Bonjour

Are you sick of book reviews? TOO BAD! Ha!

We've got another SUPER cute library book at home that I don't want to forget about. Dain actually picked it out on a day he took D to the library and he's not letting me live this one down.

Everybody Bonjours - by Leslie Kimmelmana


This book is based on my husband's favorite city in the world, and one of my top favorite destinations of all time - PARIS!
The book is perfect for a cutie little one - who might be interested in French or whose parents are forcing it on him (HA) - and yes we have bi-lingual English/French books in our home!
This book focuses on how everyone says "hello" in Paris - BONJOUR! It's adorably rhymed, "They bonjour while sweeping floors, doing chores...eating petit fours. Everybody Bonjours!"
Illustrated by a family of four clearly on vacation in the city of light, they visit the Mona Lisa, Eiffel Tower, the Metropolitan subway, etc. Everywhere people are bonjouring to eachother. The graphics are almost like a watercolor painting - though a bit more vivid. They are beautiful and perfectly capture that Parisian spirit, while keeping the cartoonish flair that keeps a child glued to the page. In addition, the author and illustrator added a mouse "hidden" on each page that the little reader can try to locate. D LOVES finding the mouse!
The cute story gives Paris the benefit of the doubt - when a lot of people think that the French people as a rule are not the friendliest culture to tourists. I did not experience that at all, and I was happy to see a book that totally blew up that theory. The family bonjours all over Paris - but at the end, when they get back home "everybody HELLO's"!

Love this book. It's a quick, cute, perfectly Parisian story. And it makes me dream even more about taking our family to Paris someday. I would love to take D to that beautiful place, and let him BONJOUR all over the place! Someday my friends, someday.

Christmas Done

Well it only took me to the 10th of January (in 2012 who can believe it?!?) to share my holidays with you - but here it is.

We were so excited that D was so excited about the holidays this year. He had figured out that he was going to get presents so he was UBER excited about Santa and the idea of Christmas. He loved decorating the tree. He loved singing the songs - his favorite seemed to be "Deck The Halls" for some reason (mostly because of the "fa la la la las"), though a close second was of course "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells..." (but to be fair that's an annual favorite).

If you asked D what he wanted from Santa early on he would say "a present". We asked what kind and he said "a red stripe, and a black stripe, and a blue stripe, and a green stripe" - we figured out he was trying to describe the wrapping paper. Once we asked what he wanted inside - he wanted a trooper (from Star Wars) and a "car wash" (the game "Rush Hour" which he saw at my babysitter's house - it's too old for him, but oh well).

Here's some shots of his Christmas morning...complete with the gifts under the tree first - and his stocking (guess what that gift is?)...






It was a great Christmas - of course filled with family and fun.
And of course - today D told me something he "wants for Christmas"...it may be a long year...

12 Books of Christmas - day 12!!

The Final Day!
And what else could it be?!?! However this is a special one!

The Night Before Christmas - by Clement C. Moore


Of course this is my final entry in this series! It's a classic. You know this story. You love it. You've probably seen it illustrated 100 different ways, and they're never bad. I've seen a million versions and love them all!

This one is special though - as our version of this book is the one you see pictured - and is read by Grandma Susie :) This was a gift last year - and D will sit and "read" it over and over. It's perfect. I love it - and I know he'll love it for years and years to come.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS to ALL!!
And to all a good night.

12 Books of Christmas - day 11

To be honest - this is one I don't remember very well...

Noel - by Romeo Muller


This book seems to have printed in 1993. I have vague recollections of it from my babysitting days. I remember I bought a coloring book of this story for my babysitting bag and it was my favorite to bust out for the kids.

This is the story of a loving Christmas ornament that comes to life. I know that Noel is filled with the spirit of the season and loves Christmas, even though some of his other ornament friends do not.

Noel has a special power of happiness to bring it to the families he's with, to which he graces their tree. I know that Noel befriends many families in this story and somehow ends up broken. MAN I need to locate this one again.

I love this book and added it because it brought back a memory for me. I hadn't even thought of this book and found it in a random search. I also LOVE the concept and the illustrations of the beloved little ornament with the power of Christmas. The illustrations are amazing, and the story must have been at least somewhat intriguing to the masses because it was made into an animated movie - with a voiceover by Charleton Heston!!

So I'm wanting to remember this - if nothing else. This is my selfish post - as a reminder to find this book and read it to my little bookworm. And it's a reminder to keep the spirit of Christmas in your heart even amongst others who may not be as cheerful as they should be. That's an excellent message for 2 days away from Christmas if nothing else.

Ahhh - I love nostalgia.

12 Books of Christmas - day 10

Whew - made it to day 10!

Day 10 I'm going with a D favorite - reminiscent of the day of the Bear books that we know and love...D loves another "little critter" just as much...

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad - by Mercer Mayer


We've come to embrace Little Critter in our house. I remembered those books from when I was little, and introduced a few to D who immediately took to the little guy. Since then it's become a tradition - we get a different (or repeat) Little Critter book at the library every week.

This week we OF COURSE hit the holiday section and hit the jackpot with the a Little Critter book. I didn't remember this one - but Dain thought that he had this book as a kid - which is great!

Mercer Mayer is a great author. The little critter books are always endearing, and the focus is the little guy who is always trying to do the right thing and explaining away the things he can't do correctly. This book is no exception to the cuteness of the other stories. Little Critter wants to help mom and dad by baking cookies (but tasting too many), trying to go to sleep right away Christmas Eve (he was too excited - - D thinks he's scared!), and trying not to wake his parents up too early Christmas morning (he brought his new toys up to their room at 6 am).

This story is a heartwarming way of showing that kids aren't always trying to be difficult - they have the best intentions at heart. Little Critter loves his parents and wanted to have a Merry Christmas. That's always a great message!

12 Books of Christmas - day 9

Here's day 9. Maybe it's because I've been dreaming of vacation lately...

Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation - by Linas Alsenas


This cute book grabbed my attention at the library the way most do...the cover. Shame on me for judging books by their covers, eh? But that's how I've found so many good ones out there!!

Anyway - Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation is a cute story from beginning to end - and the illustrations that make the cover so eye-catching are even more appealing on the pages inside.

This book starts at the North Pole - with Mrs. Claus expressing frustration that Santa gets to see the world every year and she has never really been out and about. So she kisses her husband goodbye and hitches up a reindeer and hits the road to see the world.

She travels around the world - sitting on beaches, eating sushi in Japan, dancing with locals somewhere in England, visiting beautiful temples somewhere in India. Santa sits home convinced she's not going to last in the sun at the beach (she's fine there), that she's not making any friends (she does), and that she's missing the food/cookies at their North Pole home (which she sorta does in a cute/funny sushi picture).
Mrs. Claus seems to be having a fabulous time - but starts to wish she was sharing the experiences with her husband - so she heads home - of course in time for Christmas Eve.
SPOILER ALERT! Santa hitches up the sleigh to make the rounds for Christmas - and asks her to go with him. He says he'd like to take her on one more trip around the world and couldn't imagine wanting to share it with anyone else.

This book is great. It is not too short/not too long - and the pictures keep it interesting the whole way through. Who doesn't want to see Santa in his loungewear at home waiting for his wife on his off days? :) The images of Mrs. Santa on her trip are well done and make you want to be in all those scenarios.

As I mentioned - perhaps I just need a vacation and that's why I pulled this off the shelf. However D likes this book too. He likes to see Mrs. Claus. To be honest it's nice to see her as the focus of a story! And it's got a great moral...that you can go anywhere and do anything - but it's the company you keep that makes wherever you go the most special.

12 Books of Christmas - day 8

Ick. This day had to come.
Yep - the 8th book of Christmas is not one that's a favorite of mine. Definitely not a favorite of Dain's. But D loves it so here we go...

What Dogs Want for Christmas - by Kandy Radzinski


OKAY it's a cute idea. And OKAY the dogs are illustrated beautifully. So maybe it's a good one :)

This book was a gift - I believe from Grandma Denise again. And D loves it. He loved it last year too. I know he loves dogs - and there's a cute rhyming pattern to what the dogs are asking Santa for. There's a Golden Retriever who wants cookies, a Bassett that wants a hat to hold his ears up, a Chihuahua who wants a sweater to stay warm, etc.
D mostly loves the dogs' names. Baxter, Goldie (the Golden Retriever cleverly enough), Rufus, Daisy, Miss Maddie, etc. They are as I had said, beautifully drawn and come off as cute and cuddly and warm. They are no doubt irresistible to a 2 or 3 or 4 year old kid. It's a cute, quick, feel-good holiday story that makes you see that everyone has a heart's desire or perfect gift that would make their holiday perfect for them.
The last dog just wants a warm home, lap to lay on, and family to call their own. It's that what we all want after all?