passionately sharing, discussing and admiring children's picture books
Day 12 has arrived which means we are almost halfway through our countdown to Christmas! Today I bring a humorous book about families and the holiday. It is the story of two girls who are neighbors and how their families celebrate Christmas in their own unique way. It’s The Perfect Christmas by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi, 2011.
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Day 11 of our Advent countdown and it is time to add another book to “The Night Before Christmas” tag. I just cannot resist. And honestly, no offense Mr. Moore, but it isn’t because of the poem. Yes, I appreciate the lovely wording and beautiful imagery he penned; but most fascinating to me in each of these many duplicate-named books is the interpretation by the different illustrators. I especially love when a well-known and beloved illustrator takes their turn with the text. So let’s take a look at the gorgeous, classic, and recently reissued version of that famous poem, The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, 1954.
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December 10th already. This month is flying by so fast, and Christmas will be here so soon! I found this book just a couple months ago and though it is very dated, I dearly love it. The long narrative, the limited color palette, the darling elephant characters – all of it combines into a surprisingly captivating and endearing story about an elephant family’s celebration of Christmas. Take a look at Little Elephant’s Christmas by Heluiz Washburne*, illustrated by Jean McConnell*, 1938.
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Christmas book countdown day 9 is here and who better to count off the day than a gorgeously illustrated Santa! I have warned you that I am very obsessed with Golden Shape Books, so yes, here is another for the list. We don’t do much with Santa around here, but my oldest daughter loves the stories about Santa and enjoys pretending about him. And boy, when I saw this cover, I just couldn’t resist the beautiful vintage goodness. So here is The Santa Claus Book by Eileen Daly, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship, 1972.
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We are eight days into the Christmas countdown and it is time for a little humor. Earlier this fall I got a note from author Joan Holub, excited to share about her Christmas book coming soon. I am a fan of Joan Holub’s writing so I happily obliged to take a look. I was delighted to receive a copy from her (with an awesome signature too!), and I was even more thrilled when the book turned out excellent. It is indeed a Christmas story, patterned loosely after the famed Christmas Eve poem I post so many books about, with a hilarious twist of clueless knights and a determined Santa. Tickle your funny bone this Christmas with The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub, illustrated by Scott Magoon, 2015.
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Tonight I bring lots of pictures of a lovely little vintage book for the 25 Days countdown. I finally tracked this book down this year and I cannot resist sharing several spreads, knowing how delightful they are and also how difficult this book is to come by. So enjoy this beauty: Richard Scarry’s Christmas Present Book by Richard Scarry, 1965.
Continue reading “25 Days – Book 7: Richard Scarry’s Christmas Present Book”
Three Books a Night 