Maw Books » Christmas

Literary Themed Christmas Trees

Natasha Maw — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:36:23 +0000

Ahh the Festival of Trees! Our favorite time of the year!! Here in Salt Lake City, the Festival of Trees, is an annual event where individuals, groups, and organizations decorate and donate Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, quilts, gingerbread houses and gift items. Everything is auctioned off and every single penny (I literally mean every single penny – everything is done on a volunteer basis) goes to the Primary Children’s Medical Center.

It is their largest fundraiser and raises millions of dollars. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people attend the festival each year and there are hundred of trees. Many of the trees are donated in somebody’s name or by friends and family of children who have either passed or have received compassionate care at the hospital. Many of the stories and photos of the children will make you cry.

To say that I adore this fundraiser is an understatement. It is simply amazing!! Each year, I have taken special notice of the literary themed Christmas trees so I can share them with you here.

Anne of Green Gables themed Christmas tree:

There is always a Harry Potter inspired tree:

And while there is a Twilight inspired Christmas tree every year, this year there was not one, not two, not three, not four but five Twilight Christmas trees. Obviously, a lot of fans around here.

Three Wizard of Oz trees:

Peanuts tree:

Dr. Suess is always a popular tree:

This Dr. Suess tree is titled, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go:”

This tree was gorgeous! Complete with bookish quotes, a fireplace underneath, and all kinds of wrapped books:

Goodnight, Moon:

The Jungle Book:

Lot’s of snowmen books under this snowman tree:

The name of this tree was A Critter’s Christmas and it had a lot of bug type books included:

Winnie the Pooh is another tree that we see every year:

The Secret Garden inspired Christmas tree:

A picture book Christmas tree complete with a paper mache Where the Wild Things Are. I didn’t get it in the photo but there was also a good sized bookcase full of books included.

These little elves were just too cute. And fun books too!

Christmas picture books included with this tree:

While this tree was not inspired by one particular book, it was just too adorable to pass up. Lots of princess books were under the tree.

I loved Raggedy Ann and Andy when I was little:

The books that were with this little tiny tree were almost as big as the tree which was titled, A Christmas Story:

Only one Nightmare Before Christmas tree this year. My little boy said this theme was what he would be watching for.

A Jane Austen Christmas:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:

This little tree was set up on a gorgeous Lord of the Rings chess set:

And while these last few may not particularly be literary inspired, they get honorable mentions here because they were so creative. Although, Cookie Monster shows up in a lot of books though right?

And this surfing Santa was made with four leaning Christmas trees:

And yes, these are tires:

And two of my boys favorite trees that they couldn’t get enough of:

Did you have a favorite?! Tell me which one you loved the most. And if you didn’t get your fill, check out year’s past for more.

Today’s post is day 6 of the 2010 Virtual Advent Tour – where every day bloggers are sharing their thoughts about Christmas. Do follow everybody’s posts!

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The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

Natasha Maw — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:59:59 +0000

Despite the fact that I have at least 20 books that will be overlapped into 2010 reviews, it just doesn’t make sense to review a Christmas book in January, so I wanted to squeeze one last 2009 review in. I read The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck for my book club. I liked it, I didn’t like it.

Twelve year-old Eddie only wants a bike for Christmas. He makes sure that his widowed mother knows it whenever she’s in earshot. He’s been working hard all year and knows that he deserves this bike. But his mother breaks his heart when instead of his shiny new read bike on Christmas morning, he receives an ugly, hand-knitted sweater. He is devastated and hurts his mom deeply when he crumples the sweater and throws it in the corner.

That day when returning from a Christmas dinner at his grandparents house and not yet reconciling, his mother falls asleep at the wheel. While he is unhurt, she dies. Now living with his grandparents and mad at the world, he further distances himself from the grandfather that he always adored. His journey through grief, healing, forgiveness, faith and redemption is just beginning and it will take a literal and figurative storm to bring him back from his wayward path.

What I liked: the overall idea of the story. I liked what Beck was trying to do. I like Christmas stories. I liked the message. It was heartwarming. I liked the characters. I LOVED the grandfather.

What I didn’t like: That is was SO obvious that you knew what he was trying to do. It’s like he is trying WAY too hard to tug at your heart strings. Just when he can’t plunge the knife into your heart any deeper, he twists it. I liked it until the storm came and then it was no longer a story but rather a hit-you-over-the-head with this message disguised as a story. And I even LIKED the message!! There was nothing wrong with the philosophy. I knew that this would be a message book going into it. But I just felt that less subtle would have been better. And the ending! I did not like the ending at all. *SPOILER ALERT* The whole thing is a dream! He wakes up and his mom is alive!! He’s given a second chance at making the right choices and being happy with his sweater, instead of mad. It was a real cope out ending. Surely, there could have been a better way to end it.

So, I would recommend this one based solely on who you are (well . . . isn’t that the case with all books – but I know some of you would like it, others I wouldn’t recommend it at all) . Some will love it, others might hate it. With the exception of another book clubber, everybody really liked it. So it might be worth trying to see where you fall. And while I liked much of it, personally, I felt that it was a book that was trying too hard and it showed.

The Christmas Sweater book trailer:

Links of interest: Glenn Beck website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Publisher: Threshold Editions. November 11, 2008
Hardcover, 284 pages. ISBN 141659485X
The Christmas Sweater is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Who Was Born this Special Day? by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Leonid Gore

Natasha Maw — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:55:18 +0000

Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Leonid Gore is a beautiful, soft nativity story. Each manger animal is each asked in turn if they were born on this special night. Was it you little lamb? Was it you little goat? Was it you little calf? Was it you little donkey? Was it you mourning dove? Was it the cedar tee or perhaps a little stone? Each animal replies with the poetic story of their birth. The lamb says “I was born back in early May when the breezes of spring chased winter away.”

So who was born this special day?

Was it the child?
The child who lies in the manger bed, the shine of the star high overhead?

Clouds filled with angels shimmering bright,
singing of joy this dear, holy night.
Who was born this special day?

It was the child.

Both of my little boys really enjoyed responding with a no, each time the question is asked of each manger animal and then telling me that the baby is baby Jesus. The paintings are so soft. It gives a reverence to the book that is wholly appropriate. A great book for both children and adults to remind us that Christmas is not all gifts, glitter and Santa. But rather a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!!!

Links of interest:
Genre: Fiction picture book. Approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Atheneum. October 1, 2000.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0689823029
Who Was Born This Special Day? is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford, Illustrated by Tim Warnes

Natasha Maw — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:46:40 +0000

What a delightful book! My only qualm about I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford and illustrated by Tim Warnes is that one of the spreads was torn out in the library book that I borrowed thus missing out on another great illustration. This is one I would totally add to our home library.

Cute little Little Bear was really looking forward to seeing Santa. So much so, that he asks Big Bear and Mommy Bear many questions. How big is he? How will he get in? Does he visit bears all over the word? Will he have time to visit my house? Big Bear and Mommy Bear send Little Bear to sleep, but he doesn’t want to. And of course, when he hears a noise downstairs, he has to investigate. Someone is drinking and eating the cookies left for Santa! Is it Santa? No, it’s Big Bear!

And if that’s not enough, Mamma Bear has been caught getting into the stockings hung over the fireplace. All three decide that if they want to see Santa, then they better stay up all night with the flashlight and huddle near the Christmas tree. A surprise ending will leave a smile on all young readers faces.

The illustrations by Tim Warnes are really heartwarming and cozy. If you’ve got kids or know someone who does, add this one to your Christmas book collection. Adorable. I loved it.

Links of interest: David Bedford website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction picture book. Approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Tiger Tales. September 2006.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 1589250583
I’ve Seen Santa! is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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I Love Christmas by Anna Walker

Natasha Maw — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:15:02 +0000

I Love Christmas by Anna Walker is an adorable picture book for the younger crowd with simple text and the most wonderful illustrations. Ollie, our cute little main character loves Christmas and everything about it. The crinkly paper, tinsel, string, baking cakes with his Nanna, stars in the sky, Santa, and sitting in bed on Christmas Eve listening for Santa’s sleigh bells with his dog Fred.

A really nice touch that I really appreciated, was the spread with Ollie playing with a nativity with the line, “I love the cow and happy sheep, the star, the donkey, and the baby asleep.” For my family, who celebrates Christmas as the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, it was nice to see a picture book that combined both Santa and the birth of Christ as reasons to love Christmas.

Also, loved how the cardstock in this picture book was a bit sturdier. My boys are inbetween stages with board books and picture books and easily tear pages from books. This one just might hold up for us.

I’m thrilled to add this Christmas book to my collection. I love great Christmas books and this one fits the bill.

Links of interest: Anna Walker website. I Love Christmas by Anna Walker is a fiction picture book Cybil’s nominee for which I’m a panelist.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. October 6, 2009
Hardcover/Paperback # of pages. ISBN 1416983171
I Love Christmas by Anna Walker is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

Natasha Maw — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:33:25 +0000

What happens to the Christmas ornaments hung on the tree when the lights are turned out and everybody goes to bed? Well, from the movie Toy Story, we naturally know that all toys come alive when humans aren’t around and there are no exceptions to Christmas ornaments. In Secrets of a Christmas Box, Steven Hornby explores just what happens in that tree while we are all snug in bed dreaming of Christmas.

After a long sleep in the Christmas box, all the ornaments are excited to greet each other and are looking forward to another Christmas season. Larry, a snowman ornament, is worried. His brother Terrance is missing. Although everybody knows that not all ornaments make it back from year to year, Larry has to find out what happened to him. He begins to wonder if Terrance is simply still in the Christmas Box.

At the encouragement of Splint, a new ornament on the tree this year, Larry decides to set off in search of the box. Larry’s girlfriend, Debbie, refuses to stay behind and isn’t so sure if Splint is a friend or foe. The task isn’t easy. The tree is protected by the Tree Lord at the top of the tree and his faithful lights. It’s against the rules to leave the protective boundaries of the trees branches and nobody has left before. The journey is dangerous and full of obstacles. It’s an adventure that will have readers wondering exactly what will happen in the end and discovering that not all people are what they really seem.

Children will enjoy the environment that Hornby has created in the magic of Christmas as well as the adventure of the ornaments. I was surprised to find that there are some violent moments in what I had anticipated to be a rather sickingly sweet read. There are some scary scenes (one involving a shattered – ie: dead – ornament, and a few fight scenes) that might be too much for little ones, so stick to the ages 9-12 recommendation.

I wish I knew exactly what the time period was that the book was set in. I kept feeling like it was the ’50’s. The family in the story is a little too perfect for my tastes with rather unrealistic dialogue. If I were to say what I found most unpleasant about the book, it would be the dialogue. It also felt a bit too long for me. With some tighter editing, I would have liked to see it a good 50 pages shorter.

Definitely the most pleasant were the adorable line drawing illustrations from Hornby himself. Hornby has a background in visual effects and animated movies and I would love to see him adapt his story into a short animated film. The story is certainly full of intrigue, mystery as well as a few life lessons for us all.

Links of interest: Secrets of a Christmas Box website, Steven Hornby on Twitter, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12. Holiday/Christmas/Fantasy
Publisher: Ecky Thump Books. September 1, 2009
Hardcover, 248 pages. ISBN 0981588301
Secrets of a Christmas Box is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Natasha Maw — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:21:05 +0000

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Grandma Dowdel, you have another chance in A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck, a companion novel to the NewberyAward winning A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago. And well, if you don’t know who Grandma Dowdel is then you are simply missing out on one of the most memorable characters in all of young literature. It’s been a while since we’ve seen her but she makes a comeback when a new family moves in next door.

It’s now 1958 and the family belongs to a preacher, his wife, and three children, one of whom is ten-year old Bob, who narrates the story. While his older sister is obsessed with Elvis Presley and hanging out with the wrong crowd, his little sister has become obsessed with Grandma Dowdel and spends every waking moment next door, Bob is just trying to stay under the radar from the town bullies and trying to figure out exactly who is the strange woman next door.

A Season of Gifts was a worthwhile sequel and I enjoyed every minute spent with Grandma Dowdel. With the story spanning between summer, Halloween and culminating with a wonderful Christmas there are plenty of crazy antics. I loved how Grandma Dowdel acts like the one who can’t stand everybody and she’s not a church going person but she’s the one who always does the most good. I also loved how she doesn’t do “neighboring” or Christmas but yet she was the one with the biggest tree and the best gifts. She’s awesome when she always has the upper hand on the prowling teenagers. Ruth Ann, the little sister was hilarious as she began to talk and look like Dowdel. And I enjoyed how the parents weren’t quite sure about their odd neighbor but yet end up in cahoots with her.

If you haven’t read this three book series, I suggest that now would be a good time to do it.

Links of interest: More book blogger reviews, Maw Books reviews of A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago, and On the Wings of Heroes.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Dial. September 17, 2009.
Hardcover, 176 pages. ISBN 0803730829
A Season of Gifts is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Literary Themed Christmas Trees

Natasha Maw — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:48:15 +0000

It’s not really Christmas season until we go to the Festival of Trees, an annual event where individuals, groups, and organizations decorate and donate Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, quilts, gingerbread houses and gift items. Everything is auctioned off and every single penny (I literally mean every single penny – everything is done on a volunteer basis) goes to the Primary Children’s Medical Center. It is their largest fundraiser and raises millions of dollars. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people attend the festival each year and there are hundred of trees.

My family adores this event. For us, it really kicks off the Christmas season. We have decorated and donated two trees (I also blogged about them last year - check them out) in the past and this year while I didn’t help decorate I did help provide supplies for the tree below. It was decorated by group of 8-11 year-old girls and they have so much fun doing it. It turned out so cute! I’m trying to convince my family to do a tree next year. We buy everything on the after Christmas sales and then store it for a year. I think that tree below cost me $10!

This was the first year we checked out the craft section. My little guy loved it (I had to squeeze in a photo of one of the boys)!

While checking out all of the awesome displays, I took pictures of all of the literary themed Christmas trees and gingerbread houses. This is Dr. Seuss The Grinch Stole Christmas:

Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs:

While I don’t know if the movie UP! was based on a book or not, I had to share this house with you. My awesome neighbor made it and it auctioned for $800!! What a great way to give for the holidays.

Humpty Dumpty:

The Grinch (we’ll be seeing a lot of him):

This tree had a large display of books underneath it. Each tree is auctioned off with everything underneath it and the entire display. Sometimes this includes huge ticket items like televisions, furniture, fireplaces, electronics, etc. These will sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

This one used books on the tree!

A Grinch tree:

The sign on this one says, “It always rains in Forks” and is decorated with forks. I can only imagine that this is inspired from the Twilight books. Weird! Last year there was an awesome Twilight tree.

Another Grinch tree:

An upside down Nightmare Before Christmas tree:

Polar Express tree:

A Goodnight Moon tree:

Lots of frog books with this one:

Winnie the Pooh:

The sign says Enlighten the Children and has several picture books on it:

Tree with the book Sadako:

Wizardof Oz tree:

Another Wizard of Oz tree:

An Eric Carle tree. Check out that quilt!

This tree was titled Fairy Tales:

Fancy Nancy tree:

Lots of books under this tree!

Another Grinch tree:

A Shrek palm tree:

If that wasn’t enough for you check out last years post with more literary themed Christmas trees! Which tree was your favorite? If you decorated a literary themed Christmas tree, how would you decorate it?

Today’s post is day 10 of the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour – where every day bloggers are sharing their thoughts about Christmas. Check out the listing of the entire month as well as those also posting today: Becky at One Literature Nut, Vanessa at Reading in Bed and Lexie at Poisoned Rationality.

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The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by David Small

Natasha Maw — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:15:08 +0000

Wait! It’s not Christmas! What am I doing reviewing a Christmas book in February?! Well, today is Bonny Becker day! Well, I made that up. But today, on my blog, it’s Bonny Becker day! If you are familiar with children’s authors and their books then, I’m pretty positive that you’re familiar with Bonny Becker. If you’re not, then by the end of the next two days you will be!

So on to The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker which is illustrated by David Small. What a fun Christmas book! On Christmas Eve, Alice Jayne finds a crocodile underneath the tree with a red bow around his neck. It wasn’t there for long. Because he ate it. And then he ate some of the presents, a shoe, and the Christmas roast. While he wrecked havoc on Christmas, everybody had differing opinions on what should be done with him. Uncle Theodore wanted to send him to Africa, Aunt Figgy wanted to send him to an orphanage, and her father to the zoo but all that Alice Jayne wanted was to give him a home.

They all decided to sleep on it before making a decision, but the crocodile escaped from the basement and decided to take a little nibble of Aunt Figgy’s toes. Alice Jayne understood that he didn’t mean to be bad. Not really. It’s not his fault that he eats up all of Christmas. What are they going to do with him?

I just might have to add this picture book to my Christmas book collection. The text is really fun, the illustrations by David Small are even funner. For a picture book, the text is on the longer side side but I can’t imagine it even shorter. There is something new to discover on every page. I love how the book ends. It will have kids giggling with imagination.

Bonny Becker website and David Small website. Bonny is also the author of My Brother, The Robot (my book review), Holbrook: A Lizard’s Tale (my book review), Just a Minute, An Ant’s Day Off (my book review). and her newest A Visitor for Bear (my book review). It’s my pleasure today to review Bonny’s books as well as host Bonny in a wonderful interview tomorrow.

Have you had any Christmas disasters that you can contribute to a pet? Let’s hear them?!

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Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell

Natasha Maw — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:08:58 +0000

I really wish somebody would have sat me down at the beginning of the year and said, “Look Natasha. There’s this book that I really think that you’ll like a lot. I know you keep seeing the reviews for it but yet you haven’t really paid attention. Seriously, go read Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell. You won’t regret it. It’s awesome.” I have to admit, I was ignoring this book for so long and now I really, really wish I hadn’t. I haven’t related in personal terms to a book like I did to Shooting the Moon for such a long time. I read a library copy of this book and I’m going to be sad when I have to return it. This is a book that has to go into my permanent collection. It’s just a short 163 pages, but it’s packed with story.

Jamie Dexter knows all about the army. After all, she is 12 3/4, not to be confused for 12. Jamie’s father, the Colonel, is the chief of staff at their home, the army base at Ford Hood, Texas. TJ, Jamie’s older brother plans on joining the army as soon as he’s out of high school and go to Vietnam. Jamie can’t think of anything finer than to be a soldier and would the do the same thing if she could. So when TJ actually does join the army, she becomes very confused when their father is upset and tries to talk him into going to college instead. Isn’t joining the army that very best thing that he could do? Why is her father so upset?

She’s thrilled though and can’t wait to get TJ’s exciting letters from the warfront. Instead his first letter isn’t a letter at all. It’s just a roll of undeveloped film that he asks her to develop. Doesn’t he know that she doesn’t know how to process film? Jamie volunteers at the rec center on the base and plays countless games of gin rummy with Private Hollister. He mentions that there’s the darkroom and introduces her to another soldier who can teach her how to develop the black and white film. At first, when she sees the images, she doesn’t understand why he chooses to shoot what he does. But slowly, the reality of the war sinks in. She realizes that he could actually get hurt and die. War is no longer what she thought it was.

Now her friend Private Hollister is in danger of being shipped overseas and she doesn’t want him to go. She tries to convince her father not to sign his orders.

That night I spread out TJ’s Vietnam photographs on my bed. The soldier in the wheelchair, the bandaged stump of what had been his right leg pointing straight at the camera. A terrified child, naked to the waist, hands to his ears, running down the road, a helicopter hovering in the distance. The soldier ont he stretcher, the wound soaking his bandages chest. A hollow-eyed GI staring at the camera, the skin burned and scarred across his cheeks and forehead.

I left them all on the Colonel’s desk, fanned out like a hand of cards, where he would find them in the morning when he sat down to drink his coffee.

Shooting the Moon was a multi-sensory experience for me. It brought so much of my own personal life into the story that I couldn’t help but relate to it on so many different levels. My own brother is in the National Guard and has been ever since college. He’s traveled to well over 25 countries including Iraq twice. I know what it’s like to have a brother in harms way and pray each night that he will arrive home safely. I’ve seen how hard it is on his wife and four children. I know what it’s like to have him gone for Christmas and Thanksgiving And then to eagerly await in the crowd as his plane touches down. What’s even more peculiar is that my brother is also a photographer. He brings home countless number of photos from his travels. A lot of sightseeing and a lot of his bleak surroundings. His wall at home is covered with amazing framed photographs of the world.

As if that’s not enough, I really related to the photography part of Shooting the Moon. Having my degree in photography and having spent a lot of time in a darkroom myself, I could smell the chemicals that Jamie used while developing her film. As she was in the dark taking the film off of the roll and onto the reel, I could feel with my hands the same sensation of trying to do the same thing completely blind. The frustration of having to start over when it messes up. I felt as thought I was in front of the enlarger in the dark, focusing my image, inserting the paper, and waiting and watching as I saw the image come forth in the trays of chemicals. I loved being back in there with Jamie and I now realize just how long it’s been since I’ve been in the darkroom. Man, I want to do it again right now.

Jamie’s father loves to garden. Besides photography and reading, my third love is gardening. During the spring, summer, and fall you will find me outside every day tending to my flower garden and vegetable garden. A couple of years ago, I even received my Master Gardener’s certificate, one of the the most enjoyable things I have ever done. There is something about being out there with the sun on your shoulder and the dirt under your hands that is amazing. It’s soothing. It’s satisfying to see the beauty that you have helped to bring out in the world around you. I could completely understand why the Colonel would come home from a long day of being a soldier and work out in his garden. It was his way to do something for himself, a stress reliever and a way to bring some beauty into a world of chaos and war. I loved seeing him work out in the garden.

I loved Shooting the Moon. Highly recommended. Don’t miss it. Seriously.

Links of interest: Frances O’Roark Dowell’s website.
Genre: Juvenile Historical Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Atheneum. January 29, 2008.
Hardcover, 176 pages. ISBN 1416926909
Shooting the Moon is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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