MANGER
Lee Bennett Hopkins has compiled fifteen poems by thirteen poets about the magical hour on Christmas Eve when all animals can talk.
After an introductory poem written by Hopkins, thirteen species—including fish and a spider—tell their story about seeing the Baby Jesus for the first time. The horse is so moved he can’t speak, the cow moos a lullaby, the spider weaves a gift of a cobweb crown. The last poem is from the second stanza of The Friendly Beasts, a folk song.
Helen Cann’s lovingly detailed artwork (watercolor and mixed media) add to the warm traditional feel of the collection, and create, with the sound of the poems, a book to carefully relish. Endpapers depicting characters from the text—like so many Eerdmans titles—add something extra to pore over after reading the book.
MANGER is a picture book that looks, sounds and feels like a Christmas classic.
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
HARDCOVER; Published: 9/1/2014
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5419-3
34 Pages
Ages 4 to 8
Trim Size, in inches: 8.54 X 10.43
Today, I am very excited to welcome middle-grade novelist, Melissa Goodwin, who is on a WOW! blog tour with her book, The Christmas Village. AND EVEN MORE EXCITING–I HAVE A PAPERBACK COPY TO GIVEAWAY. One lucky reader who leaves a comment or question for Melissa OR who shares their favorite holiday decoration/tradition in a comment by Sunday, November 20 at 8:00 p.m. CST has a chance to win this book. (United States and Canada mailing addresses only please.)
Quick book summary: In this heartwarming story, Jamie wishes he could live in his grandma’s miniature Christmas Village, where everything seems so perfect. Magically, he gets his wish! But, things are not always what they seem–can Jamie help his friends and still get home in time for Christmas?
What an honor–I have Melissa here today with her guest post: “Every Town Tells a Story.” You can use her ideas here with the 6 + 1 traits of writing, the IDEAS trait.
Every Town has a Story – Ways to Encourage Kids (and Grown-ups! ) to Write
Melissa Ann Goodwin
On April 14, 1755, four-year-old Lucy Keyes tagged along behind her older sisters as they trudged through the woods of Princeton, Massachusetts. Lucy never came home. The townsfolk searched everywhere, but no trace of her was ever found. Lucy’s mother, Martha, searched the woods daily, calling for her missing child. More than 250 years later, people in Princeton swore they’d seen Martha’s ghost and heard her cries echoing through the woods.
In 2005, writer-director John Stimpson lived on land that was once part of the Keyes’ property. He’d heard the Lucy Keyes story thousands of times – it was the stuff of legend in such a small town. The mystery called to him so strongly that he made a movie, The Legend of Lucy Keyes, starring Hollywood actors and using Princeton locals as extras.
We can all take a lesson from Stimpson, who saw the potential for great storytelling literally in his own back yard. Like Princeton, every town has stories, and discovering them is a great way to get kids excited about writing – which is really just the art of storytelling. There are hundreds – even thousands of tales a town might tell; we just have to go looking for them.
So where do we start? Here are some suggestions:
Street names: Streets are often named for people who played a significant role in a town’s history. Why did the town name a street after this person? There’s a story there! Sometimes street names reflect something specific about the area. For example, you’d expect Apple Orchard Lane to be near an apple orchard. But what if it’s not? Was there once an orchard there? What happened to it? There’s a story there, too.
Rivers and other landmarks: The names of rivers and geographic landmarks often reflect whatever the person who named them experienced there. A dry riverbed named “Buzzard’s Roost Wash,” creates a vivid image of vultures perched on bare tree branches, waiting to pounce. Whenever I see a name like that, I think, there’s gotta be a reason!
Statues and monuments: In my book, The Christmas Village, there is a statue in the village square that you wouldn’t expect to find in a Vermont town. The idea for this small detail in my story came from the real town of York, Maine. The town ordered a statue, but the wrong one was delivered. The frugal York townspeople didn’t want to pay to send it back, so they kept the statue and put it in the center of town. What stories do the monuments in your town tell?
Cemeteries:
photo by Thomas Ott www.flickr.com
*Picture book, Kindergartners to third graders, contemporary, Christmas
*Three children (two boys and one younger girl) as main characters
*Rating: Santa Calls is a great adventure Christmas story for children.
Short, short summary: Art Atchinson Aimesworth receives a call from Santa to go to Toyland in the North Pole. He takes with him Esther (his sister after she begs and cries) and Spaulding (his buddy). They have a fabulous adventure in the North Pole, and they meet Santa and Mrs. Claus as well as the Dark Queen and her elves (and they defeat her, of course). However, they can’t figure out why Santa called them to come to the North Pole. He’s just so secretive; and every time Art asks, Santa doesn’t answer the question. In the end, Esther and the reader figure it out!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Try to decide before you and your child read the last page why Santa called. It may be hard, but read carefully and look for clues. 
2. Use the map of the North Pole in the front of the book and make up a story (as a class or as individual students) about the North Pole and an adventure other kids could have there.
3. Write a descriptive paragraph about what Toyland looks like. Use the illustrations of Toyland from the book.
Have a Merry Christmas!
As Christmas approaches it is fun to read children's Christmas books. Here is a link to some rare old children's books about Christmas.
I can still remember my parents reading T'was the Night Before Christmas and the Bible story from the gospel of Luke. What rich memories those stories and images bring.
Great, Shelley! You really keep the lights on and the place running!
This brings back lots of good memories... I remember how excited I got when it was time to bring out the Christmas books. I think I even recognize a few of these pictures. Hummm ^___^ Thanks for kindling up the Christmas spirit!
I bloody love 'Angelina's Christmas'.... Truly does remind me of the absolute magic and excitement of Christmas (that which I still feel very much today!) I love the intricate drawings - I have an especially mini edition at home from my childhood, such a beautiful series of books :)