Winter Gift Guide: Picture Books

Picture books are my go-to gift. Here are three ideas that follow the Read-Wear-Play magic formula.

18-months+:

 The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett (a heartwarming Inuit variation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears; recently published in board book form)
Sea World Polar Bear Youth Slippers
Carter's Footed Pajama Blanket Sleeper 24 months- Polar Bear

Newly Literate+:

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011; 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book)

Krochet Kids The Thomas Jr. (handmade in Uganda)  

Melissa and Doug travel-size Flip-to-Win Memory Game (because in the book, the bear "remembers" and "forgets" the rabbit...)

Tween+ (including grown-up mid-century modern fans and Finlandophiles):

Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip: Book 1 (the five books in this series contain comics originally published in London Evening News in the mid-1950s)
Moomin Character Earphone Jack Accessory
Marimekko Tuuli Canvas Pencil Pouch by hannasboutique (use it for pencils/pens, snacks, hygiene/grooming kit, etc.)


I should mention, I got the idea for Read-Wear-Play themed gifts from Gabrielle of Design Mom--Santa brings her six children using that formula. I should also mention that I collected these images and links for fun and for your friendly use, and I am not affiliated in any way with any of the products or sellers.

What's your gifting formula? What books are on your wish list, or gift list?

Christmas Book + Movie Pairings That Might Not Be On Your List Yet

 

 

Virginia O'Hanlan 1895

Have you been watching the Macy's and Make-a-Wish Foundation version of Yes, Virginia since it came out in 2009? It's adorable! The book was made first, and is definitely on my collection list. The book and movie are based on the story of Virginia O'Hanlon writing to NYC's major newspaper, The Sun, in 1897, and has been popping in to pop culture since. 

Among others, there is a 1974 made-for-TV Emmy-winning movie Yes, Virginia There Is a Santa Claus (which is also known if Finnish as Joulupukki on totta). You can watch it here!

The Happy Elf book and CD is by brilliant musician (and actor) Harry Connick, Jr. If you haven't heard of it, here is a synopsis.

Harry also produced and voiced in the movie version. The pace of the movie is a bit slow, but the soundtrack is full of jazz. It makes inclusions that many other movies/books overlook, such as elves of different body types and skin colors, and it sneaks in little details such as that a doll could be going to a girl or a boy. I think of it as a slightly elaborated Rudolph story, but instead of a red nose, Euby the elf is excessively cheerful. Try reading it and listening to the book and CD, or watching the DVD (or Netflix) with a child--probably a child over six, because of its pace and occasional language like "shut up"--and let me know what they think.

Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh and J.otto Seibold is a must-have in the category of heartwarming but funny Christmas books. An unusual and delightful dog has a major misunderstanding, but ends up rejuvenating Santa's Christmas as a stand-in reindeer. There's a movie by Matt Groening, but I think it's a little more for grown-ups with some over-young-heads adult humor snuck in.





I wonder, why do all these plots lean heavily on the premise that Santa (and thereby Christmas, apparently) are in jeopardy? Has there ever been a shortage of parents convincing children that there is an annual gift-giver who is full of love and cheerfulness?


How about you? Are you working in any new books or movies this year?

The Real Story of Rudolph

As a round-faced (combo of squishy cheeks and serious bangs) five-year-old, I battled stage fright to sing a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer duet with my cousin Amanda. In front of an adoring crowd of sixty people from our church, we wore matching antler headbands.

I know, so cute.

But even then, I thought the story of Rudolph was incomplete. All the reindeer wouldn't play with Rudolph, and then he helped Santa, so they decided to be friends with him? After a couple of decades, or at least the Decembers of those decades, I have over-thought the lyrics enough to produce a fury of questions:

Is this song trying to teach children that in order to be accepted they just have to use a physical feature they feel insecure about to impress the ring leader? Or, is it more that people will like you if you save them from danger? Or save them from inconvenience? Why didn't Santa, or Mrs, Claus, or an elf, intervene if Rudolph was excluded over and over from playtime? And why would Rudolph even want to be friends with the reindeer who were so rude for so long?

I'm not alone in this. Jack Johnson would agree with me, I think. I heard his rendition of Rudolph (on my Pandora She & Him Holiday station--who doesn't have a crush on Zooey Deschanel?) 

So, I found Jack's Rudolph on YouTube just for you:

What do you think? That's the version I'm teaching Baby A, for sure.

Stranger in The Woods

Is it just me, or does that title send shivers down your spine? But I'm actually talking about the adorable and heart-warming photograph story, or as the authors put it, "a photographic fantasy":

Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick set up a snowman sprinkled with seeds and corn, and dubbed clever and lyrical words to the woodland animals' curiosity. "'Who-hoo's in the woods? Where? Where did the jays say? Where is he?' asked The Owl of Many Questions." The text is chirpy, and the excitement is so easy to relate to, if you have half as much snow as the Canadian kids in the book have. The back of the book even has a "Recipe for a Snowman". Building Baby A's first snowman is definitely on our to-do list this winter. Speaking of which, Stranger in the Woods is the book I chose for Baby A this year. It's not Christmas-y, just wintery, but I thought the photographs of animals and the brief, repetitive, fun text would draw her in. (If she were 3-8 years old, I definitely would have chosen the 25th Anniversary edition of The Polar Express.)

In other to-do news, our advent chain is nearly half gone. The point was not so much to give myself more things to accomplish, but to remind me to infuse the holiday season with family time and intentional joy. Here's what we've enjoyed so far:

give Baby A a Pikkujoulu book

make Christmas cards

hand-make gifts

decorate the tree

call grandparents

celebrate Itsenäisyyspäivä

make hot chocolate

hang a wreath

read a Christmas book

But there has been no sticking snow yet, for the snow angels and snowmen on our list. There is some rooftop snow--Baby A pointed to it and declared it to be ice cream! Oh, I wish.
Are you having a creamy white December? Have you been festive? What have you been reading?

Old Christmas Reads and New Traditions

Do you revisit any favorite books or poems every winter?

I always read a few short favorites, and then mix in a few other classics.

Each year, (this is the second year of many to come, I hope,) Baby A gets a Christmas book. I still haven't quite decided which one to get her this year, though I'd like to give it to her tomorrow, on Pikku Joulu. My godmother suggested Mauri Kunnas' Santa books. I have Koiramäen Joulukirkko (Doghill's Christmas Church or Christmas Mass), and I'd love more Kunnas gems.

my bookshelf's bottom shelf for Christmas-y books

My holiday reads this year: 

Luke 2, The Holy Bible (Luke)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore (I like this nostalgic Perry Como video reading with 1958 Whitman Publishing edition illustrations by Florence Sarah Winship)

Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Pulling out these books adds to the anticipation and quiet busy of the season for me. For extra fun,  we'll be starting our Advent Chain tonight! We used this printable and tweaked it to fit our household.

my advent chain, adorning my refrigerator

Does your reading list look like mine, or is it different? What else are you doing, for the fiftieth or first time, to cheer up this winter?

Family Fun

I've noticed that having a child has changed my idea of fun. Pre-child, my husband and I would have scoffed at the idea of standing outside the library/city building listening to a children's choir sing a long list of Christmas songs, with freezing hands and feet, waiting for the grand moment when the lights strung on eight trees were plugged in. 

 [phone picture evidence]

But Baby A saw a giant dog! And we danced to Jingle Bells! And she liked the lights! And we got free candy canes! (And she did not step in the mysterious vomit next to the park bench, so the evening was a total success.)

Has having kids or grandkids changed your idea of what to do (or not do) on a weekday evening?

Warriors and Water

(4th of July 2010)

How was your Veteran's Day? I can't say we did anything other than remember for a moment those we know who served and are serving, but I suppose that is the point--to remember. For Day 6 of The Happy Day Project, I donated a few dollars to Wounded Warrior Project. It isn't much, but I felt like I was whispering, I remember you to those who sacrifice so much for others.

Yesterday was Day 5, but I spent the day offline (weird, I know) and so I completed  that today, too. I donated a few dollars to Charity: Water through Jessica's Christmas Campaign. Private donors fund operating costs, so that every penny donated by you and me buys cement for pipes, pays drillers, teaches hygiene, and more, to provide clean water in developing countries.

What are you reading this weekend? 

I'll be catching up in my Google Reader, perusing magazine gift guides for ideas of gifts to make, and letting Baby A pick book after book to read in my lap. That girl reads voraciously, and I love it!

Formula and Pecan Pie

Sophie Blackall illustration in Pecan Pie Baby by Jaqueline Woodson

I fed a newborn for one month on Day 3 of The Happy Day Project, thanks to Compassion's Christmas Catalog.
I didn't hesitate to support this non-profit, because I've heard so much before about Compassion International from Tsh at Simple Mom. I think I'll send my five-year-old niece something handmade for Christmas, and ask her if she'd like to pick something out for a child in need, like a playground or school supplies!
 
I've been blessed to feed my baby (breastmilk, formula, and now strawberries and oatmeal) every day of her life, and my mom-heart breaks to think that babies go hungry. I think Baby A would like to help babies--she tries to peek in every car seat carrier and stroller to see a baby, and many of her frequently read books feature babies.


We recently checked out Pecan Pie Baby by Jaqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. I liked the idea of it--a reluctant big sister-to-be tires of hearing about the new baby coming, but her mama helps her feel loved. It centers on a hard but real part of growing a family, without unrealistic expectations, and with warmth. The text wasn't my favorite, but I would like to read other Jaqueline Woodson books anyway, because I have a hunch I'll end up a fan. 
The illustrations have the charm I expected from Sophie Blackall. She never over-complicates, but plants back story details in all of her pictures. Don't you think?


Now I'm craving pecan pie. We'll wait on the baby sibling, though.


What are your favorite books about babies? Any second (or third or sixth or grand) babies coming your way? And are you going to pick something out at compassion--a goat, perhaps?

Mums and Christmas

For Day 1 of The Happy Day Project, I decided to Shop for Sharlie. I have handmade Christmas gifts on the brain, so I decided to get the Mum Flower tutorial from The Pleated Poppy. Won't that make a sweet stocking stuffer?

I'll be visiting the shop again, for sure!

What do you think about Christmas starting in October? I started my lists and activity planning weeks ago, hoping that if I prepare now I can glide through December, sipping cocoa while admiring lit trees and mulling over the Bible. Or, do you think I will just be starting the bustle early and miss out on the last leaves to crunch under my boots?

I can't decide, so I'll just go back to thinking about mums. 

Remember Chrysanthemum? Of course you do, Kevin Henkes' books are enduring.

There are Lilys everywhere (Henkes also wrote Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse), but I still only know one Chrysanthemum. I'm glad she came around to her name! Do you ever find fictional characters appealing or relatable enough that you imagine their past or their future? Chrysanthemum went by Chrys in middle school (in my imagination), but don't worry, she's still proud of her whole name.

Are you having a scattered, but happy day like I am? Tell me your thoughts on early, early Christmas prep, flowers, and unusual names! Or, you can choose a focus, but I can't promise that I will!