With Christmas closing in fast, we've been on a reading frenzy to finish up all the holiday themed books we grabbed from the library, throughout the month. Most have been secular stories, not so much about Santa, and reindeer, as about family traditions, love, and giving.
We have quite a few books around the house, that tell the story of Jesus' birth, but for the most part, I like to read that account out of the Bible to children, without all the little extras, that get put into children's stories.
I did pick up The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi, this week. I thought it might be fun to compare the facts of Nicholas' life in the book, with the Veggie Tale, movie version, we watched earlier in the month. Once I had a chance to look through it however, I realized it was a little wordy for the younger ones, so we'll be reading it slowly. The illustrations are amazing though, so I think the they'll still enjoy it.Here are few of this week's favorites:
Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Slasser - This was our first Fancy Nancy book. I was a little disappointed, that the story was not as exciting as the illustrations, but the children liked it, and asked to hear it multiple times, so I guess that makes it a hit.
Not A Box by Antoinette Portis - I think someone mentioned this book in the "What My Child Is Reading" link up, last week, but wherever we saw it, we checked it out on Monday morning, and I'm glad we did. The story is very simple, as are the illustrations, but still very cute. A little bunny stands on a box, sits in a box, sprays a box with water, and so on, and we discover it is not a box at all, but a race car, a mountain top, or a burning building. Again, along the theme of Too Many Toys by David Shannon, but in a simpler form.
Not A Stick by Antoinette Portis - Not a Stick is just the same as Not a Box, except with a stick. It is also very cute.
Rocky Mountain Night Before Christmas by Joe Gribnau, and illustrated by Salima Alikhan - I thought a Rocky Mountain twist on the Night Before Christmas poem would be fun for the kids, and for the most part it was. Though, I was not too happy to have to explain what it meant when it said Santa came in by the fire for a "nip", and there is mention of cussing (in a friendly Rocky Mountain kind of way, of course). So, while I got a kick out of the cowboy, the cabin, and the cows pulling Santa's sleigh, this one might have been a bit rough for the children.For more book reviews, and suggestions, be sure to check out the "What My Child Is Reading" link up, over at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.
It's great to be a homeschooler.
We got Nancy book as a gift, and Anna refuses to read it. First of all, she is as far removed from fancy as at all possible. Secondly, just by looking at illustrations she figured that Nancy has made a spectacle of herself again. Maybe she will warm up to the series when she is older. We also enjoyed both books by Antoinette Portis that you mentioned, even though I thought that they are probably more appealing to boy games. My daughter is not fancy, but she is all about cooking or building something.
ReplyDeleteI've almost bought the Fancy Nancy Christmas a couple of times. My kids have loved Fancy Nancy at the Museum, and I've gotten the one where she explores to talk with them about nature walks (haven't read it yet).
ReplyDeleteThe Saint Nick book looks interesting, we've been watching the Veggietales movie here, and loving it (or I have, the kids might be more lukewarm).
Your comment about the driving around for 2 1/2 hours cracked me up because I could totally see one of my boys doing that.