Christmas Books

I know I have been MIA.  I could tell you the long version but I won't.  Suffice it to say, I've had some really good reasons and I'm glad the holidays are behind us and normalcy is returning.

To celebrate, I'm posting!  Yay!  The first post will be about books because there is nothing I like more than discussing books.  More specifically, the books I gave my children for Christmas.  I would say the books my husband and I gave our children but that would be a lie--I pick out the Christmas books because I'm obsessive about that sort of thing.

First, the Russell Freedman collection.  Are any of you Russell Freedman nuts?  We are.  More specifically, my eight (almost nine) year old son is a Freedman nut.  My son, Cowen, really likes nonfiction.  His favorites are anything that involves cowboys, Indians, or George Washington.  I gave him four new Freedman books for Christmas.  Below are pictures of some of the Freedman books we own.

I've posted about Out of Darkness before.  It is one of our favorites.

Immigrant Kids is another favorite around here.  We all like the photographs.

I bought the Marco Polo book for school this year as we're talking about the Middle Ages.  It felt appropriate and the book is gorgeous.

The Life and Death of Crazy Horse is the book Cowen has looked at most since Christmas.  I really recommend this author for high quality nonfiction.

Costco had a bunch of these American Girl Doll collections during Christmas.  The set came with all the Caroline books plus a mini-doll and little board game.  While I am neither for or against American Girl Dolls, I am impressed with the quality of most of the books.  Some of the books are better than others and I haven't read the Caroline books, but Miriam did learn about a war she didn't know about before and she was THRILLED beyond words when she opened the present as Caroline is her favorite doll.  Success.

We LOVE the Josefina books at our house. So much so that I got both Josefina Javelina and A Very Hairy Christmas for Harriet for Christmas.  I don't read these books aloud, oh no.  I have my husband read these books aloud.  He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and he is a very dramatic actor so the Spanish words get special emphasis with a correct pronunciation.  The kids are in stitches throughout the readings.  Love these books!

My daughter, Emeline, is an enormous Poppleton fan.  In fact, two years ago she chose to be Poppleton for Halloween.  Poppleton is a pig whose best friend is a llama.  Enough said.  They are early reader books and are in that absolutely sparse category of enjoyable early reader.  We gave Emeline four Poppleton books (I'm not sure how many there are altogether--at least eight) curtesy of abebooks.com.  I didn't pay more than $3.00 for any of the hard-bound books.  Emeline's face looked like a Christmas light turned on inside her when she opened her package.  Success.

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems is hilarious.  I am not a huge fan of Willems' pigeon books (is that a character flaw?) but I love his Elephant and Piggie books and Knuffle Bunny, of course.  I originally purchased this book for Cowen, my eight year old, because I knew he would think it was hilarious.  He shares my sense of humor.  Then I started worrying that he might think it was a baby book so I gave it to Eli instead, so that Cowen would read it.  Moms are tricky like that.  I should have stuck to my original plan.  Eli likes it (Eli is five), but Cowen has it memorized and laughs hysterically every time he recites it.  Priceless.

Oskar got Rocking Horse Christmas because he has a rocking horse on his stocking and his first Christmas ornament is a rocking horse.  I didn't plan that.  I did plan the book matching the other two things.  As for the book, the children love it.  We saw it first at the library a few years ago and brought it home where the children pored over the illustrations by the hour.  The story is okay but the pictures are fabulous.  My kids were all super excited when they saw what Oskar had received.  I let him play at unwrapping the present then unwrapped it for him and then put it immediately out of his reach.  When you're older, baby boy, you'll be allowed to hold your book.  :)

Last, but not least, is the book I received for Christmas.  I might have hinted a little--if you call putting a Deseret Book coupon in my hubby's hand and telling him to drive to the store and buy Women and the Priesthood hinting.  I have not read it yet but I have read another essay that Sheri Dew wrote on the subject.  I am so excited to read it!  I have so many thoughts on this subject!  If anyone else is reading it soon, make sure you comment here with your impressions and thoughts.  I want to know what you think of the subject and what Sheri Dew has to say.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thank heavens we have a break before any other major holidays!