CHILDREN'S BOOKS CALENDARS FOR 2012

Want a fun kidlit calendar for the New Year?  Here are some offerings from Calendars.com.

12 days, 12 books, 12 illustrators

one - jan brett

 two - jane ray

 three - laurel long

 four - louise brierley

 five - robert sabuda

 six - gennady spirin

 seven - brian wildsmith

 eight - joanna isles

 nine - ilonka karasz

ten - don daily

eleven - rachel griffin

twelve - little golden book

Which illustrator is your favorite?
I hope you're enjoying these "12 Days of Christmas", which end on January 6th, with the celebration of Theophany, or Epiphany.

CHILDHOOD IMPRESSIONS

Herod was wroth and sent men to slay all the infants of Bethlehem and the parts there about, from two years old and under, thinking that with them he would also certainly slay the King Who had been born.

Appropriate to the theme of today's remembrance of the Holy Innocents, I am posting some thoughts about childhood innocence and why I am so passionate about "good books for young souls"...

"Blessed Are The Children", artist: Vasili Belyaev
St. Petersburg, Russia [source]

My husband and I saw many beautiful sights on our recent trip to St. Petersburg, Russia. In gazing up at this beautiful mosaic in the Our Savior of the Resurrection Church-now-turned-museum [the fate of many churches after the Soviet takeover - see photo and note below], I couldn't help but think of this pertinent quote for my blog from The Diary of a Russian Priest by Fr. Alexander Elchaninov:


"Why are childhood impressions so important? Why is it essential to fill a child's mind and soul with light and goodness, starting from the very earliest stages of its life? In childhood we find a natural gift for faith, simplicity, gentleness, a capacity for tenderness, compassion, imagination, an absence of cruelty and hardness. Now this is precisely the kind of soil that yields a harvest thirty-fold, sixty-fold or an hundred-fold. When, later in life, the soul has become hard and dry, a man can be cleansed anew and saved by the continuing presence of his childhood experience. That is why it is so important to keep children close to the Church--it will provide them with nourishment for their entire lifetime." 


Book recommendation - DRITA: An Albanian Girl Discovers the Faith of Her Ancestors. This is a story about a young Albanian girl whose family has lived for years under repressive communist rule. After decades of religious oppression, Drita is finally able to discover the faith of her ancestors. As she experiences God’s love for her through the example of her grandparents and the teachings of missionaries, she turns her heart toward Christ. At the story’s joyful conclusion, Drita is baptized and lives in an Albania where all are now free to openly worship, praise, and glorify God in His Church.

My husband and I outside this
beautiful Russian church, December 2011

History of Our Savior of the Resurrection Church in St. Petersburg:
Construction began in 1883 under Alexis III, as a memorial to his father Emperor Alexis II, who was mortally wounded on the sight (which is why the church is also sometimes referred to as the "Church of the Savior on the Spilt Blood". Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907.

Funding was provided by the Royal family with the support of many private investors. The church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million roubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million.

In the aftermath of the Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s.

During World War II, the church was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of "Savior on Potatoes." It suffered significant damage during the Siege of Leningrad and after the war, it was used as a warehouse for a nearby opera theatre.

In July 1970, management of the church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral (then used as a highly profitable museum) and proceeds from the cathedral were ploughed back into restoring the church. The church was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been resanctified and does not function as a full-time place of worship. It is now one of the main tourist attractions of St. Petersburg.
[source and more pictures]

A Good King and the Feast of St. Stephen

One of the statues we came across of Wenceslas
 in Prague, Czech Republic.

John M. Neale, an Anglican priest, wrote the words to "Good King Wenceslas" in 1853 to inspire children to be generous on St. Stephen's Day (today - Dec. 27). The lyrics of the song are based on events that occurred in the tenth century... about a kind-hearted king and his page who set out to help a poor man on a cold winter's night and how they experienced a miracle along the way. (If the incident is merely legend, the hero most certainly is not.)

Wenceslas was born into a royal family in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic.  My husband and I just had the pleasure of taking a trip to the city of Prague to see our son, who is on a student exchange program there.  We saw statues and tributes to Wenceslas all over the city.

Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother to be a devout Christian.  Since his father was killed in battle when Wenceslas was only thirteen years old, he became Prince of Bohemia just five years later, at the young age of 18.  He ruled the land fairly, as he sought to spread Christianity throughout Bohemia and give aid to those in need.  

In 935 he was killed by his brother in a political coup. As a result of his pious life and untimely death, Wenceslas is venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches as a martyr and a saint. (The Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously conferred the title of King to Wenceslas.)

At the suggestion of one of my readers, I'd like to add a third picture book about  Good King Wenceslas to the two I posted about last year.  This particular book has wonderful pictures by Tim Ladwig that help introduce the story and illustrate the text of the song.  There is also a historical note at the back of the book.

To read my previous about this Good King, GO HERE.

A Christmas Pondering from C.S. LEWIS

Nativity Icon (source)

     "It seems then," said Tirian, smiling himself, "that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places."
     "Yes," said Lord Digory. "Its inside is bigger than its outside."
     “Yes,” said Queen Lucy. “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.” (from The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis)

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES OF LITERARY LESSONS

I remember the first time I read Little Women, and the impact I felt while reading Louisa May Alcott's description of the March sisters bravely celebrating Christmas, struggling to be happy though their father was away at war.

Jessie Wilcox Smith's Little Women

I'm a bit choked up even now as I re-read the opening words of Chapter Two:  about how Marmee, with her steadfast determination, is wisely trying to raise her girls to become generous and loving human beings.  I recall wondering if I could have given up my Christmas breakfast the way these Little Women did...

Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was crammed so full of goodies. Then she remembered her mother's promise and, slipping her hand under her pillow, drew out a little crimson-covered book. She knew it very well, for it was that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived, and Jo felt that it was a true guidebook for any pilgrim going on a long journey. 

She woke Meg with a Merry Christmas, and bade her see what was under her pillow. A green-covered book appeared, with the same picture inside, and a few words written by their mother, which made their one present very precious in their eyes. Presently Beth and Amy woke to rummage and find their little books also, one dove-colored, the other blue, and all sat looking at and talking about them, while the east grew rosy with the coming day...

"Merry Christmas, Marmee! Many of them! Thank you for our books. We read some, and mean to every day," they all cried in chorus.

"Merry Christmas, little daughters! I'm glad you began at once, and hope you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down.  Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfasts a Christmas present?"

Other childhood favorites that come to mind are O. Henry's Gift of the Magi (which I blogged about HERE last year) and the family Christmas recollections penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I was about five when my mom read aloud Little House in the Big Woods to me, and I remember Laura getting her first doll, made of rags, who she named "Charlotte".  In subsequent books, Laura was always given simple, yet greatly appreciated gifts, such as something homemade by her mother and a candy stick, or copper penny.  It made me thankful for my own presents, which seemed fit for a princess in comparison to Laura and Mary's gifts!

Here are a few more Christmas stories with beautiful messages.  Did I leave out your favorites?

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden with illustrations by Barbara Cooney, is about expectation, love, generosity, and finding a home. A little orphan girl wishes for a family, and for a doll like the one she sees in a shop window. The doll, in turn, wishes for a little girl who can take care of her. There is also a sad couple who wishes for a family. You can probably guess what happens in this sweet and sentimental story, ages 5 and up



The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (click title to read my post), ages 5 and up.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! by Barbara Robinson (click title to read my post), ages 9 and up.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD: ITALY

Greeting:  Buon Natale, ("Good Christmas")
St. Nicholas Tradition: San Nicola (more information)
Highlighted Custom: Presepio (Manger Scene)

Throughout the Christmas season in Italy, hundreds of different presepi, or manger scenes, are displayed. (The word presepio comes from the Latin word praesaepe, meaning "enclosure", "crib", or "manger".  In large cathedrals, visitors can view life-size scenes and many include animated figures of camels, horses, and everyday people who might have had an opportunity to bring gifts to the Christ Child.

This life-sized Nativity scene and Christmas tree in the Piazza san Pietro mark the Vatican's annual Christmas celebration outside of St. Peter's Basilica. Photo by Joe Beynon.

In homes, families also display presepi, many that are treasure handed down in the family for generations.  Some families traditionally gather before the manger scene for prayer each night during the nine days before Christmas - the time it is said to have taken Mary and Joseph to make the journey to Bethlehem.  This custom may have originated with St. Francis of Assisi, who is said to have built the first nativity scene in a cave (which is more historically accurate than a stable) over seven hundred years ago.

There's a sweet children's book, Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale, by Martin Waddell, that gently tells how, one after another, Kind Ox tells homeless animals who are passing by to come inside because "there is always room for a little one here".  Finally the tired donkey arrives with Mary and Joseph and is told the same thing when Mary asks, "Where will my baby be born?" The illustrations by Jason Cockcroft are incredibly detailed and luminous.

Children and Christmas: Children write letters to their parents, extending wishes for a wonderful Christmas celebration and promises that misbehavior will cease.  The letters are read aloud at the dinner table and then are allowed to be carried up the fireplace chimney, in the heat of the crackling flames. As they watch their letters disappear, the children chant these words to the mythical character, Befana:

Befana, Befana,

You are my lady,

You are my wife.

Throw something down to me - 

A little orange or a pefanino

Or a small pice of pecorino.

The pefaninio is a small cookie shaped like Befana. Pecorino is a special kind of cheese. Befana was an old witch woman who refused to go with the Three Kings to Bethlehem because she was busy sweeping her house.  Finally, after completing her work, she went to find the Christ Child and lost her way.  The legend says she continues her search to this day for Baby Jesus, and on January 5, the night before Epiphany, Italian children leave their shoes by the fireplace, in hopes that Befana will come down the chimney on her broomstick and leave gifts for them.
The Legend of Old Bafana, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola


Italian children also receive gifts on Christmas Day.  Some believe the gifts are from Bambino Gesu, or Baby Jesus.  Other think them from Babbo Natale, or Father Christmas. (In some areas of Italy, San Niccolò, or St. Nicholas, comes on December 6th and that is a day for gift-giving to children. Grandfathers dress up like the saint, giving presents or coal made of sugar if the children have not been good.)

Christmas Eve dinner: In an Italian home, this festive dinner may include baked eel, which might be up to four feet long!  Of course, pasta will be served as well.  A capon or small chicken stuffed with chestnut dressing is another option.  For dessert, a loaf-shaped Christmas cake, panettone, is made with raisins and citron.  If you're like me, you may have received a panettone and not known if your children would like it.  Click here for a yummy panetton french toast recipe (with apples and cranberries).

Sources for my Christmas Around the World posts:

Mary D. Lankford's Christmas Around the World

St. Nicholas Center: www.stnicholascenter.org

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS BOOK FOR 2011

If you're familiar with Pamela Dalton's work, you'll know why I was so excited to find out she's published a Nativity book.  Her collaboration with Katherine Paterson, Brother Sun, Sister Moon: St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of Creatures, has already made it into the NY Times Book Review's "10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2011".  Watch the YouTube clip below to see how she works at creating her stunningly detailed paper cut images.



Pamela Dalton's The Story of Christmas (with text from the King James Bible) is one of the most striking renderings of the Nativity story that I have ever seen.  Using this medium of paper cutting, which is rooted in the Pennsylvania-German folkart of Scherenschnitte, Pamela's intimate appreciation of medieval and Renaissance Italian art captures the profound, yet simple beauty of the Nativity story.  Her artwork is at once stunning, yet reverent, delicate, yet alive with color against a black backdrop that evokes the cold and solitude Mary and Joseph faced in finding lodging for the night of her expected birth.  I'll let the illustrations speak for themselves...

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD: FRANCE

Greeting: Joyeux Noel ("Joyous Christmas!") Noel comes from the phrase "les bonnes nouvelles", translated "Good News", and refers to the Gospel.
St. Nicholas Tradition: Saint Nicolas on December 6, and gift-giver, Père Noël ("Father Christmas"), who comes at Christmas.
Highlighted Custom: La bûche de Noël (Yule log cake)

In eastern and northern France, the Christmas season begins on December 6, la fête de Saint Nicolas, (the Feast of St. Nicholas) is one the most important holidays of the Christmas season. Children are given gifts of this day, instead of on December 25.

source

Bakeries offer spiced gingerbread cookies and mannala, brioche shaped like the good saint.. In school, children learn St. Nicolas songs and poems.  They also draw and paint St. Nicolas pictures and crafts. Saint Nicolas visits nursery schools, giving children chocolates and sometimes even a little present.

Nearly every home in France displays a Navity creche (manger scene), which is filled with little clay figures called santons or "little saints." Living crèches in the form of plays and puppet shows based on the Nativity are commonly performed to teach the important ideas of Christianity and the Christmas celebration.

source

On Christmas Eve in southern France, children put their shoes in front of the fireplace (this is done on December 6 in the northern areas), in the hopes that Père Noël , "Father Christmas", will fill them with gifts.  In some regions there's also Père Fouettard, who gives out spankings to bad children (sort of the equivalent of Santa Claus giving coal to the naughty).

A couple of French-inspired picture books:

Babar and Father Christmas, by Jean de Brunhoff. King Babar's children in Celesteville hear of the wonderful Father Christmas who brings toys to all the children in Man Country on Christmas Eve. The children write a letter to Father Christmas in the hopes of inviting him to Celesteville but when their letter goes astray, King Babar goes into Man Country to search for him personally...

The Clown of God, by Tomie dePaola. Many, many years ago, in Sorrento there lived a boy named Giovanni who had no mother and no father. He dressed in rags and begged for his food and slept in doorways. But he was happy, and he could do something wonderful. He could juggle. This is how the French legend begins. Your heart will be warmed with the miracle at the end of the story as Giovanni does his last performance before a statue of Our Lady and the Christ Child. Author-illustrator Tomie dePaola has done an excellent job, retelling this old story as close to its original version as possible.

Although fewer and fewer French attend la Messe de Minuit (the Midnight Mass) on Christmas Eve, it is still an important part of Christmas for many families.The Mass is followed by a huge feast, called le Réveillon (from the verb réveiller, to "wake up" or to "revive"). Le Réveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth and is the culinary high point of the season, which may be enjoyed at home or in a restaurant or café that is open all night. Each region in France has its own traditional Christmas menu, with dishes like goose, chicken, capon, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, oysters, and boudin blanc. 

A yule log-shaped cake called the buche de Nol, (Christmas Log) is served as dessert after le Reveillon. In Southern France, a real yule log is still burned in people's homes from Christmas Eve until New Years Day. A long time ago, part of the log was used to make the wedge for the plough as good luck for the coming harvest.

The Christmas season ends on Fête des Rois (Feast of the Magi), January 6.  Galette des Rois (or "Three Kings Cake") is a round cake which is cut into pieces and distributed by a child, known as le petit roi or l'enfant soleil, hiding under the table. Whoever finds la fève - the charm hidden inside - is King or Queen and can choose a partner. That child receives a couronne (crown). The other children say “Vive le roi (ou reine)!"

Source for St. Nicholas information: www.stnicholascenter.org