LET THE FORTY DAYS BEGIN...

November 15 is here, and for me that means the start of Advent. Yesterday I came across a pretty incredible advertisement on YouTube - yes, a commercial - that captures a child's perspective on the difficulty of waiting during Advent and the joy of giving at Christmas. (Watch all the way through, for the twist at the end.)



For me, as an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Advent is not just a countdown for the arrival of Christmas and the day's festivities. It is a time to prepare my heart and draw nearer to God in anticipation of his coming through prayer, fasting, the reading of Scripture, and acts of charity.  This time of joyous expectation is also called the "Nativity Fast".

Whether you observe an Advent countdown for 40 days, or just during the month of December, hopefully some of the books on my "40 Books For 40 Days List" will be helpful as you and your children begin preparing your hearts for the Child whose arrival we anticipate during this holy Nativity season.

40 BOOKS FOR 40 DAYS LIST
November 15 GOD GAVE US CHRISTMAS by Lisa T. Bergren
November 16 MY FIRST CHRISTMAS, by Tomie DePaola
November 17 HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS by Dr. Suess
November 18 WHO IS COMING TO OUR HOUSE? by Joseph Slate
November 19 THE TOMTEN by Astrid Lindgren
November 20 I SPY CHRISTMAS
November 21 THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN by Allan Ahlberg
November 22 LOOK ALIKES CHRISTMAS by Joan Steiner
November 23 CHRISTMAS TROLLS by Jan Brett
November 24 BABAR AND FATHER CHRISTMAS by Jean De Brunhoff
November 25 CHRISTMAS IN NOISY VILLAGE by Astrid Lindgren
November 26 THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY by Ezra Jack Keats
November 27 THE NUTCRACKER by Susan Jeffers
November 28 MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHEEPS! by Julie Stiegemeyer
November 29 CHRISTMAS MICE By Richard Scarry
November 30 CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Walter Wick
December 1 ONE WINTER'S NIGHT by John Herman, Diane Dillon, Leo Dillon
December 2 UNCLE VOVA'S TREE by Patricia Polacco
December 3 LETTERS FROM FATHER CHRISTMAS by J.R.R. Tolkien
December 4 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: A MAGICAL CUT-PAPER EDITION, Niroot Puutapipat
December 5 SANTA, ARE YOU FOR REAL? by Harold Myra
December 6 (St. Nicholas Day) THE LEGEND OF ST. NICHOLAS by Demi
December 7 CHRISTMAS IN THE MANGER by Nola Buck
December 8 B IS FOR BETHLEHEM, by Isabel Wilner
December 9 THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY
December 10 THE GIFT OF THE MAGI, by O. Henry, illustrations Lizbeth Zwerger
December 11 THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER by Barbara Robinson
December 12 THE FIRST CHRISTMAS; THE FIRST NOEL by Jan Pienkowski
December 13 BABUSHKA AND THE THREE KINGS by Ruth Robbins
December 14 THE FRIENDLY BEASTS by Tomie DePaola
December 15 CHRISTMAS NIGHT FAIR AND BRIGHT by Julie Stiegemeyer
December 16 THE MIRACLE OF ST. NICHOLAS by Gloria Whelan
December 17 TAKE JOY! TASHA TUDOR CHRISTMAS BOOK
December 18 WE THREE KINGS by Gennady Spirin
December 19 ANGELA AND THE BABY JESUS (Children's version) by Frank MCourt
ANGELA AND THE BABY JESUS (Adult Edition)
December 20 THE NATIVITY by Ruth Sanderson
December 21 CHRISTMAS POEMS Edited by Hayes and Laughlin
December 22 CHRISTMAS! by Peter Spier
December 23 CHRISTMAS ANGELS by M.J. Hummel
December 24 (Christmas Eve) PREPARE O BETHLEHEM By Niko Chocheli
December 25 (Nativity) THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD by Mother Melania

Click here for more Advent ideas and activities.

LIFTING THE VEIL: BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915

Booker T. Washington Memorial at Tuskegee University in Alabama. 
"He Lifted the Veil of Ignorance from his people 
and pointed the way to progress through Education and Industry."

More Than Anything Else, by Marie Bradby (with illustrations by Chris Soentpiet) is the fictionalized account of the childhood of Booker T. Washington - a story of the determination and perseverance of one boy.

At the age of nine, after being emancipated from slavery,  Booker labors with his family from dawn until dusk in the West Virginia salt works. But despite their hard work and poverty, something is different now: they have a sense of freedom.  And despite his constant hunger pangs, Booker has a desire and hunger, more than anything else, for words.


"I see a man reading a newspaper aloud and all doubt falls away. I have found hope, and it is as brown as me.
I see myself the man. 
And as I watch his eyes move across the paper, it is as if I know what the black marks mean, as if I am reading. 
As if everyone is listening to me. And I hold that thought in my hands. 
I will work until I am the best reader in the county. 
Children will crowd around me, and I will teach them to read."


Booker T. Washington grew up to be an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. As a representative of the last generation of black American leaders born into slavery, he played an important role in the history of the development of the civil rights movement by speaking on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their ability to vote through disfranchisement by southern legislatures. In 1901, Booker T. Washington was the first African American ever invited to the White House, as a guest of President Theodore Roosevelt.

This book is available from AMAZON, where you can "click to look inside".
Best for ages 5-8.
Read more about the life of Booker T. Washington here.
Click here to go to Marie Bradby's website.

A GOOD READ ALOUD FOR VETERANS DAY

THE HOUSE OF SIXTY FATHERS, by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, is based on the author's own experiences while growing up in China during World War II.  DeJong's story tells of young Chinese boy named Tien Pao, who is separated from his family after the Japanese attack his village.

Tien Pao's family flees upriver in an abandoned sampan to the town of Hengyang. Tien Pao's attempts to be reunited with them result in some frightening adventures... he must travel over high mountains (and consequently through dangerous Japanese occupied territory) while trying to reach Hengyang.  He refuses to despair as he determinedly holds onto his pet pig, "Glory of the Republic", throughout his long ordeal.

He comes upon an injured American pilot and helps the man return to his unit. The pilot is a member of the Flying Tigers, and the sixty U.S. airmen in the unit become the "sixty fathers" who care for Tien Pao. You'll have to get the book to find out how Tien Pao is finally reunited with his family.

War takes its greatest toll on children, yet children can react to terrifying and dismal situations with great courage - as your children will learn from this amazing story. Books like this also help kids realize the honor and respect due to the brave men and women who have put themselves in harm's way for our protection.

Listening level - ages 8 and up.  This book is a Newbury Honor winner (1957)

HOW TO MAKE AN ADVENT CALENDAR OF BOOKS

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There are many creative ways to make your own Advent Book Calendar (for on a mantel, in a basket by the fireplace, or under the tree...)

A QUICK EXPLANATION OF "ADVENT":

Advent means "coming" or "arrival".  In the West, for Catholics and Protestants, it traditionally starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.  For Eastern Orthodox Christians, Advent - or the "Nativity Fast" -  begins every year on November 15th and, like Lent, is a 40-day period before Christmas devoted to preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  It is a heightened time of prayer, fasting, acts of charity, and scripture reading.  And, especially for kids, a time to learn patience as they anticipate Christmas Day. 

ADVENT CALENDAR OF BOOKS:
THE BOOKS: Looking for book recommendations? Here is my CHRISTMAS BOOK LIST, which features some of my favorite Christmas stories for children.  I plan on adding a few more books that I've come across this year to the list, but in the meantime, take a look at it (HERE).


EASY VERSION OF A BOOK CALENDAR: Some families put Christmas-themed books in a basket, wrapped or unwrapped, by the fireplace or under their Christmas tree, so that one book can be read each night. Determine the number of days leading up to Christmas you'd like to read the books (during all of Advent or just during the month of December) and gather together the appropriate amount of books - library books can be mixed in with your own books (just label them, if wrapped, so they won't be overdue).  Some families like the tradition of putting away the books after Christmas and re-visiting them only during Advent.

photo source: Charlotte Mason Home Education

A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED:
Here is another fun way to make this COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS come alive for your kids. (If "more involved" doesn't appeal to you, scroll down to see my "super simple" options.)

photo source: Babyccino Kids

A blogger mom at Babyccino Kids came up with the idea of wrapping the books in matching paper and lining them across your fireplace mantle. You can number envelopes to go on the front of the packages, and put either an advent activity or bible verse inside for each day (see below).

ACTIVITIES TO GO WITH THE BOOKS:

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Inside a numbered envelope taped to each wrapped book, you could write down an activity that each child will perform that day (or something they will anticipate doing the next day, if you unwrap and read the books in the evening).  Activity ideas can be found HERE, from Kimberly Peterson.  A sweet one she came up with is, "Call Grandma and Grandpa and sing a Christmas song" (skyping would be fun, too!) The activity possibilities are endless (like things your could come up with to do for St. Nicholas Day) - please share your ideas!

photo source: tsj photography

BIBLE READING ACTIVITY:
Another creative blogger mom posted this idea:  wrap the books and put them under the tree.  On the front of each wrapped package, attach the numbered envelope (coinciding with the day of Advent).  Inside is a card with a special Biblical verse or reading on it, that is placed on the tree after reading.  By Christmas Day, you'll have a tree full of Bible verses! CLICK HERE for the texts/readings for the 40- day Orthodox version of this activity. (It includes Old Calendar dates as well).

NEED SUPER SIMPLE?
How about one (1) book!
Don't worry - if this all sounds overwhelming, you can always purchase a traditional Advent calendar, with windows to open for each night of Advent and this one ADVENT STORYBOOK (it has "24 stories to share before Christmas"), by Antonie Scheinder.

... Benjamin Bear is so impatient for Christmas to come. To help the time pass more quickly, his mother tells him that every day when he opens a door on his Advent calendar she'll tell him a story—twenty-four stories all about another little bear and his long, arduous journey to Bethlehem. The little bear, led by a glittering star, meets many others on his travels across hot deserts, snowy mountains, and through dark, lonely nights. His adventures, filled with acts of heroism and kindness and many small miracles, show him the path to the Christ Child. And by journey's end Benjamin Bear—and all youngsters who share the stories and their simple morals along with him—will understand and celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. (Thanks to a sweet mom and fellow blogger, Sylvia Leontaritis for this book recommendation from her post in ADVENTURES OF AN ORTHODOX MOM).

OR this book set advent calendar-in-one option...
I love "The Story of Christmas Book Set and Advent Calendar", by Mary Packard, illustrated by Caroline Croll.  This particular calendar is made up of 24 little books to be read and then hung on the Christmas tree, from December 1st  through Christmas Eve.

Click here for ordering info

FINALLY, ADVENT CALENDARS (minus the books)
I've come across some beautiful 41-day Orthodox Calendars, like the one below, available HERE.

Each window opens to reveal the saint of the day.

I also love this one, with the Madonna and Child, taken from Ruth Sanderson's beautiful cover art from her picture book, THE NATIVITY (yes, it's on my "Christmas Book List" of favorites). Calendar Available HERE (24 windows for December).

Each window opens with a picture and a Bible verse.

AND SOMETHING FOR PARENTS:

THE WINTER PASCHA, by Thomas Hopko. Forty meditations for the season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.  (excerpts can be found here).

BOOKS IN A SHOE BOX?

It must be done.  I've got to start blogging about Advent. I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but for all of you who like to plan ahead, you'll hopefully appreciate my broaching this subject so early.  For some of us who happen to be Eastern Orthodox Christians, Advent is just around the corner, starting on November 15th.  If you follow the Western tradition and start Advent on December 1st, you've got a little more time to plan and prepare...

photo source: dandeedesigns

Advent means "coming" or "arrival"; and if you observe Christmas as a Christian holiday, you know the term Advent refers to the birth of the Christ Child, not the arrival of St. Nick and presents. Many of us look for ways to help our children keep Christ's coming as our focus during the annual "Countdown to Christmas" that our frenzied culture of consumers gets so caught up in. So, here is a great way to think of others at the onset of this holy season...

ADVENT PROJECT:  OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD (mid November)

Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child?  It is a project started by Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization.  They send shoe boxes (put together by families like yours) to needy children all over the world - filled with items such as small toys, picture books, school supplies, and toothbrushes.

Their National Collection Week is November 14-21, which coincides nicely with the beginning of Orthodox Advent (or it can be a great Thanksgiving project for those of you who don't start Advent until December 1st).

Click HERE to find out how you can send a Shoe Box to a child in need.
Before you pack up the shoebox, you might like to read one of these books with your kids...

THE MIRACULOUS CHILD, by Alvin Aleski Currier, illustrated by Nadezda Glazunova.

A charming, delightfully illustrated Russian folktale about a poor family who entertains an angel unawares. Although the story has a Christmas theme, it can be read at any time of the year, as an illustration of the text of Hebrews 13:2: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
AVAILABLE HERE:
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE BOOKSTORE      CONCILIAR PRESS  
PAIDEA CLASSICS      ARCHANGEL BOOKS



THE MITTEN TREE, by Candace Christiansen, illustrations by Elaine Greenstein.

On a snowy day, an elderly woman named Sarah notices that a little boy at the bus stop does not have any mittens. Worried that he couldn't join in the winter fun, Sarah knits mittens for the little boy, placing them on a tree at the bus stop the next day. Each day thereafter, the children look for new mittens, and every day Sarah knits new ones. One morning she covers every branch with bright new mittens for the children. Though she has used up all her yarn, Sarah returns home with a full heart and discovers a wonderful surprise waiting on her porch.
AVAILABLE HERE:  AMAZON (or at your local library)

"If you're going to be a writer..."

A (grown-up) Betsy illustration by Vera Neville. Source HERE.

"But if you're going to be a writer," he went on, "you've got to read. Good books. Great books. The classics. And fortunately ... that's what I'm driving at ... Deep Valley has a new Carnegie Library, almost ready to open. White marble building, sunny, spick and span, just full of books."- Mr. Ray to his daughter Betsy


If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you can probably guess how thrilled I was to come across this quote in BETSY AND TACY GO DOWNTOWN (the fourth book from one of my favorite series, by Maud Hart Lovelace) about libraries (one of my favorite places) and "good" books (obviously one of my favorite pastimes).

Illustration by Lois Lenski of Betsy at the Library,
from BETSY AND TACY GO DOWNTOWN.

If you'd like to read about and see pictures of the real life Carnegie Library in Mankato (Deep Valley), click here to go to the Betsy-Tacy Encyclopedia Blog.


You can also stop by and read my past post about the Betsy Tacy books HERE, in "Chapter Books My Daughter Loved".

BOOKS FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS

This bronze statue can be found in the
town of Bremen, Germany.  (The front
hooves of the Donkey have become
shiny - touching them is said to make
wishes come true.)

The Town Musicians of Bremen folktale from the Brothers Grimm seems a fitting tale for the day after Halloween...I recall feeling sorry as a child for the old Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Rooster, who were past their prime and consequently not useful  on their farms anymore.  They decide to become musicians and travel together to the town of Bremen. On the way, they see a lighted cottage; they look inside and spy four robbers enjoying their spoils. Standing on each other's backs, they hatch a plan to perform for the men in hope of gaining food. Their 'music' has an unanticipated effect; the men run for their lives, not knowing what the strange sound is. The animals take possession of the house, eat a good meal, and settle in for the evening. The thieves decide to return, but in the dark and confusion, the robber they send in to investigate becomes convinced the cottage in now inhabited by a horrible witch who scratched him with her long fingers (the Cat), an ogre with a knife (the Dog), a giant who had hit him with his club (the Donkey), and worst of all, the judge who screamed in his voice from the rooftop (the Rooster).  Well, the men flee and the animal musicians never do make it to Bremen, but live happily for the rest of their lives on the abandoned farm.

THE BREMEN-TOWN MUSICIANS, retold by Ruth Belov Gross, pictures by Jack Kent.

You can also find the story in Richard Scarry's ANIMAL NURSERY TALES. Watch the adorable Youtube video of the "Muppet Musicians of Bremen" song that my kids loved, below:

Another story your young musicians might enjoy is BERLIOZ THE BEAR, written and illustrated by Jan Brett (this one involves a mule!)  From the back cover: 

"The performers must get to the ball, (Berlioz leads one and all,) but their wagon and load are stuck in the road, and the mule has decided to stall!" 

It's fun to listen to Rimsky- Korsakov's "FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE" after reading this book.

Click HERE to read my past post, "Music Appreciation for Young Souls". (Titles reviewed include: MOLE MUSIC, by David McPhail; ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! A VIOLIN, by Lloyd Moss; Little Golden Book ANIMAL ORCHESTRA, by Ilo Orleans; and THE JAZZ FLY, by Matthew Gollub)