Advent & Christmas Reads:: 2012

Ahhh..
The lists of reads are popping up again.
The season is near.
The stores are always a clear sign of it (I'm so bog hum bug about that though)

But I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE the time of ADVENT!  The slow anticipation growing with each week, as we near and grow closer to that day!   It's just awesome.

We are also in a new house this year.  It's a bit 'undone', the house decor that is.  Not the house.  That's lovely!  And this house yells out "decorate me" and "grow memories here" and 'sit by the fire and READ!"

So we hope to.

We are starting with gathering our books from the boxes.  Looking at our older lists of titles.  Ordering others from the library (our new library has a great book store; where I already found some treasures).   This year I'm not going to wrap the books.  Instead I've group them to go by each week of Advent and Christmas.  So each Sunday of Advent the kids can look forward to a new stack in the basket.  They're kinda set up in groups that are similar to what may be going on in our home as we prepare.

2010 Books

2011 Books (newbies introduced)

2011 Books

~ Our 2012 lists ~

These first two books lead us all the way through Advent

The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean
Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide

First Week of Advent:
The Candle in the Window by Grace Johnson
The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriot Waiting for Noel by Mark Graham
Saint Nicholas by Ann Tompert
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas by Gloria Whelan
Mary, the Mother of Jesus by Tomie De Paola
Mary, Mother of Jesus by Mary Joslin & Alison Wisenfeld

Second Week of Advent:

The Lady of Guadalupe Tomie de Paola
The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Empress of the Americas by C. Lourdes Walsh
Our Lady of Guadalupe by Francisco Serrano (an awesome pop up book)
Lucia, Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde
Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki
The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans
The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hooks

Third Week of Advent:

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie de Paola
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia by Joanne Oppenheim
The Legend of the Poinsetta by Tomie de Paula
B is for Bethlehem by Isabel Wilner
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
A Possible Tree by Josephine Haskell Aldrige
The Christmas Path: A Legend of the Luminarias by Sue Wright

Fourth Sunday of Advent:

Here is Christmas by Donna Cooner
When it Snowed that Night by Norma Farber

First Week of Christmas

The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett
Mary, Did You Know? by Mark Lowry
Tonight You Are My Baby, by Jeannine Q. Norris
Father and Son: A Navity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean
There was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pamela Munoz Ryan
Room for One More: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell & Jason Cockcroft
All for the Newborn Baby by Phyllis Root

Second Week of Christmas

Young Mary of Nazareth by Marianna Mayer
The Shepherd's Christmas by Michelle Andrews
The Little Drummer Boy by Carolyn Quattrocki
The Very First Christmas by Paul L. Maier
Who was Born This Special Day by Eve Bunting
This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar
Silent Night by Joseph Mohr

Third Week of Christmas

The Little Match Girl by Han Christian Anderson
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett
The Story of the Three Wise Kings by Tomie de Paola
The Christmas Promise by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and David Christiana
Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers by Kate Andrew Clements
A Medieval Christmas
Angels & All Children: A Navity Story in Words, Music, & Art

(Sophia, already checking out the books)

We are also going to add a bit of Elizabeth Foss's ideas to the mix.  We are catering quite a few events here so, I don't want to add more than I can do.  But I do like the idea of learning how Christmas is celebrated through out the world.  Perhaps next year our group of friends can do something like this.  Asking each family to share a bit of their special celebrated traditions.

Happy Readings!