What We ALL Got for Christmas
After all these years (17 to be exact) of living in Indonesia we have finally decided to leave now that our youngest son is graduating. Both our children have received a wonderful and rich education at JIS and we are grateful to the school and teachers.
Once the news of our departure reached my husband’s family, plans were started to have Christmas in Bali. The amazing part of it all was that everyone came. Every brother, sister, in-law, niece, and nephew. We were 16 people in all, ranging in age from 6 to 67. Christmas just became a none entity in the equation of the visit. No tree, no presents, but it will go down in history as a family memory that none of us will forget.
Christmas giving has evolved in this family from gifts to books to just the pleasure of spending time together.
We didn’t ditch the book giving over the holiday. Everyone came armed with a book or two or three. Books were shared and traded and discussed. I don’t think it was only JIS that created my sons into reader. It took a family. It took reading every night and it took creating that time and space for sharing and enjoying reading together. Now, both my sons recommend books for me to read.
We at the PEL Library have also received a great gift. In December over 2,000 NEW books were delivered and are now showing up in the library around the circulation desk. I would like to introduce you to some of the gems...
LOWER ELEMENTARY: EC-Gr.2 (Reviews from Titlewave)
RHYMING DUST BUNNIES by Jan Thomas
This dynamic quartet of dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob, have quite the flair for rhyming words--except for anxious Bob, who is wisely more concerned about their perilous surroundings. In response to each rhyme, Bob dramatically declares that their enemy draws near: " 'rug' / 'hug' / 'mug' / 'LOOK OUT!' " Unfortunately, each of Bob's pleas falls on deaf bunnies' ears. Ned obliviously responds, "Bob, no... 'LOOK OUT! HERE COMES A BIG SCARY MONSTER WITH A BROOM!' does not rhyme with ANYTHING, really." When the inevitable occurs, with a dramatic "Thwptt," the threesome finally listens to the rational hero, providing a powerful punch line. Thomas's digital illustrations, stark against her solid, colorful backgrounds, successfully accentuate the witty text. The shaggy dust bunnies are boldly contrasted, as their colors--green, purple, red and blue--extend past the thick lines into the ever-so-slightly-less-red background. With their wide noses, long ears, four-fingered paws and buck teeth, these fuzzy characters are a riot. Put away your cleaning supplies for a little messy fun.
PIGS MAKE ME SNEEZE: by Mo Willems
Elephant and Piggie are back, in their tenth mini-drama. In this episode, Elephant’s sneezing convinces him that he is allergic to pigs and therefore must be apart from his friend—forever! Doctor Cat diagnoses the sneezes as a cold rather than an allergy. Excitedly, Elephant rushes to tell Piggie the news, and we see in the last frame and the endpapers that Piggie now shares her friend’s illness.
Upper Elementary: Gr.3-5
JANUARY’S SPARROW by one of my favorite authors, Patricia Polacco
After an escaped slave has been found and returned to a Kentucky plantation to be whipped to death, young Sadie Crosswhite and her family decide they must escape themselves, making for the Ohio River, where they are taken across to Indiana by a "rowin' girl." The family eventually reaches a protective community in Michigan, where they live safely until found by their erstwhile owner; he demands their return, and the law is on his side. Like Polacco's Civil War story Pink and Say, this long picture book is based on a true historical incident, one that illuminates the necessity and strategies of the Underground Railroad. Polacco makes the history dramatic and compelling, writing with a minimum of dialect and sentimentality.
THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS: THE TRUE STORY OF BOB AND JOE SWITZER’S IDEAS AND BRAND-NEW COLORS by Chris Barton
Grades 2-5. Still in their teens in 1933, brothers Bob and Joe Switzer began experimenting with fluorescent colors and trying to create paints that would glow in the dark. Joe saw the potential for improving his magic show, while Bob, who was recovering from an industrial accident, hoped to make some money to pay his medical bills. After years of experimentation, they succeeded in creating paints that glowed in daylight as well as ultraviolet light.
This Christmas holiday will be etched in my memory forever but some of the best times were quietly reading, sharing stories, and exchanging books. Make this a year round practice at your house and the love of reading will grow with your children.
