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!

I Loathe You (and a podcast)

We all know the story of Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare from Guess How Much I Love You. Their story of one-upping the expanse of their love for each other is a classic. Well, have you ever considered how monsters express their love for one another? You haven't? Then run out and grab this book immediately:

I Loathe You, written and illustrated by David Slonim (Aladdin, 2012), tells the heart-warming story of Big Monster and Little Monster and the expanse of their loathing. With the typical pre-bedtime "I loathe you" uttered, Little Monster begins a series of questions about how much Big Monster loathes him. Big Monster has plenty of answers ready:

More than fuzzy mold on cheese,

more than fever or disease!

Picture lobsters pinching me...

I loathe you more -- now do you see?

 

Little Monster is reassured. But wait -- now he's worried that he might do something to diminish his father's loathing for him!

If I blurt out "THANKS," or "PLEASE"?

Or take a bath and kill my fleas?

If I should slip and just obey

then would your loathing go away?
 

Big Monster once again calms Little Monster's worries and assures him that his loathing will never go away.

What a hoot! I love a book with a twist, and this once certainly makes you feel warm and fuzzy about family loathing. :) Slonim's storytelling in rhyme is fun and well-paced, and he employs just the right amount of monsterly description to make you say "ew..." And his illustrations are equally important to the story: you feel for Little Monster with his snaggle-toothed lovey, and the colorful scenes have action and comedy and excellent framing.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

In other news, I have really been enjoying the treasure trove of ideas and wisdom that I've found in the newly-launched All the Wonders podcast (previously named the "Let's Get Busy" podcast).

I'm training for a trail run at the beginning of June, and, rather than listening to music while I run, I love listening to podcasts. It's killing two birds with one stone to be training AND absorbing information and inspiration. I know it won't all stick, but certain nuggets will. So thankful for this resource!

Happy Monday!

~Jen

Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast

I have been reading quite a few rhyming picture books for RhyPiBoMo, but my very favorite so far has got to be Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk; illustrated by Brendan Kearney (Sterling Children's Books, 2015).

I mean, the title alone is ridiculously irresistible!

Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast are hanging out in the back of the fridge when they are alerted by Miss Brie that the maple syrup is almost gone. There begins a frantic footrace past all of the refrigerator residents. There is some mocking -- and some gloating -- until finally, covered in goo, they realize that yet another breakfast royalty has beaten them to the bottle.

This could very well be considered a book on manners and/or sibling rivalry, for the foods realize that, had they not been bickering, they probably could have attained the syrup themselves. But the book is not at all preachy; it is delightful to read. Funk's descriptions of the various food zones in the fridge are creative and clever, and his use of rhyme is impeccable, employing multisyllabic rhyming words to tell a story that is not at all forced.

In perfect complement to the text are Kearney's playful and amusing illustrations. With colorful pages filled with smiling broccoli, skiing toast, and a triumphant Lady sailing on a loaf of French bread, the book holds much to engage a child.

I highly recommend reading this one with your kiddos soon!

One more note: Take a look around Josh Funk's website. Not only will you learn more about his other books set to be published, but you will also find a Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast activity pack and a tab of resources for writers. Lots of great gems to learn from there!

Happy reading!

~Jen

Come in!

Invitation

 

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
 

~from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

In honor of National Poetry Month and Rhyming Picture Book Month, I wanted to share a short but dynamic poem by the beloved Shel Silverstein. I remember laying on the floor for hours as a child with Where the Sidewalk Ends or The Light in the Attic -- books that my mom had brought home from her 2nd grade classroom -- and reading the poems over and over. I had many favorites, and they still have such value to this day.

Happy Sunday!

~Jen

RhyPiBoMo!

Well, it's April 1st, which means it is

Rhyming Picture Book Month!

 

#rhypibomo

And that ain't no joke.

I'm very excited to improve my craft while making new connections. I entered a little rhyming ditty to Vivian Kirkfield's "50 Precious Words Contest" last month, and I've got the beginnings of another poem and manuscript. I really enjoy writing in verse, and I'm excited for what I'll learn.

If you are a writer or lover of children's picture books, registration is still open through April 8. Just click the RhyPiBoMo badge to the right and it will take you to Angie's blog.

Rhyming picture books that I have blogged about thus far:

Jennifer's Rabbit

I Wish that I Had Duck Feet

Monster Trouble

Room on the Broom

Happy Friday!

~Jen

The Wild March Morning

All in the wild March-morning I heard the angels call,—
It was when the moon was setting, and the dark was over all;
The trees began to whisper, and the wind began to roll,
And in the wild March-morning I heard them call my soul.

~from The May Queen by Alfred Lord Tennyson

It's been another lovely Spring weekend here: warm and rainy with buds popping all over. We have enjoyed some down time and relaxation after such a busy season of life. Hoping to curl up with a book and blanket this rainy afternoon.

Happy Sunday!

~Jen

Unawakened Earth

Be through my lips to unawaken'd earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

~from Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley

We don't have any blooms yet, but the daffodils are starting to peek through the thawing ground. St. Louis weather is always unpredictable (which I like) -- we had a snow day on Wednesday, but this weekend has been warm and mild. Spring is close!

Happy Sunday!

~Jen

Night's Dream

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet muskroses and with eglantine.

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight."

 

~from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Abby is in a little production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at school. That she is reading and performing Shakespeare has me all kinds of excited! Casting has yet to happen, but she is hoping for Puck or Hermia. :)

Happy Sunday!

Jennifer's Rabbit

"Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,

Left the house and ran away one night,

Along with a turtle and a kangaroo,

And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo...

And Jennifer, too."

Jennifer's Rabbit is yet another family favorite and another that I was gifted from my sister. Written by Tom Paxton as a lullaby for his daughter, it was published in picture book format in 1988 by William Morrow & Co.

Jennifer dreams that she and a crew of animal companions have a nighttime adventure, visiting the "cookie crumb sands" and sailing with pirates on the "starlight sea." When the hour grows late, they decide to count all of the stars in the sky on their way back home.

This is a dreamy, whimsical story of a child's dream, and my kids -- even one-year-old Vivian -- have sat engaged by the beautiful words and illustrations. Paxton's use of rhyme and tempo is impressively done as the story reaches an exciting arc and then descends calmly and dreamily to urge the listening ear to bed.

My favorite edition of this book is the one pictured above, with illustrations by Donna Ayers. Ayers' full-page watercolor illustrations are the perfect companion for telling this enchanting story.

Enjoy!

~Jen

Babybug

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, my cousin Stacy gifted me a subscription to Babybug magazine. Have you heard of it?

Babybug is an award-winning magazine for babies and toddlers six months to three years old. Each issue is filled with stories, rhymes, photos and beautiful artwork that appeal to a very young child.



source

With words and pictures from a variety of authors and artists, the concepts are simple and relatable, and perfect for reading aloud by a parent or other caregiver.

Some of our favorite rhymes and knee-bouncers have come from the pages of Babybug, making story time an engaging and interactive experience.

I love our Babybugs. I saved all of Abby's and read them to William and now Vivian. Vivian now gets a subscription of her own, and we squeal when we open the mailbox and there is a new, happy, colorful issue waiting for us. A subscription for these books also makes a unique gift for a baby shower, birthday, or holiday.

Cricket Media, the publisher of Babybug, offers a variety of literary magazines for children of all ages. I encourage you to check them out!


 

I was not in any way paid for this blog post -- I just treasure these products and what they've meant to our family. I hope you will treasure them, too!

'Tis Christmastime

Good morning! Today, Vivian is sick, so we are holing up inside with lots of Christmas DVDs and schnuggling.

I'm excited to finally begin this blog that I have been dreaming of for a long time. To start, I wanted to share a lovely poem that I found today in a book of poetry that I was gifted from my late uncle. Perfect for this lovely season!

Christmas Everywhere

by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!
Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine,
Christmas in lands of the palm tree and vine,
Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white,
Christmas where cornfields stand sunny and bright.
Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,
Christmas where old men are patient and gray,
Christmas where peace, like a dove in his flight,
Broods o'er brave men in the thick of the fight;
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all;
No palace too great; no cottage too small.


Merry Christmas!

~Jen