The Twelve Mice of Christmas

Happy Sunday and Happy Holidays!

I've been busily working and writing lately, because I wanted to have an entry to share for Susanna Hill's 6th Annual Holiday Writing Contest. The guidelines this year are to write a 300-word (or less) children's holiday story based on the structure or concept of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The story can be "poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate."

So...my attempt is below! (296 words) Thanks for stopping by and reading.

THE 12 MICE OF CHRISTMAS

by Jennifer Garthe

 

Within the snowy woodland,

12 mice were gently creeping.

Inside a cabin in the woods

Their friend Old Bear was sleeping.               

This time each year they loaded up

With gear for celebrating,

To bring the feel of Christmas

While their friend was hibernating.

The first mouse of Christmas

Placed a wreath with bow and berry

Upon the door to welcome guests

And make the house look merry.

The second mouse of Christmas

Set a stocking by the fire,

Followed by the third mouse

Bringing garland to admire.

While Bear snored on, the next four mice

Brought in the Christmas tree.

They placed it in a corner

Just where Bear would wake and see.

The eighth mouse of Christmas

Brought in strings of twinkle lights.

Soon the tree and garland glowed

With glints of frosted whites.

 

Mice 9 and 10 came in with

Shiny tinsel for the tree,

And ornaments of red and gold

That sparkled brilliantly.

The 11^th mouse of Christmas

Brought sweet cocoa to the house.

He’d serve warm mugs to Bear

And then to each and every mouse.

The 12^th mouse of Christmas

Brought their favorite treat of all:

His shiny wooden fiddle

To delight ears big and small.

The house was warm and ready.

The tree was glittery.

The mouse took up his fiddle

And began a melody.

The music stopped Bear’s snoring

And the mice knew he could hear it.

He slowly woke and saw

His house aglow with Christmas spirit!

 

They brought Old Bear his cocoa

And some slippers for his feet.

They listened to the music

In the room so snug and sweet.

 

“Thank you, friends,” he said

With mug in hand and raised to tell:

“Cheers to a happy Christmas

And to friends who love us well.”



Happy Holidays to you and yours -- and best wishes to those who submitted entries to the contest!

~Jen

UPDATE (12/19/2016): My entry won an honorable mention in the contest! While the story didn't qualify for the list of finalists, I'm happy to have gone through the process and to now have a manuscript that I can polish. Excited to stretch my writing muscles more in the coming months!

A Hungry Lion

There are so many wonderful books out there. Daily, I read about book birthdays or up-and-coming new releases, and I either immediately request them from my library or mentally file them away as "must reads."

But then sometimes life happens, and that mental file box malfunctions -- and I forget to get that desired book until months later. And that's what just happened with A Hungry Lion, or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals.

I cannot believe we haven't read this book sooner! But I'm so glad we have it now. Released in March of this year (Atheneum), and written by art director/illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins, A Hungry Lion, or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals is the story of a very hungry lion and a cast of additional animals. But wait -- the animals keep disappearing! What could be happening?! Well, readers (and little listeners) think they know -- but they don't know. This book has a twist -- and then another surprise -- and then another!

The surprising twists in the book serve to elicit different reactions from the reader. At once amused, you are then touched ("Awwww!"), and then you are horrified, and then you are laughing again! These twists make this book sooooo fun to read with kids.

Accompanying this fun story are Cummins' playful illustrations. That bold, hungry lion sits among an otherwise muted palette of characters who are smiling pleasantly. Each page turn brings a surprising detail -- missing animals, dancing bunnies, a mischievous grin on the lion's face.

Cummins' use of marker and gouache (just love those bold strokes in that lion's mane) -- paired with her unique narrative voice -- have created a book that is truly kid tested, mother approved. Add this one to our faves of 2016!

* * *

And you know my love for the All the Wonders resource of podcasts. Check out their episode with Lucy Ruth Cummins. I really enjoyed this one!

Happy reading,
~Jen

Hannah and Sugar

As I mentioned in my previous post, there was one book this summer that was on repeat like no other -- being read time and time again, and being discussed even when we were away from it. And that book was Hannah and Sugar by Kate Berube (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016).

Plot: When Hannah gets off the school bus each day, Sugar is there, waiting for Violet P. As gentle as Sugar is, Hannah is nervous around her, and always keeps her distance. But when Sugar goes missing, Hannah joins in the search. She thinks about how scary it would be to be lost and, in one unexpected moment, she musters up some very real courage to bring about a happy ending.

I think there are two main reasons why this book has become such a favorite in our household: its simplicity and its art. The story's concept is relatable and compelling -- many kids are nervous around dogs, and pets sometimes go missing. Berube's moderate and purposeful word choice for telling the story makes it easy for very young children to understand, but the older ones get wrapped up in the conflict, as well. And its subtle messages of understanding adults, community support, and an act of bravery make this simple story quite powerful.

Couple all that wonderfulness with beautiful art, and this book is the whole package. With ink and paint, Berube has created sweet, relatable, beautiful, moving illustrations that add to the story's drama. As an adult, I enjoy the details and sweet scenes as much as my kids.

Hannah and Sugar is that special type of book that appeals to a great range of ages, and I love hearing my toddler flip through the pages and mimick reading the book based on clues from the art. It is a book that lends itself to repeat reading, and I imagine it will have success for years to come.

If you haven't had a chance to read this one yet, I hope you will do so soon! Happy reading!

~Jen

One Special Book

I don't want to say too much about today's book because, well, it doesn't "say" anything at all! It is a wordless picture book that is both visually exhilarating and emotionally powerful:

 



The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche (Enchanted Lion Books, 2015) uses only illustrations to tell the story of two sisters. It opens with the sisters looking out of a window of a cabin in a snowy wood. One sister finds a rabbit in the snow, and an adventure ensues. Beyond that, I don't want to say too much about the plot, except to say that there is one page-turn in particular that is incredibly powerful.

How the artist is able to tell such a moving story without any words is fascinating, but Garoche nails it. As you can tell by the cover, the artwork is spectacular, and the pages are filled with dreamy scenes that seem to move beyond the page.

The dimensions of the illustrations give a 3-D appearance, and you feel like you are in the snowy scenes. Children can enjoy this book with a caregiver or on their own, and each page turn keeps the reader guessing at what is going on. It is certainly a unique reading experience.

I hope you enjoyed the brief glimpse into this story today. I encourage you to acquire this book and have your heart moved by this touching story!

~Jen

Pax

"You going back for your home or for your pet?"

 

"They're the same thing."

Well I just finished the emotional journey that is Pax, by Sara Pennypacker (Balzer & Bray). Now, I've cried while reading books before -- but this is the first book that had me sobbing during the first few pages. Read it with a box of tissues.

Peter has raised Pax, a red fox, since he was a kit. But now his dad has joined a military operation, and Peter must go live with his grandfather. Peter's dad says there is just no way that Pax can go, too, and the novel opens with the heart-wrenching scene of Peter having to leave his beloved pet -- who is fully tame and has only ever known humans as his family -- by the road. Cue big emotions. 

As each chapter shifts between the perspectives of Peter and Pax, you learn about the sadness and confusion for each of them leading up to and surrounding the abandonment. When Peter arrives at his grandfather's, it hits him that he should have fought harder for Pax, and he sets out on a long journey to find him. Set back by injury, he meets Vola -- a veteran who knows all-too-personally the costs of war -- and she helps him get back on his feet. Simultaneously, Pax is making new acquaintances, himself, and learning how to survive in the war-torn wild. He knows his boy will come back for him, and hope spurs them both on.

With touching, black-and-white illustrations by Jon Klassen sprinkled throughout, the novel does not shy away from exploring the devastating effects of war. And Pennypacker's unique shifts in perspective between the two main characters not only heighten interest in their journeys, but help to shed light on aspects of the other's life. Add to that her ability to approach the story with an understanding of the emotions of one who has dearly loved a pet as family -- as home -- and you have a densely emotional novel.

The film rights to this novel were acquired by Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. I will certainly see the movie, but, again, it's a heavy one. I would liken it to my reading of Where the Red Fern Grows many, many years ago -- a middle-grade novel that will stick with the reader through the ages.

Have you read this book? Let's discuss!

~Jen