Two Young Kings For Your Christmas Reading

A King of Kings and a King of Bohemia... I have two Christmas picture books that I'm recommending in today's post: The Christ Child by Maud and Miska Petersham, and Good King Wenceslas by Pauline Baynes. As I mentioned in my last "Prague Blog", both books have ties to my recent trip there.
 

THE CHRIST CHILD (ages 6 and up)
I found a used library copy of this book (published in 1931) by Maud and Miska Petersham at Shakespeare & Sons in Mala Strana, the "Little Quarter" in Prague.  (Whenever I come across an affordable old book by this incredible husband-wife writing and illustrating team, I buy it!)

The Petershams were truly pioneers in the world of children's picture books from the 1920-50's.  Maud was born in New York, and her husband Miska was a Hungarian immigrant. Their quaint and stylistic approach to story telling and illustrating is a unique blend of their backgrounds.

This book brings to life in vibrant color and small "chapters" the story of the birth and childhood of Christ from the text of the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

(Other books by the Petershams in my collection include The Circus Baby, Nursery Friends from France, Tales Told from Holland, and The Rooster Crows.  Many of the Petershams picture books can be found online, but it's a lot more fun perusing used bookstores, don't you think?)

GOOD KING WENCESLAS (ages 6 and up)
Pauline Baynes (well-known for her illustrations of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia) does not mince words in this re-telling of the exciting story of the young Bohemian Prince, Wenceslas - patron saint of Prague and the Czech Republic.

There are many legends surrounding this good saint, and his tragic death is recorded in history.  As with many saints' stories, Wenceslas faced his martyrdom bravely, and Baynes' hopeful re-telling (published in 1987) is book-ended with the words of the well loved Christmas carol about this good and brave King.

The other hero/saint in this Bohemian story is Wenceslas' grandmother, Ludmilla.  She brought him up in the Christian faith.

During our tour of Prague Castle, my mother and I were privileged to see both the Wenceslas Chapel (which contain his relics) in St. Vitus Cathedral, and St. Ludmilla's tomb in St. George's Basilica.

St. Wenceslas' relics are in the Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle.

Stained glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral by Mucha depicting (in the center) a young Wenceslas at his Grandmother Ludmilla's knee.

St. Ludmilla's tomb is located in a chapel in St. George's Basilica, Prague Castle.

A painting in St. George's Basilica near the tomb of Ludmilla, showing Wenceslas being taught by his Grandmother to care for the poor.

Just outside the walls of Prague Castle, I took a quick photo of my mom next to the statue of Wenceslas.

It had rained all day, so on our walk back to our apartment, we stopped at a little cafe for some hot tea. It was the perfect end to our wonderful time at Prague Castle!

ADVENT IS AROUND THE CORNER...

It's coming!  As you get ready to prepare your homes, make your lists, and gather gifts in celebration of the coming of the Babe in the Manger, don't forget that most important preparation: our hearts, to welcome our Savior!

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but planning is key!  For those of us who are Eastern Orthodox Christians, Advent begins every year on November 15 - tomorrow - as a time set aside for fasting, prayer and almsgiving.  Western Christian Traditions begin Advent a little later, with four Sundays preceding Christmas instead of six.  

I think most people in our culture, whether secular or Christian, like to somehow countdown the 25 days of December leading up to Christmas. 

Every year I share new Christmas picture books that I've collected and saved in my little trunk. Our family loved picking a book each night to read together as we lit our Advent Wreath Candles for our nightly Scripture devotional and counted down the days until Christmas.

So watch my posts for this year's Christmas book finds! 

In the meantime, please visit my Advent & Christmas Resource Page, here, (or in the sidebar of my website) to see my past recommendations of fun activities like Making An Advent Calendar of Books, Christmas Traditions Around the World, and celebrating St. Nicholas, St. Lucia, and the Twelve Days of Christmas.  

Here's my current list of Christmas Book Favorites.

click for book list

And don't forget to go to my last blog post and leave a comment with your name for a chance to win my Book Bundle Giveaway!

Click here to leave a comment for my giveaway.

It's a Wrap!! Christmas Book Wrap, That Is...

I can always find something wonderful and unique from The New York Review of Books online shop, The Reader's Catalog. I love their opening tag line: "If you’ve found The Reader’s Catalog, chances are you’re passionate about the written word."

This year I was delighted to discover their Christmas wrapping paper - all covered in books, of course!!!

I seriously want to use this stuff as wallpaper!

Our Christmas countdown is definitely in full swing over here - my holiday cards are mailed out and I'm finishing all my gift wrapping.  How are you doing?

On My December Bookshelf: Some New Additions to My Christmas Favorites Book List

I should have actually titled this: "Books Strewn Across My December Hearth".  I love collecting children's books, and I'm always excited about sharing my Christmas favorites with you!

You can read about many of the books shown above on my Christmas Book Resource Page (a page where I've listed my favorite Christmas books and my reviews. The list can be especially helpful if you want to make an Advent Calendar of Books!)  

But today I'm recommending some new favorites, that I've discovered since I made my original list.  So here they are, the...

NEWEST ADDITIONS TO MY CHRISTMAS BOOK LIST:

When It Snows
Read my post "A Snowy Book that Will Warm Your Heart" here.

Woodland Nutcracker
Read my post "SWEET FOR THE SUITE": An Award-Winning Canadian Nutcracker Story Inspired by Bears!" here.

A Christmas Carol 
Read my post "How Dickens Helped Saved Christmas", here.

Hans Brinker
Read my post "The Beautiful, Frozen World of Hans Brinker (From the Hand of Gifted Artist, Laurel Long!)",  here.

St. Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins
Mentioned in my post, "A Giveaway for St. Nicholas Day", here.










The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Read my review here.

Let it Snow, a Toot & Puddle story.
My Review: here.

Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas (reminds me of Peter Rabbit!)
Read my review.

Little Porcupine's Christmas. Go to my review here.

The Christmas Angels, a sweet book (first published in Germany in 1933!). Read my review.

Advent Book Calendars!

It can be challenging to find ways to help children keep their focus on the birth of Christ during the annual "Countdown to Santa and Christmas Presents" that our frenzied culture of consumers gets so caught up in. Well, thank goodness for another kind of countdown: Advent, a time of joyous expectation.

An Advent Calendar of Christmas Books: I'd like to share some ideas for incorporating beautiful Christmas picture books into your family traditions during this time of anticipation. It takes a little planning, but it's worth the forethought and effort...

photo - detailgalblog

1- You need to determine how many books you need - this will depend on how many days leading up to Christmas you'd like to do this activity (during all of Advent - from November 15, if you're Eastern Orthodox, or the 25 days of December - or maybe just the last week leading up to Christmas).

2- Need book recommendations? Click here for my Christmas Book Resource Page, if you need book recommendations.

here

3- Choose the books. Gather Christmas books you already have. This is also a nice way to start collecting Christmas picture books - buy a few a year to add in!  You can also do what my daughter does: add library books - just be sure to label and read the ones from the library first, so they won't be overdue.

here

4- Decide how you want to display your Advent Calendar of Books.  Some families put them in a basket, wrapped or unwrapped; others wrap them up and number them so their children can open one each night.  Either way, it's a fun read aloud activity for the whole family!

5- Challenged for time? If you don't have time to get all these books, you might be interested in one Advent Storybook, with a reading for each night of December, or The Story of Christmas, a book set and advent calendar.  You can find both on Amazon - pictured below.

Whatever you choose to do, I pray you have a blessed Advent, in preparation for the coming of our Lord at his Nativity!

CHRISTMAS IN A (LITTLE GOLDEN) NUTSHELL!

Fun for nostalgic adults, this Everything I Need to Know About Christmas collection of Little Golden Book illustrations is full of cheery reflections about the season.  (I'm pretty sure St. Nicholas is bringing me a copy.)

Did you know you can find old-fashioned fun and the Gospel Nativity, all under one golden cover? My personal favorite is The Christmas ABC, with vintage illustrations by Eloise Wilkin...

An Adorable Norwegian Christmas Book

My ancestral roots and my love for St. Lucia Day get me thinking about Scandinavian Christmas books every December...So I was thrilled when I received my Chinaberry Christmas catalog in November and saw a new children's Christmas book about a little girl from Norway on their cover!!!

I knew I had to see the inside of this book, so I immediately sent off an email to the publisher and could barely wait until I received my review copy - which I am excited to be offering to you as a GIVEAWAY today! 12/17/13 Update: Giveaway over.  I'll let the photo illustrations speak for themselves:

A FAMILY PROJECT:
The Christmas Wish is a gift from husband and wife team, Lori Evert and Per Breiehagen to us and their daughter, Anja, the main character who's adorably dressed up in traditional Norwegian garb!

Anja sets out on an adventure to find Santa Claus so she can make her dream come true: to be like one of Santa's Elves and help him deliver toys to children.  Lots of woodland animals (my favorite is the polar bear) help her in her wintry endeavor - but will she succeed?  You'll have to read the book!

From the book jacket:
"Author Lori Evert is a prop, set and wardrobe stylist who loves books, nature and being Anja's mother. She was so inspired by the beauty and magic of an image of Anja with a reindeer that she began spinning a narrative about who they might be and why they were together.  Thus began the four-year family project that is The Christmas Wish.

Award-winning photographer Per Breiehagen grew up in the small mountain town of Al, Norway.  He spent his childhood exploring the dramatic landscapes near his home...Assignments for clients like National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, and Audubon have brought Per to some of the most remote snow-and-ice-covered regions in the world...Anja's love of the outdoors and winter is a great inspiration for Per."

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
Leave a comment here and/or on my Facebook link about this post to enter my Giveaway.  Winner announced on Tuesday, December 17, 2013. (You'll get the book in time to put it under your Christmas tree!) Updated 12/17/13 - Giveaway over.

You can order The Christmas Wish yourself here from Amazon. (Chinaberry has sold out of their copies.)