The 12 Days of [Children’s Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
3 Days before Christmas: Great Joy
The spirit of Christmas is alive, and well-told, in this story of a young inquisitive girl who asks a simple question and receives her answer in the form of love and friendship. Like all other works of children’s literature, this one is told with succinct words and beautiful illustrations. The artist captures the cold weather of the streets and compliments it with the warmth of home and social gatherings. (Not to lessen the value of a novel for grown-ups, but there are times when a story doesn’t need chapters or so much detail; just a few sentences to make a direct point. Perhaps the illustrations in a children’s book are the equivalent to the details in a novel.)
BTW, if the author’s name, Kate DiCamillo, sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard of her ‘major’ works that have become movies – The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
The Harold Lounge 