The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle is longer than a regular picture book, but shorter than a regular chapter book. I read it easily in one evening, but a family with children may choose to read it aloud over several nights. 

While I haven't read any of L'Engle's "Austin Family" books, I don't think that hindered my enjoyment of this story. The narrative revolves around Vicky Austin and her role as an angel in the Christmas pageant. The Austins are also expecting a new sibling to be born sometime around Christmas. Vicky gradually comes to enjoy her angel role, but also is afraid that her mother will be in the hospital during Christmas. 

In the midst of these worries, the Austins try to do something Christmasy each day, from gradually filling in their nativity scene, to hanging garland and other decorations. I thought this was a realistic look at how the hopes of Christmas can collide with a child's real-life anxieties, and am glad that, even though things do not go entirely according to plan, the Austins are able to be all together on Christmas day.

Scrounged From: My parents' yard sale box

Format: Hardcover
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Illustrator: Joe De Velasco
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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Tomorrow is the first day of December, and I'm excited because that means Christmas is coming! I'm also excited because we've decided to put together a little countdown here on the blog. For the next 25 days, we'll be featuring one Christmas-themed book each day. Most of these will be picture books, but there will be some longer ones thrown in there too. Some will be favorites that we've loved for years, and others will be new to us, but all can provide inspiration for celebrating the Christmas season.

So, stay tuned! As the countdown progresses, I'll include each title on this page so that when it's done, the 25 days will be all collected here for reference.

Day 1: The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, by Madeleine L'Engle

Day 2: The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg

Day 3: The Real Mother Goose Christmas Carols

Day 4: Can You See What I See? Night Before Christmas, by Walter Wick

Day 5: The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker, by Jessica Courtney-Tickle

Day 6: American Girls Christmas Stories

Day 7: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

Day 8: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Day 9: Christmas in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Day 10: How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen

Day 11: The Wild Christmas Reindeer, by Jan Brett

Day 12: The Christmas Wish, by Lori Evert

Day 13: The Christmas Ladder, by Annie Twitchell

Day 14: The Very First Christmas, by Paul Maier

Day 15: Dream Snow, by Eric Carle

Day 16: Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham

Day 17: Silent Night: A Christmas Carol Is Born, by Maureen Brett Hooper

Day 18: The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll, by Patricia McKissack

Day 19: Waltz of the Snowflakes, by Elly MacKay

Day 20: Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry (and other stories)

Day 21: Hannah's Bookmobile Christmas, by Sally Derby

Day 22: The Christmas Day Kitten, by James Herriot

Day 23: Good King Wenceslas, by John Mason Neale

Day 24: The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Moore

Day 25: Silent Night, Holy Night, by Joseph Mohr

The Mitten was my introduction to Jan Brett. I love all of her warm, detailed illustrations. In this story (which relies on a bit of imagination), a mitten is lost and one animal after another decides it would be a nice place to get warm -- even a large bear! We have this in board book form, and both kids enjoy it.

How could I not include The Snowy Day? This classic by Ezra Jack Keats won the Caldecott Medal in 1963, and continues to capture the joy of discovery in a landscape of newly fallen snow. As fun as Peter's explorations are, I can totally relate to the part where he sits in the tub afterwards and thinks about his adventures. Peter is a curious, thoughtful child, and I love how after his experiences on the first day, he decides to go out again -- this time sharing it with a friend.

Katy and the Big Snow is my favorite of Virginia Lee Burton's picture books. Not just because I live in a land of much snow and plow trucks become ubiquitous round about December, but also because it seems most books about big machinery and "hard work" tend to feature male characters, and so it's wonderful to see an exception. Katy just goes and goes... she has a no-nonsense "get it done" attitude and many New Englanders can relate to the need for that during the winter.

For a look at what animals do during the winter, Over and Under the Snow (by Kate Messner) features a parent and child skiing through the woods as the framing for introducing young readers to the "secret kingdom under the snow." See my full review here.

Shelter is a beautifully illustratred story of woodland animals preparing for a winter storm (originally written in French by Celine Claire). When strangers come through their neighborhood asking for shelter, will they receive compassion, or not? See my full review here.

The Bee Book is a visually appealing introduction to bees, focusing on the honey bee, and emphasizing how important they are to the world.

I love the full-page illustrations with the lovely contrast of blue and yellow, and the way the information is spread out -- the book covers a lot of bee-ish topics without becoming too verbose about any of them. (And for what it's worth, I think they hit the sweet spot as far as bee-related puns go -- a couple at appropriate times without overdoing it.)

We learn about the life cycle of the honeybee as well as the different roles of each type within the hive. I had no idea that worker bees' lives and tasks were so well organized based on age. At the end of the book are some ideas for ways to help bee populations such as making a "bee hotel" and planting more flowers. 

(Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley (and later Amazon)

Format: Kindle
Author/illustrator: Charlotte Milner
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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While sad and ultimately triumphant, Stepping Stones is made even more real by its close ties to current events, including the fact that Nizar Ali Badr, whose art has inspired so many, is a native of Syria. Though he has remained in his country, he says his heart is with the refugees who have needed to flee.

The story of how this book came to be is detailed in its introduction, but in short, the author came across a beautiful image of stone art by chance on social media, and went on a quest to track down the artist. She eventually found Nizar Ali Badr and was able to contact him via a friend who could translate their messages. He agreed to collaborate with the author on this book, which has now generated more than $60,000 to aid refugees in Canada, and includes an Arabic translation right below the English text.

I can't say I've ever seen a children's book with art this unique, but at the same time stones are a very tangible medium. Children's imaginations certainly don't need a huge technological production in order to be inspired, and the texture and depth apparent in these images can convey so much to all of us on a basic level -- fear, loss, love, determination.

Many of the images feature people journeying as the text recounts a story of a refugee family fleeing war and death, and seeking peace. The story in this book is detailed enough to portray characters with names and specific memories, but general enough to be applicable to many different times and places, thus showing a universal aspect of refugee journeys -- many human families yearning for peace. 

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Margriet Ruurs
Illustrator: Nizar Ali Badr
Pages: 28
Content Advisory: There is mention of war and death (sans details) -- one image depicts people in a boat while others are in the water.

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