12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - Christmas for 10

A few months after Sprout joined our family, I picked up a board book copy of Cathryn Falwell's Feast for 10 at a used bookstore. I was excited to see it because there's such a lack of board book titles with characters of color (really. . . take a look sometime at the library or bookstore and you'll see for yourself!) Little did I know then that it would become part of our family's bedtime reading canon. Rarely a week has gone by without us reading Feast for 10 multiple times. Sprout can just about read it to me, at this point!

So with the holidays coming around it was a no-brainer for us to get Christmas for 10. Like Feast, this is a super-simple counting-based plot that revolves around an African American family preparing for a celebration. This time the grandparents are in on the prep work, helping to decorate the tree and reading holiday stories to the little ones. The entire family's involved in getting ready, especially with the fun parts, like stringing popcorn chains. As Sprout always says, yum!

This is a comforting book about family and the excitement of preparing to welcome guests. Falwell's illustrations are engaging and delightful, and I appreciate that she adds small touches that personalize the characters, like older sister's ever-present braid and the variety of skin tones among family members. Sprout likes to point out each character in turn, particularly his favorite: "cute baby".

Again, the emphasis here isn't on gifts -- in fact, the only spread that features gifts at all ("six presents to stack") is opposite a page about giving to others, as the family packs food baskets which appear to be for needy families. And I love, love, love that there are two angels in the family's display -- one white, one black. Yay!

12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - It's Christmas, David!

Nobody quite captures the spirit of a little boy like David Shannon, in his "David" series. The first entry in the series, No David, is based on a book that Shannon wrote when he was a child, in which every page featured a picture of him doing something he shouldn't, with the caption "No David!". (Hmmm, wonder where he got that idea?)

It's Christmas, David! is much along the same line. It's the holiday season, all right, and poor David can't catch a break. Everywhere he goes there's something fascinating to look at or touch, and adults always telling him not to. And then there's that constant reminder that "Santa's watching!", which seems to crop up whenever things get good. In the final pages, David wakes up on Christmas morning to discover that he's gotten a lump of coal! Could that really be how David's Christmas will end??

We can totally relate to David's predicament around here these days. Sprout's got exactly one present under the tree at the moment, and he's asked us if he can open it approximately 3000 times. In the past 3 days.

But at least Sprout's not emulating all of David's behavior. . . he just giggles whenever this page comes up.

12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - Jingle the Christmas Clown

How can you not love Tomie dePaola? From Strega Nona to Big Anthony and beyond, his characters are among the most beloved in all of kidlit. And he's written a slew of great holiday books too, jam-packed with Christmas spirit along with adorably whimsical depictions of angels, Santas, and even the Nativity.

One of my favorite dePaola selections, though, is an older title (and a bit hard to get - except from the library!), Jingle the Christmas Clown. If you're looking for a title that focuses more on "giving" and less on "getting", this is a great choice. The only gifts that are given here are those of the heart, and what great gifts they are!

Like many dePaola titles, this one is set in the Italian countryside, and there's a sprinkling of Italian tradition and phrases throughout the text. Jingle is the littlest clown in Il Circo Piccolo (The Little Circus), and it's his job to care for the baby animals. Every year the circus plays a special Christmas Eve show in one particular village. But this year when the circus arrives, they discover that the village has fallen on hard times and there's almost no one left to perform for. The circus officials decide they need to move on to another spot for Christmas Eve, but the baby animals are too tired to keep traveling. Jingle is left behind to care for the animals until the circus performers come back through.

Jingle being Jingle, he can't help noticing that there isn't much Christmas spirit left in this lonely place. Jingle decides to take matters into his own hands, and bring Christmas to the villagers himself. The result is a more magical holiday than even Jingle could have imagined, and one that warms the hearts of young and old alike.

Sprout's a little young for this yet -- the story's just a touch too long to hold his attention, I think, and there's not a steam engine in the whole thing -- but I can't wait to share it with him. I'm betting he falls in love with Jingle just as quickly as his mama did.

12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - Christmas Cricket

I love the holidays. Love the hustle and bustle, all the lead-up to Christmas and the crazy chaos of celebrating together. But let's face it -- it can be pretty overwhelming, particularly for the little people in our lives. It's hard for kids not to get lost in the shuffle of all there is to see and do at Christmastime.

Enter Eve Bunting and her sweet story Christmas Cricket. Bunting gives us a glimpse into the world of a little insect who "felt small and worthless in the bigness of night". Looking for warmth, Cricket slips into a house and takes refuge in a Christmas tree, where he begins to sing. But then someone hears him, and comes looking for the source of the song. Should Cricket run away? Or is he safe to sing, even in a place that doesn't seem at all familiar?

Bunting's a masterful storyteller, and one who doesn't shy away from tough subjects (her collaboration with David Diaz, Smoky Night, is one of the most powerful and poignant picture books I've ever seen). And though you might not think Christmas is a tough subject, it can be for many. Though this isn't a book about adoption, as an adoptive parent I couldn't help reading Christmas Cricket with an eye toward children in new family situations. For them, and their families, the holidays can be a time both exciting and scary, as everyone learns their place in the whole scheme of things. Like Cricket, children might feel "small and worthless in the bigness" of Christmas with a family who loves them, maybe in ways they don't even understand quite yet. And new parents, too, can be overwhelmed, as their children don't seem to be enjoying the holidays like they imagined.

As happy as this time of year can be, it's worth reminding ourselves that taking joy in the small things means every bit as much. In the end, Cricket learns that there is joy in his own song, sung in the way only he can sing it. And at Christmas, isn't that the best gift of all?

12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - 12 Days of Christmas

Nope, that's not a typo -- this is the book that inspired my whole picture book series! As a song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" has always seemed a bit weird to me. Really, are these gifts anyone would want? The five gold rings maybe, but seven swans a-swimming? Ten lords a-leaping? Give me a nice sweater or a box of chocolates (or better yet a book) anytime!

But somehow, in the hands of the ever-talented Rachel Isadora, The Twelve Days of Christmas just works. For one thing, she's included a rebus that helps you remember which gift comes next (don't know about you, but I always get lost in all those birds). And best of all, this version is set in Africa. Believe me, you've never seen pipers piping until you've seen them dancing along, shadows against a dazzling African sunset!

Each page includes colorful, cheery mixed media spreads depicting each of the famous 12 gifts. Isadora's collage style lends itself beautifully to this tale, which incorporates inspirations from all across the continent. The three french hens are going home to roost under a coconut tree, and the drummers are banging out tunes on drums from Nigeria and Ghana. Now that's a gift anyone would enjoy!

We read -- okay, sang -- this as a family last night and Sprout just loves it. He gets a huge kick out of having the very last line "parpidge in peah TREE!". A fun addition to your pre-Christmas bedtime routine. :)