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!

Absolutely Aggie

 Use what talents you possess;

the woods would be very silent

if no birds sang there

except those that sang best.

 

~Henry Van Dyke

When reading picture books, some are pure fun, some are touching, and some are educational. And they all have an important role in boosting an early love of reading. Add in a positive and affirming message of self-worth, and the picture book takes on another level of meaning.

Dust Fairy Tales: Absolutely Aggie (2015) is the second book from author-illustrator team Michelle Eastman and Kevin Richter. It tells the story of Aggie -- a loud, brassy, disheveled dust fairy who loves to play the bagpipes. But she doesn't fit in with the other fairies. They are graceful; she is not. Their wings shine; hers -- well, perhaps they manage to hide her slouching socks. No matter how Aggie tries, she just can't change, and it is defeating.

She takes to hiding away at night, sad and alone. But, she still plays her bagpipes -- she loves her music, even if it isn't perfect.

One night, her music catches the ear of another fairy (and his companion snail -- so cute!), who invites her to join his band. They love her. And even though they don't hit every note, Aggie absolutely gets to be herself. It's a perfect fit.

This book has such an important message to share with children. Aggie wasn't happy when she was trying to be anything other than herself -- and I want my kids to know that their true happiness and meaning will come when they are being who they are meant to be. People will come into our lives who complement our true selves, and that is true friendship.

In addition to this big message of self-worth, Eastman has created a mythical fairy world that is enchanting. She urges young listeners to pay attention at night to see if they can hear Aggie and her band, which adds to the magical ambience of the book. Her rhyming, lyrical meter paired with Richter's vibrant and detailed illustrations create a world that children will want to visit again and again.

I hope you will read this one with your kiddos soon!

For more on Michelle and Kevin, click the links below:

Michelle's website

Kevin's website

Picture Book Pass It On

All the Wonders (Let's Get Busy) podcast interview with Michelle

Happy Friday!

~Jen

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

Sentimental Dr. Seuss

Happy World Book Day! And happy birthday (yesterday) to Dr. Seuss! I'm sure you can ask most anyone what their favorite Dr. Seuss book is, and they will have an answer. Or a memory of a book from their childhood. Or just an overall feeling from how his work made (makes?) them feel.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is a sentimental one for me.

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet (Random House, 1965) was penned under the name Theo LeSieg and was illustrated by B. Tobey, rather than Geisel, himself. In it, a boy wishes for duck feet because of all the fun and special things he could do with them that nobody else could. But then he realizes the problems that could arise from having duck feet, and wishes for other things instead: a whale spout, a long, long tail, horns on top of his head... But they all have their problems, too. In the end, he realizes that being himself is really best of all.

This book isn't just special to me because of its cute story, the rhyme, or the pictures. It's because it is one of the few books I vividly remember my dad reading to me as a kid. When I hear the words and see the pictures today -- even when I pass this book displayed on a stand in a bookstore -- it takes me back. I can see the illustrations and remember how I felt seeing them as a child. I can hear the words, and it's my dad's voice reading them. It feels like I'm laying in bed in my green childhood bedroom, ready to drift off to sleep with nary a care in the world.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but it's true. I can't think of another book that takes me back to my own childhood like this one.

As I grew up and moved away to college, I didn't think much about this book. Then, one birthday, my dad gifted me with my own copy! I was so surprised that you could even still get this book, because I had never heard of anyone else reading it. Now, I see it all the time in bookstores and read it to my own children.

Is there a book in your life that takes you back like this?

~Jen

Writing in Rhyme

I've been reading a bit about writing in rhyme, and about how many publishers discourage authors from writing in verse. I can understand that -- I can only imagine how much BAD rhyming they come across in their slush pile.

But I just love a good picture book with a compelling plot told in successful verse. In particular, I'm thinking of Room on the Broom:

But how the witch wailed

and how the cat spat,

When the wind blew so wildly

it blew off the hat.

 

I just love Julia Donaldson's story of a kind-hearted witch (and Axel Scheffler's illustrations made this story even more endearing. And have you seen the film? Absolutely adorable.). I find Donaldson's use of verse to tell her sweet story inspiring.

Other wonderful rhyming picture books include Madeline, Jennifer's Rabbit, the Snowmen books (Snowmen at Night, Snowmen at Christmas, et al), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Big Red Barn, Little Blue Truck, any Dr. Seuss... And I still remember spending hours with Shel Silverstein books as a child, laughing at his silly stories in rhyme. When done well, rhyme can be so captivating for a child.

Author Lane Fredrickson, whose book Monster Trouble I discussed here, runs a website dedicated to helping writers improve their rhyme and meter: Rhyme Weaver. I'm reading through her lessons and attempting to improve my own work in rhyme. Check it out!

Also importantly, author Laura Backes points out in her article "Writing in Rhyme for Children" how it is imperative that the plot -- not the rhyme -- drives the story. The rhyme and meter are tools -- charming, engaging tools, when done well -- that ultimately tell a compelling story.

Are there other picture books in verse that you would add to this list? Is there anything you've learned while attempting your own work in rhyme?

~Jen