Tag: 1970s

Let’s Read Three: Snow Books!

It seems that Winter Storm Juno was not as bad as predicted, at least here in NYC; but we do have a lot of snow! And of course, snow means snow days, and snow days mean playing in the snow. And when we are done freezing in the snow, we warm up with cocoa and books about snow of course! I have written about many wintery, snowy books in the past including my winter list from 2013 and one of my new favorite snow books by Jonathan Bean from last year. But today, for this Let’s Read Three series, I bring three vintage books about the anticipation, excitement, and joy of snow.

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Let’s Read Three: Inventing Books!

Happy New Year friends! It is that time of year where everyone seems to have some kind of refresh on their mind. Be it resolutions, lists, a determined thought – the new year tends to give us some extra gusto to do something. With these new resolves in mind, I think this set of three is perfect to encourage and motivate on whatever project you long to create.

I toyed with calling these “Perseverance Books,” but it sounded too cheesy. I also realized that adults don’t really talk about “inventing” things, unless that is their actual occupation. Children’s books are full of inventors and inventions of all sorts. I think we need to get back to believing we can create a solution to something, no matter our age. So, let’s read three books celebrating the failures and surprising successes of inventing!

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25 Days – Book 23: The Christmas Pageant

Three more days until Christmas, which means three more books in our Advent countdown! Today we have another fun book by Tomie dePaola, that is an illustrated version of a play about the Nativity story. It is such a fun concept to draw characters having a play and I love all the ways dePaola pictures the set and costumes. Here is The Christmas Pageant by Tomie dePaola, 1978.

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25 Days – Book 18: Father Christmas

Can you believe Christmas is one week away? I am equally excited and terrified as I have so much left to do! How does it always sneak up so fast? I can fully understand the Scrooge mentality sometimes as things just tend to get out of control crazy around the holiday. Perhaps it was these kind of thoughts that inspired the creation of this humorous look at the man in the red suit who has just had it with the whole mess. For our eighteenth book in this countdown, I bring a picture book in cartoon strip style and a brilliantly UK origin. Here is Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs, 1973.

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25 Days – Book 13: Holly Hobbie’s The Night Before Christmas

It is the thirteenth day of December and we are back again for a quick Advent book journey review. Taking up a traditional text with another illustrator’s interpretation of it, here is Holly Hobbie’s The Night Before Christmas, written by Clement C. Moore and illustrated by Holly Hobbie, 1970.

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Book Review: Christina Katerina & The Box By Gauch & Burn

Someday I will get back to blogging on a more regular basis. There are so many books I’m constantly thinking about and aching to share, but they must come slowly right now as keeping two small humans alive is a momentous task, especially in a new city. Settling into the new place has brought this book to mind many times and it has delighted my toddler immensely. We’ve had boxes galore arrive and live amongst us for days, many being quite large. This book has done much to fuel the imagination. Join me in delighting at the seemingly endless creativity in one small girl as she dreams up one adventure after another using nothing but a large, cardboard box. Here is Christina Katerina & the Box by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Doris Burn, 1971.

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