!

Sabrina over at Breeni Books held a contest to win a copy of John Farndon's Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Best Kept Secrets,and I won! Sabrina posted a lovely review of the book on her blog. From all I've read about this book, it's a fantastic book designed for children aged 9-12 but fun for kids of all ages. I can't wait to check it out. Thanks Sabrina!

Talking Walls, Overview

Talking Walls
Fast Facts:
Author: Margy Burns Knight
Illustrator: Anne Sibley O’Brien
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers (March 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0884481549
ISBN-13: 978-0884481546

Impressions:
“People all over the world have been using and building walls for thousands of years. These walls tell many fascinating stories.” Margy Burns Knight tells 14 of these fascinating stories in Talking Walls. Beginning with The Great Wall of China, Margy Burns Knight takes us all over the world and gives us insight into many different cultures. Each wall is featured in a two-page spread with beautiful illustrations by Anne Sibley O’Brien. The stories of the walls themselves never exceed three paragraphs, so you won’t get bored reading a lot of details and facts about the walls and different cultures. Instead, you’ll get just enough information to learn about the wall, the history behind it, and the people who built it. We also learn how walls can bring us together or keep us apart. Throw in a little folklore and you’ve got a fascinating book that is sure to spark a lot of conversation with your kids.

The back of the book includes additional information about each wall if you want to know more, and the end papers feature a graffiti wall with the word for wall written in 36 languages. The fourteen walls include some you are very familiar with and some you may have never heard of:

• The Great Wall of China
• Aborigine Wall Art (Australia)
• The Lascaux Cave (France)
• The Western Wall (Jerusalem)
• Mahabalipuram’s Animal Walls (India)
• Muslim Walls (Mecca)
• Great Zimbabwe
• Cuzco, Peru
• The Taos Peublo (United States)
• Mexican Murals
• The Canadian Museum of Civilization
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (United States)
• Nelson Mandela’s Prison Walls (South Africa)
• The Berlin Wall (Germany)

I was delighted when I read this book for children and learned about new people and places. I taught English as a Second Language to middle and high school students and found this to be a refreshing way to teach vocabulary, history, geography, and also a great way to celebrate diversity. In addition, the reading level is right on target with intermediate English language learners and is appropriate for both middle school and high school. I developed a nine week unit of instruction based on this book, and it was a hit with both groups because of the straightforward subject matter. If you’re a teacher and are looking for ways to supplement your lessons or if you’re a parent who wants to introduce your child to different cultures, Talking Walls is the perfect choice.

One Month and Going Strong

It's been a little over a month since I was lying in bed after a long long long day when the idea for this blog suddenly hit me. Since then, I've been working hard at building the blog, researching, and reading lots of children's books so I can be sure to give you the best recommendations. I've also been working hard at gaining a loyal readership and steady partnerships with publishers and authors.

Here are the major accomplishments since The Well-Read Child's inception on November 2, 2007:

• Formed partnerships with four publishers. I've got lots of new books coming my way so you can get recommendations for the newest books out there. A big thanks to Random House, Chronicle Books, Houghton Mifflin, and Henry Holt for throwing your support behind The Well-Read Child.
  
• Set up an affiliate relationship with Amazon and built an online Amazon store. If you order books through The Well-Read Child, a small percentage comes back to me, and I'll use most of that money to buying and donating new books to local literacy charities. The rest will go toward helping pay for the website I'm building so you can get even more valuable information in a more user-friendly interface.
  
• Got listed on a number of blogs, including the Mom Blogs and Review Bloggers to help raise awareness of The Well-Read Child throughout the blogosphere. A GIANT thanks to all of you who've given us a mention, added us to your blogrolls and who've subscribed to The Well-Read Child.
  
• Developed weekly schedule so you know what to expect on each day of the week and can visit on the days that most appeal to you. Of course, I'm hoping you'll love what I have to say EVERY day. ;)
  
• Joined the Newbery Project, a blog dedicated to providing reviews on Newbery Award Winning books.
  There are over 40 bloggers with different perspectives who contribute to this blog, enabling you to get a number of opinions and reviews on these books.

What's Next?

• In January, I'm launching, The Well-Read Teen, a blog that features young adult books.
  
• Look for an interview with Barbara Joosse when her newest book Grandma Calls Me Beautiful is released. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it, and I hope I am able to speak in coherent sentences when I do talk to her!
  
• Finally, I will continue to look for great books and give you lots and lots of ideas for instilling the joy of reading in your child.

Thanks to everyone for a great first month, and I look forward to many many many more!

Next Week's Book, Talking Walls

Next week, I'm going to be featuring Talking Walls.

It's a little different than the books I've previously featured because it's nonfiction and features a brief history of famous walls all over the world from The Great Wall of China to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. It's a great way to introduce your child to many different cultures. The information is easily digestible and engaging. Margy Burns Knight tells a brief story about each wall, so it won't feel like kids are reading a boring history book.

I love this book so much that when I was a teacher, I developed a nine-week curriculum based on this book and the follow-up book, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue. So, on Tuesday be sure to finds lots and lots of ideas for learning activities and ways you can use the book as a jumping off point for teaching about different places, people, and cultures.

The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll and A Song In Bethlehem, Final Word

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.

A Song in Bethlehem, Life Lessons

When I opened this book, I was expecting it to be just another rendition of the Christmas story, but by the time I was finished, I was surprised that it was much more than that. A Song in Bethlehem teaches us about forgiveness and faith. But the most important lesson I got from the book is the importance of kindness and compassion. In the book, Naomi steals a coin from the family in the stable. She is caught, and when the father (Joseph) realizes she is a child and a hungry child at that, he gives her food to eat instead of throwing her back into the cold. He allows her to look at and sing to the newborn baby, and when the family leaves the stable, he gives Naomi the flute that ends up changing her life. This important scene reminds us to find kindness in our hearts for everyone, even if they’ve done something to us. Naomi clearly felt remorse for what she did, and Joseph forgave her and acted with compassion. We don’t always know a person’s motives behind a certain act, and if we take a minute just to look instead of immediately reacting with anger, we may find that all that person needs is a little compassion.

I’m not saying not every person is good…there are a lot of bad people out there, and I’m not saying that we should justify why a person did something wrong and that it’s okay to do something wrong or illegal just because you’re hungry or just because something else is going on with your life. What I AM saying is that we are often very quick to judge and not give people a chance, and if we sometimes just paused and took a good look at the situation and demonstrate kindness, there may be a completely different outcome, and we may make a deep positive impact on that person’s life. Joseph demonstrated this type of kindness and gave Naomi a flute who discovered a hidden talent that ensured she would never have to beg for food again.

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.

Spotlight on Marni McGee and Jason Cockcroft

About the author and illustrator of A Song in Bethlehem

Marni McGee grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and when she had her own children, she began writing children’s books mainly for their own enjoyment. She soon however, made a career out of it and has published over 11 books with more to come. In addition to A Song in Bethlehem, Marni has written picture books such as While Angels Watch and Forest Child and nonfiction books, including The Ancient Roman World .


Jason Cockcroft lives in Yorkshire, England and has illustrated a number of children’s books including The Christmas Tree Fairy and Daddy's Lullaby. He also illustrated the original British versions of the last three Harry Potter book jackets.

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.

Happy Hanukkah!

To mark the beginning of the first day of Hanukkah, here are some children's books about Hanukkah you can read with your child.


Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah

Description from Amazon: Here is a moving retelling of a timeless story. Young readers will also find the legend of the menorah, instructions for making a dreidle, and the music for a traditional holiday song

My First Hanukkah Board Book
Amazon description:Using the same educational, eye-catching format as Dorling Kindersley's other My First books, this chunky little board book provides an explanation of Hanukkah appropriate for preschoolers. From the origin of the holiday to musical notation for a favorite Hanukkah song to a description of some of the yummy foods eaten during the festivities, My First Hanukkah Board Book packs a whole lot in a small package.

D Is for Dreidel

Amazon description: Children will love learning about Hanukkah in this dreidel-shaped alphabet book! Every page contains a letter of the alphabet along with sweet, rhyming text and words that correspond with that letter. And as an added bonus, at the end of the book is the complete story of Hanukkah! This is a fantastic introduction to the holiday!

What about you? Do you have any favorite Hanukkah books?

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.

A Song in Bethlehem, Learning Activities

LANGUAGE/VOCABULARY BUILDING

Musical Instruments:
In the book, Naomi receives a flute and discovers a hidden talent she never had before. Talk about other musical instruments your child may be familiar with. Perhaps you or other family members play an instrument. If you have a CD with classical music, find one that features a flute to show them what the flute sounds like. Have them identify other musical instruments. I recently picked up Can You Hear It?a book/CD designed for 5-10 year olds with the a similar premise. I especially like this one because the book features art masterpieces and the CD has an accompanying piece of classical music where children are encouraged to identify the different instruments.

Animals:
There are a number of animals in the book. Go through and identify all of the animals, asking your child to say their name and make the “sound.”

Gifts:
The flute Naomi receives in the book is a special gift. 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?

The Christmas Story:
This book is the story of the first Christmas. While the book never identifies the family in the stable as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, it’s clear that that’s who they are. Retell the Christmas story with your child and then read A Song in Bethlehem again. Ask your child to identify the main characters from the story of Christmas from the three wise men to the child in the manger.

DISCUSSION OPPORTUNITY
*In the book, Naomi first steals from the family in the stable but is soon forgiven by Joseph. Naomi clearly feels remorse for her action. Children may ask why she received a gift even after she did something wrong. Discuss why Naomi stole in the first place and that sometimes desperation can cause you to do things you normally wouldn’t do. Also talk about the act of kindness Joseph displayed and the idea of forgiveness. To help your child make a connection, talk about a time your child did something he/she shouldn’t have done and how he/she was forgiven. Talk about a story in from your own life that demonstrates this.


ARTS AND CRAFTS
There are a number of activities to help your budding artist make connections from the book with arts and crafts. Here are just a couple:

Draw the story: Make a book by stapling blank paper together. Have your child retell the story in his/her own words through pictures.

Nativity Scene: Have your child draw the nativity scene, including all the animals found in the book. If you’re really crafty, check out this nativity scene crèche I found online. You can make it using pipe cleaners and yarn.

Do you have any ideas?

Check in tomorrow to learn more about the author and illustrator of this book.

The Lowdown About Learning Activities

Starting tomorrow, I'm dedicating every Tuesday to presenting ideas for learning activities and reading tips you can use with the week's featured book.

Why include learning activities?
Why don't I just write reviews and be done with it, you ask? Well, I'm a firm believer that in order to love ANYTHING or ANYONE, we must be able to identify with and connect with it/them. When children are able to see how something they read relates to their own life, they are much more likely to pick that book up and read it again. I've also heard parents say over and over again that they read books to their kids, but they don't know what else to do besides read it. They don't know how to take it to the next level and help kids make those connections. So, to help you out, every week I will give some ideas for learning activities to help you expand upon the book and to help kids see how the characters and story line relate to their own lives.

What Kinds of Activities do I Discuss?
Don't worry...I'm not talking about having deep, complex conversations here. I'm talking about simple things such as having children look at an animal and then talking about their own pets or favorite animal--ANYTHING to get them thinking about the book beyond the words and pictures on the page. For those of you who want to have deeper discussions about the lessons or themes taught in the book, I will sometimes give ideas for discussion questions. Plus, on every Thursday, I will go into depth on the some of the "life lessons" the book attempts to teach. Because I believe children learn in many different ways, I will try to vary the ideas and even throw in some "arts and crafts" ideas from time to time.

Where do I get these ideas?
I do a little web searching and find some ideas, especially the arts and craft ideas. But I mostly come up with them on my own. I used to be a teacher and was responsible for creating units of lesson plans and activities based on books. If you've tried something or have an idea, please feel free to comment and share.

Do you have to try every activity?
Absolutely not! These are just ideas. You know your child the most and know what he/she is able to do. For those of you with really young children, all you'll be able to really do is read along, point at the pictures, and name things. My daughter is still an infant, and that's pretty much all we do now, but she gets excited when I pull a book out, read it to her, and name all of the things we see on the page.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun! If it seems like a chore and you're not having fun, your child will notice it and will feel the same way. Also realize that you and they will not love every book you pick up, and that's okay too.

I hope you enjoy this Tuesday feature and find more ways to instill the love of reading in your child.

A Song in Bethlehem, Overview

The second Christmas-themed book I'm reviewing this week takes us all the way back to the birth of Christ.
A Song in Bethlehem

Fast Facts:
Author:Marni McGee
Illustrator:Jason Cockcroft
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 11, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0375834478
ISBN-13: 978-0375834479


Review:

“Three men,” whispered Marta the Beggar. “As rich as kings, they were—in their turbans and fur-lined robes. Gold was on their fingers. Rubies hung ‘round their necks. Yet I saw them, with my own eyes, in a stable.” Upon hearing this, Naomi, a beggar girl, sets upon her journey to find these three wise men. While Naomi doesn’t find the three wise men, she does encounter a man, a woman, and newborn baby in a stable, and by the end of this magical night, Naomi receives a gift from the child that ensures she will never be hungry again.

While there are many children’s books out there that tell the Christmas story, A Song in Bethlehemtells it from a new perspective and gives us insight into what life was like in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. A short and simple, yet inspiring story, it teaches the importance of honesty, kindness, forgiveness, and faith.

In addition, Jason Cockcroft’s illustrations are stunning. I could feel the chill in the air and see the sadness, awe, and finally happiness on Naomi’s face as she progressed through the night. With details from the animals in the stable to the cookware by the campfire, I found myself being transformed back to Bethlehem as if I were a bystander in the stable witnessing the interaction.

I have to confess that when I first picked up this book, I was expecting it to be just another retelling of the Christmas story, but I was pleasantly surprised when I finished it and found it to be much more. This would make an excellent addition to any child’s bookshelf and would be sure to spark many questions and conversations about the life lessons it teaches.

Check back in tomorrow to get some reading tips and learning activities.