Tag Archives: tradition

Morris’s Disappearing Bag

It is Christmas morning and at first everyone in Morris’s family is very happy. But while Morris’s three older siblings are all interested in swapping with each other for playtime with their new presents (a beauty kit, hockey outfit, and chemistry set), they don’t want to swap for playtime with Morris’s new bear. Morris is deeply disappointed. But what is that under the tree? And what is a disappearing bag anyway? The answer surprising, and the book is a total pleasure–perfect for any sibling, or anyone who’s ever felt in need of a bit of magic.

Every year, after Thanksgiving, I bring out the Christmas books. Every year, after New Year’s Day, I put them away again. I still read the books aloud to the boys in the order they pick, and each year this book (along with Shall I Knit You a Hat?, which I’ll be posting about soon; Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree; and The Christmas Wombat) is one of the first chosen. My oldest likes it so much that in 2017 he asked for (and received) a bear just like Morris’s as his Christmas present.

Author: Rosemary Wells
Illustrator: Rosemary Wells

Christmas Wombat

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Leaving cookies (chocolate chip!) and milk for Santa, plus carrots for his reindeer, is an old and happy tradition. Little did we know who else might be hitching a ride on the sleigh…

Suffice it to say that wombats still love carrots (and we still love wombats). So, this year, we will include some extra carrots on the plate.

Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley

The Night Before Kindergarten

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This cute book was a kindergarten orientation present. If you tweak the grade, it makes for a nice night-before-the-first-day-of-early-elementary-school tradition.

Author: Natasha Wing
Illustrator: Julie Durrell

 

Happy Birthday to You!

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I wish we could do what they do in Katroo.
They sure know how to say “Happy Birthday to You!”

In Katroo, every year, on the day you were born
They start the day right in the bright early morn
When the Birthday Honk-Honker hikes high up Mt. Zorn
And lets loose a big blast on the big Birthday Horn.
And the voice of the horn calls out loud as it plays:
“Wake Up! For today is your Day of all Days!”

The perfect book for a birthday tradition.

Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator: Dr. Seuss

 

The Golden Egg Book

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I have just (sniff) cleared most of the board books out of my youngest son’s room. A fair number of board book posts seem likely in the near future. But first, bunnies!

My mom would only take The Golden Egg Book out at Easter time. While I see her point (bunnies and eggs) and I do the same (tradition!), you really could leave this one out year round. It is a sweet story of curiosity and friendship. The boys especially enjoy it when the bunny tries to guess what could be inside the egg (a boy? another bunny? an elephant? a mouse?) and when the duck that finally emerges tries to wake the now tuckered out bunny.

Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Leonard Weisgard

The Night Before Christmas

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Countless artists have illustrated this poem, many of them beautifully.  This may not be the most elegant version, but it is the one I grew up with and keep coming back to.  Happily, the boys love it; we read it together just before they headed to bed tonight, knowing that cookies, carrots, celery, and milk are waiting on the hearth and Santa is on his way.

Happy Christmas to all,
and to all a good night.

Author:  Clement C. Moore
Illustrator:  Douglas Gorsline