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Wombat Divine – Mem Fox

Wombat from down under is here to share a sweet Christmas tale with us. It’s a week before Christmas and Wombat is so excited. He loves the lights and the presents, he loves the Christmas caroling – but best of all is the Nativity play. Wombat has been waiting to be old enough to be in the play, and this year, he finally is. He rushes off to the auditions, anxious to take part. When he gets there, he sees all of his animal friends gathered together. Emu is making a list of the actors and their parts. When she … Continue reading →

A Short Summary of Life and Marriage

Ther is a legend that Ernest Hemingway, once wrote a whole story in six words. This sparked an idea where online magazine Smith decided to run a six-word memoir contest. Entries poured in by the thousands, some from established writers like Joyce Carol Oates, and others from writers who had never been published. It resulted in the Not Quite What I Was Planning Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure which I reviewed. As I read, some made me cry. Others made me laugh. Some left me confused. In an article by Mem Fox about writing a picture book, she … Continue reading →

The Christmas Bird – Bernadette Watts

“The Christmas Bird” is a fanciful tale of compassion and the true meaning of Christmas. One morning, Katya went to the innkeeper to deliver some eggs, and she noticed a man and a woman there who looked very tired. It was very cold outside, and the innkeeper told her that he didn’t have room for his travelers inside, so he had given them room in his barn. What an unfortunate way to spend the night. She mentioned the travelers to her mother, who shared her feelings. Later that night, Katya heard footsteps crunching in the snow by the door. Her … Continue reading →

Dumpy Saves Christmas – Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton

Recognize the name of the first author listed for this book? Sure enough, Julie Andrews, star of stage and film, is a children’s author. I confess, I didn’t know that until I picked up this book. Let’s take a peek at this amazing woman’s surprising talent. “Dumpy Saves Christmas” is the story of Dumpy, a dump truck. He lives on Merryhill Farm, where everyone is scrambling around to get ready for Christmas, which is the very next day. Pop-Up takes his grandson, Charlie, out to the shed so they can give Dumpy a can of anti-freeze to keep him going … Continue reading →

Jingle the Christmas Clown – Tomie dePaola

It’s Jingle’s job to ride in the circus wagon with the baby animals. He’s too young to perform with the older clowns, so until they decide he’s ready, he helps take care of the babies. He loves traveling with the circus and listening to the band as they move from town to town across the countryside. Frick, Frack, Smick and Smack, the little monkeys, were particularly frisky that day. Lolly, the baby elephant, was getting tired of traveling. They were almost to the small village where they always performed on Christmas Eve, and soon they would all be able to … Continue reading →

Noel for Jeanne-Marie – Francoise

It’s wintertime in Jeanne-Marie’s small French village, and a light snow is falling. Jean-Marie talks to Patapon, her small sheep, and tells her how excited she is about Christmas. But Patapon has never heard about Christmas. Jeanne-Marie tells Patapon that Christmas, or Noel, as she calls it, is the day that celebrates the birth of the baby Jesus. And, if you’ve been very good, and you place your wooden shoes by the fireplace, Father Noel will come and fill them with presents. Patapon becomes very excited, but then sad. She has four shoes, but she can’t take them off. If … Continue reading →

The Christmas Candle – Richard Paul Evans

Today’s Christmas picture book is “The Christmas Candle,” by Richard Paul Evans. A young man named Thomas made his way through the dark night, holding a lantern but that lantern’s candle was all used. He found the village candlemaker and approached the door, pushing aside an old beggar to get through the door. He looked around at all the pretty candles. Some were shaped like angels and fairies. He was glad to find this candle shop – the rest of the town seemed empty. But he didn’t understand why some of the candles were so fancy, and he told the … Continue reading →

Tumbleweed Christmas – Alane Ferguson

Not everyone has a Christmas made up of snow and evergreen trees! In “Tumbleweed Christmas,” a children’s picture book by Alane Ferguson, we see what Christmas is like out in the desert. Scotty and his mother are driving through the desert on their way to his grandmother’s house. She’s preparing a traditional Christmas dinner for them with all the trimmings, and he can’t wait to get through the boring desert and reach their destination. But all of a sudden, he hears a “ka-boom!” And then another and another. Smoke starts to pour from the engine, and his mother quickly pulls … Continue reading →

Week in Review — November 5th – 10th

We had a lot of fun here in Media Reviews this week! For those of you who weren’t able to join us, here are the highlights. Tristi wrote a review of Mary Higgins Clark’s novel “The Second Time Around,” the story of a financial reporter who is asked to investigate her brother-in-law’s suspicious death. “Thanksgiving in the Barn,” a cute holiday pop up book featuring animals who have done their best to prepare a delicious feast, was reviewed by Lauri. Then Tristi reviewed “An Acquaintance with Darkness,” a novel by Ann Rinaldi about the assassination of President Lincoln. She also … Continue reading →