December Holiday Books 12 & 13

Picture Book: Christmas Day in the Morning

Author: Pearl S. Buck

Illustrator: Mark Buehner

Summary: A middle-aged man wakes at 4:00 one Christmas morning and remembers the Christmas gift he gave his father decades before. Rob remembers how they got up at 4 each morning, even Christmas morning, to milk the cows. His father was sympathetic to his teenaged son’s need to sleep, but the work was necessary. One Christmas Eve, Rob wishes he had a better gift for his dad. He thinks a gift in their barn would be like the Wise Men’s gifts to Jesus. Rob gets up at 2:45 and does the milking alone, joyfully anticipating how his father will respond. When the full milk cans are found, both are delighted. Because their work is done, they see the younger children discover their gifts, a first for Rob’s father. Later he tells Rob it is the best gift he’s ever received; he will think of it early every Christmas morning. 

Hanna’s Comments:  Buck’s skills as a Nobel prize winner are evident here in this 1955 story. This son’s creative response to a father he admires and loves immensely is captured beautifully in words and Buehner’s illustrations. Be sure to read the illustrator’s note at the front. After reading, encourage your audience to consider creative gifts of time and work they might offer others and God. This tale celebrates generosity of time and work, good gifts to encourage in December. Gary Chapman's theory of 5 Love Languages calls these types of loving responses the language of ‘quality time’ and the language of ‘works of service.’ Check out a PBT post featuring a book for children summarizing these ideas [here]. No matter the love languages your audience members demonstrate, all would benefit from a discussion about creative ways to say "I love you" during the December holidays. Be sure to emphasize how giving can be as thrilling as receiving.

Original Publisher & Date: Harper Collins, 2002

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

Scripture Connections: The story of the Wise Men and their gifts is in Matthew 2:1-12.

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to people of any age in your faith family who are exploring various types & qualities of generosity during the December holidays.

Picture Book: Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale

Author: Eric A. Kimmel

Illustrator: Matthew Trueman 

Summary: Young Simon, about to immigrate to America, assures his family he will get work and send for them. Knowing her son will need a miracle, Simon’s mom has him promise to celebrate Hanukkah and gives him a menorah, candles, matches, and potato latkes. When his ship hits an iceberg, Simon gives up his place in a lifeboat to a man with a family. Simon survives by jumping on the iceberg. It is the first night of Hanukkah, a night of hope. He lights the candles, says the blessings, and waits. The light attracts a polar bear who shares the latkes, enjoys the songs, catches and shares fish, and keeps Simon warm as they sleep. The miracles and Hanukkah nights add up to 7. On the 8^th night, Simon lights all the candles but they burn out. His new friend leaves abruptly just before Simon is rescued by a ship thanks to his candlelight. This 8^th miracle saves Simon and brings him to New York City where he is celebrated. The mayor, the man who took his place on the boat, arranges for Simon’s family to join him.

Hanna’s Comments: An unrealistic tale, for sure, but this story packs a lot of rich content that will entertain your children, Jewish or not. A summary of the ancient story of Hanukkah is at the back to help you explain the holiday if needed. Besides the Hanukkah components, many themes connect with scripture: light, hope, ritual, community, resilience, courage, etc. This book offers an experience that has the potential to be culturally enriching as well as inspiring. 

Original Publisher & Date: Hyperion, 2014

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

Scripture Connections: The story of Hanukkah is based on stories in 1^st and 2^nd Maccabees in the Hebrew Bible and in some Christian Bibles. Also, connect this book with scriptures about light such as “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?”  (Psalm 27:1) & Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path…” (Psalm 119:105) as well as other themes listed above.

Idea(s) for Application: Read this story to any group of children who will enjoy a story about faith-inspired hope and perseverance. 

Who Knew Quilting Could Be So Contentious!

Picture Book: Luka’s Quilt

Author & Illustrator: Georgia Guback

Original Publisher & Date: Greenwillow Books, 1994

Summary: Luka and her Tutu (grandmother in Hawaiian) are very close. Luka is delighted to learn that they will be making a traditional Hawaiian quilt for Luka’s bed and is assured it will have loads of flowers on it.

Luka loves the many colors of flowers so she is puzzled when they purchase only one color for the quilt. Eventually Luka realizes that the green she has chosen (she thought it would be the leaves for the many colorful flowers) is to be the background for a silhouette of white flowers. 

Luka declares, “It can’t be a flower garden if the flowers are white.” Tears flow, and their relationship is damaged for a time. Eventually Tutu calls for a truce and takes Luka to Lei Day. As before, Tutu expects Luka to make a traditional lei with only 2 flower colors, but Luka refuses and uses many colored flowers in her Hawaiian necklace. 

Luka’s lei inspires Tutu so that together they begin sewing a compromise. The result is a beautiful quilt that is both traditional and Luka-approved.   

Luka sleeps under the quilt with or without the lei overlay and is very happy their relationship is restored.  

Hanna’s Comments: I appreciate this story for lots of reasons. First, it deals sensitively with the subject of different preferences and the hurt feelings and anger that can result. Secondly, it offers some information about Hawaii that I appreciated learning. The rich sensory and cultural details offer many possibilities for supplemental activities. 

Lastly, it is, at its heart, a story of love between 2 family members. Human nature reveals that the ones we love the most, hurt us most. Explore that idea and God’s desire that we be in loving and respectful relationships, particularly with those we love most.  

Idea(s) for Application: Consider reading this book at a retreat for a church who has been struggling with issues of worship style. It beautifully illustrates the dichotomy of tradition vs. new ideas in a context that will translate well to a congregation. Be sure to emphasize the value of loving relationships and be respectful and sensitive to all perspectives. Keep coming back to your overall purpose which I think you’ll agree is in the scripture connection I offer next.

Scripture Connections: Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14)

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

Formats other than Book: None at present

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 257

Picture Book: Faith

Authors: Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, Cynthia Pon

Photographers: various

Summary: This book is a photographic essay with some explanatory text perfect for children and youth. It offers a panoramic view of young people engaged in religious or spiritual practices that are across our globe. All photographs are captioned with the name of the religion and the geographic location. Some offer more detailed explanation. What is celebrated here is the diversity and beauty of religious devotion and tradition throughout our world. Some religions are well known and ancient; others are more modern and obscure. This beautiful book highlights the connection humans have when demonstrating reverence and engaging in worship. Specific elements of faith are highlighted such as prayer, reading holy books, chanting, going to holy places, and building peace.

Hanna’s Comments: This would be a perfect book to read and discuss in a private school or homeschool setting where you can offer a broad context to your own religious traditions while studying others. Portions of the sale of this book support The Global Fund for Children. For more information on this organization go to www.globalfundforchildren.org. In the back, find a map locating the places where the featured children live. Also, check out the glossary and an explanation of the elements of faith in which this book is organized.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Charlesbridge, 2009

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 7 and up, 2^nd and up

# of Pages: 48

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: God Book, Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, action, adoration, art, awe, baptism/cleansing/washing, beauty, Bible/scripture, choir/music/singing/songs, communion/Eucharist, community, differences, diversity, faith/faithfulness, feasting/food/hunger/nutrition, heritage, holiness, memories/remembering/ritual/tradition, prayer, religious differences, response to God, reverence, at table, variety, worship

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book when exploring the world’s various religions as well as their commonalities with and differences from your own religious tradition. 

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 230

Picture Book: Circle Unbroken

Author: Margot Theis Raven

Illustrator: E. B. Lewis

Summary: As her grandma demonstrates making a sweetgrass basket, a granddaughter hears the generational tale of their family’s basket-making tradition. It begins by a river in Africa where baskets were made from the grassy reeds to winnow their rice. There a boy learns the skills, and he experiences the ritual necessary for adulthood before being captured and sold as a slave in America. Then a parallel story is told about a slave girl taught what she needs to know by the older female slaves, including winnowing rice in a sweetgrass basket. Soon the two ancestors meet and marry on an island plantation, and a new family begins. Babies are born, wars are won, a bridge is built, and economic opportunities change. Wooden stands for selling baskets are built and tourists come. To end the grandmother says, “And the time has come my child for you to learn the knot that ties us all together – the circle unbroken.”

Hanna’s Comments: Now and then I read a book that is great, but the timing is not quite right. That’s the case for this one. Last Saturday (Day 224), I featured a wonderful book about a particular basket making tradition: Basket Moon by Mary Lyn Ray, beautifully illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Check out that post [here]. Just 3 days later, I read this excellent picture book about a particular basket making tradition. So why would a faith community want to study basket-making traditions? Because baskets are functional, traditional artifacts of most cultures, and beautifully symbolic of God’s bounty, the circle of life, &/or our openness to God's gifts. Baskets hold that which we carry distances or treasure in our homes. They are also artfully made. Artistry is one of our greatest gifts from God. Lastly, they carry the stuff of life. I have a treasured egg basket that belonged to my husband’s great-grandfather. Think of the baskets that have held new born babies, as in this story, communion bread, a boy’s loaves and fishes, and generous worship offerings.    

Publisher & Date of Publication: Melanie Kroupa Books, 2004

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 48

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abilities, adaptation/assimilation, affection, Africa, America, ancestors/patriarchs & matriarchs, art, babies/children, beauty, belonging, bonds/connections, challenges, change, creativity/imagination/ingenuity, culture, difficulties, family, gifts/talents, heritage, image of God, labor/work, listening, manna, marriage, memories/remembering/ritual/tradition, mentors/teachers, openness, parables/stories, participation, perseverance, possessions, pride, slavery/slaves, time/timing/over time, treasure, unity

Scripture Connections: God has filled them with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs (Exodus 35:31-32); tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord (Psalm 78:4); behold, children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3); where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21) Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book in an adult small group program emphasizing how artifacts or artistic skills in families, all results of God’s gift of creativity & ingenuity, are treasured containers of stories and God’s blessings. 

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 220

Picture Book: Give Thanks to the Lord

Author: Karma Wilson

Illustrator: Amy June Bates

Summary: From the point of view of a young boy, this rhyming verse of gratitude is a celebration of an extended family’s gathering and feasting in the fall. The smells, tastes, hugs, and laughter are palpable. It begins, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord!” This sentence, from Psalm 92:1, is repeated a few times, most heartwarmingly in the middle of the book as the family, hands held around their bounteous table, prays. When day is done and goodbyes are said, the child is carried upstairs to bed for prayers and a kiss. It ends with, “And it’s good, so good to give thanks to the Lord.”

Hanna’s Comments: One the dedication page, you’ll find that the author wrote this book to celebrate Psalm 92. Reading with American eyes, this seems like a family’s Thanksgiving gathering. Traditional American Thanksgiving foods are prepared and spread, but it is not directly stated. Therefore, this book could be read anywhere and at any time, though you may want to limit its use to the autumn since the autumn imagery is so obvious.

Publisher & Date of Publication: Zonderkidz, 2008

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 24

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: God Book, Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, affection, beauty, belonging, Bible/scripture, blessings, communion/Eucharist, community, companionship, dependence/interdependence, family, feasting/food/hunger/nutrition, gladness/happiness, God’s care/providence, God’s nature, God’s presence, goodness, grandparents, gratitude/thanksgiving, home, hospitality, joy, love, manna, memories/remembering/ritual/tradition, nurturing, prayer, presence, Sabbath, satisfaction, security, at table, unity, worship

Scripture Connections: It is good to give thanks to the Lord… how great are Your works, O Lord! (Psalm 92:1 & 5)

Idea(s) for Application: Besides the obvious subject of gratitude, consider using this book to teach the concept of ritual as you explore this family’s rituals and consider their possible significance. Then expand to a conversation about rituals in your family of faith, whether they are rituals for worship or fellowship. Tie all of these to God’s will for us to have rituals of remembrance which are outlined in scripture such as Sabbath and Holy Communion.   

A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 107

Picture Book: Aunt Mary’s Rose

Author: Douglas Wood

Illustrator: LeUyen Pham

Summary: This is a story from the author’s childhood. When he was a child, Douglas Wood’s Aunt Mary encouraged him to tend the family’s rosebush, explaining that a little bit of Douglas, his daddy, and his grandfather were inside it. The child’s confusion leads Aunt Mary to tell the story of the arrival of the rose bush and how it had witnessed key events of their family. It witnessed the arrival of Douglas' father and uncle, 2 orphans which the family adopted. The rose bush was so dear that it was transplanted in town to the small yard that replaced their farm during the Great Depression. As the stories build, Douglas begins to understand the importance of tending this beautiful plant as a ritual of familial ties, love, pride, and beauty.

Hanna’s Comments: Recently I had the privilege of experiencing a beautiful rose walk at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina. The roses were both delicate and hearty, in full bloom and budding. I was reminded of this picture book which is such a beautiful illustration of the importance of tending, family loyalty, and endurance.

Any sort of gardening is a beautiful metaphor for faith. The book below is another book about a rose bush.

Wanda's Roses by Pat Brisson and Maryann Cocca-Leffler highlights a girl's determination to nurture a thorn bush in a vacant lot. She is sure it is a rose bush. She, and eventually some neighbors, clean up the lot. Throughout her many days of faithful hard work, Wanda keeps saying to naysayers the lot will be filled with roses. Wanda is right!

Publisher & Date of Publication: Candlewick, 2010

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: audio CD

PBT Category: Non-fiction, Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: action, affection, ancestors/patriarchs & matriarchs, beauty, belonging, bonds/connections, caring/tending, care of creation, change, commitment, communion/Eucharist, covenant/promises/vows, death/loss/grief, dependence/interdependence, the environment/nature, faith/faithfulness, family, flowers/leaves/trees, gardening/planting/pruning/sowing, God’s care/providence, God’s nature, God’s presence, grandparents, growing up/growth, helping, heritage, holiness, home, image of God, labor/work, memories/remembering/ritual/tradition, mentors/teachers, milestones, mothers, nurturing, orphans, parents/parental love, participation, reverence, satisfaction, steadfastness, survival, time/timing/over time, treasure, unity

Scripture Connections: A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children (Proverbs 13:22); being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17)

Idea(s) for Application: Consider sharing this story with a small group in your religious community who need to explore your inheritance: the rituals, traditions, and stories that you all hold dear. Talk about tending as a spiritual practice.