Hello Book Bums families!
Happy December! As you begin this busy, festive season we have ideas for creating bookish traditions, having fun with favorite Christmas characters, and meaningful gift giving. Please enjoy this week's newsletter.
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Word of the Week
frigid (frij-id) adjective/describing word - very cold in temperature
We bundled up in coats, hats, and mittens to go out in the frigid air.
Literary Calendar
- December 1 is the birthday of author and illustrator Jan Brett.
- Her website is full of games, activities, and coloring pages.
- You can also write to Jan Brett via her website. She regularly responds to letter writers!
- While she has published gorgeous books for all seasons, some winter favorites are The Mitten, The Hat, and Three Snow Bears.
From our Bookshelves
This was one of my favorite holiday decorations in my house when Christmastime involved little ones. It’s just a little decorative piece that was displayed in our kitchen, but it was a constant reminder of the reason we were celebrating Christmas.
In the same way, Santa’s Favorite Story is a book that reminds us that Santa is not the main character in the Christmas story. It’s a delightful story that helps us keep first things first during the hustle and bustle of the season.
Tips for Families
Christmastime is a wonderful time for creating traditions. I’ve had some folks I adore share a couple that I’d like to begin with my family, and I thought I’d share them with you, too.
My niece wraps up 24 Christmas books, and she reads one a day with her daughter, Ebba. The same books can be used year after year—though she can always switch them out as she likes.
Just in case you’d like to do that too, but you don’t know of 24 children’s books that involve Christmas, I’m sharing a list, here, that you might try with your kids. Remember, nothing’s stopping you from wrapping a library book! You can always take them back after Christmas.
The Hundred Dresses
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh
The Polar Express
T’was the Night Before Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
Frosty the Snowman
Olive, the Other Reindeer
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
A Christmas Carol
The Gift of the Magi
A Pirates Night Before Christmas
Snowmen at Christmas
Santa’s Favorite Story
Mooseltoe
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia
The Nutcracker
The Christmas Quiet Book
Sneezy the Snowman
The Christmas Wish
The Legend of the Candy Cane
Pick a Pine Tree
The Story of Holly and Ivy
Christmas in the Manger
Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mommy
The Christmas Story
The Elf on the Shelf
The Wild Christmas Reindeer
How to Catch an Elf
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Jolly Christmas Postman
The Velveteen Rabbit
Poke-a-Dot The Night Before Christmas
Red and Lulu
Construction Site on Christmas Night
Though there are very few Christmas-y books, if you’re looking for some great videos of books being read aloud to kids that you can access online, we have a great resource for you. Check out Storyline Online.
Another tradition I was just reminded of is the “basement gift” idea. If you have grown children, you can gift your kids meaningful trinkets from their childhoods. It could be a plaster handprint, a sketch book, or a little league football jersey—anything that brings back great memories. A dear friend shared that these gifts are her kids’ favorites!
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
To get kids enthused about reading, try hosting a “Grinch Night” and play this video featuring the Grinch song—complete with lyrics. Your kids can gain some important skills by simply singing along with a song they likely enjoy!
Of course, you can host a few events throughout the season. How about a Rudolph night and a Frosty the Snowman night, too?
Practical Grammar
Have you ever wondered why Santa’s home is called the North Pole? Is there a pole there, somewhere? Hm. It may be called the North Pole because the sea in that location was once called Polynya or Open Polar Sea. What do you think?
Wordology Workshop
- The Greek root pol means pole.
- You can find it in words like polar, polarity, polarization, and of course, pole.
- Each time it has to do with extremes or related opposites, think magnets and electricity.
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