We're in the final stretch! Only 3 more days to go and it will be 2022 - can you believe it?! What are your hopes for the new year?...

31 Days of Holidays Read Alouds - Week 5

    


We're in the final stretch! Only 3 more days to go and it will be 2022 - can you believe it?! What are your hopes for the new year?

Note: You can download a calendar with all the books for the month at the bottom of this page. I looked for books that were awesome and also easily accessible - I'm pretty sure I found all but one as read alouds on YouTube and, all books are available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers, and I was able to find most of them at my public library.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases - at zero cost to you.



1. "Winter Candle" by Jeron Ashford and Stacey Shuett

This is a sweet story celebrating so many different winter holidays all celebrated in the same apartment building! It all starts with a borrowed candle for a Thanksgiving meal and ends with all the residents welcoming a new family to their building during a power outage and snowstorm. See how one candle makes its way through many families' celebration and brings everyone closer.




2. "Shanté Keys and the New Year's Peas" by Gail Piernas-Davenport and Marion Eldridge

Here's another story celebrating various cultures and traditions! Little Shanté goes up and down her neighborhood searching for black-eyed peas for their New Year's meal. Instead of just finding peas, she learns so much about her neighbors and invites them all to a New Year's feast!




3. "The Night Before New Year's" by Natasha Wing and Amy Wummer

We're ending our 31 days of holiday read alouds with a silly story about children who are trying to stay up until midnight to ring in the new year! Will they make it? And what kind of fun will they have along the way?



I hope you have all enjoyed reading along with us all month! If you missed any stories, you can find all of them below.

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds:

0 comments:

  I can't believe it's finally art show day! I'm so excited to share what these awesome kids and I have been working on for the ...

Virtual Art Show 2021 to Benefit Team Seas

 


I can't believe it's finally art show day! I'm so excited to share what these awesome kids and I have been working on for the past month! Keep scrolling to see all the amazing artwork the kids created as well as why they love the ocean and want to help protect it. 

You can find the video version of the art show here: Virtual Art Show for Team Seas

If you would like to donate to Team Seas, please visit www.teamseas.org and list Cardboard Mom as your team name.


Ani, age 4 - I love the ocean because I love all animals! And I like going to the beach. I like whales because sometimes you can see them when they come out of the water. We need to take care of the ocean so animals don't eat the trash or get tangled in it.


Squidgy, age 5: I like going to the beach and looking for shells and animals. My favorite ocean animals are sharks because they chomp their teeth! We have to take care of the ocean so animals don't get sick and die.


Alice, age 6: I love the ocean because it has jellyfish in it. I like jellyfish because some of them are pink and I love their tentacles. We have to protect the ocean because if we put junk in it the animals might think it's food and it will hurt the animals and they will get sick.


Emma, age 7: I love the ocean because there is so much wildlife in the oceans. I love all animals including ocean animals. I also love the sound of the ocean when I'm at the beach. My favorite ocean animals are dolphins because they are gentle and loving and they take care of their families. It's important to save the ocean because there are so many plants and animals in the ocean. They deserve a clean safe home. 


Isobel, age 8: I love the ocean because it's the blobfish's habitat! The blobfish is my favorite ocean animal because it has a cute nose and I like the books about Blobfish. We need to take care of the ocean so there is no more pollution.


Aries, age 9: I love the ocean because it has sharks! Sharks are my favorite because they have sharp teeth. We need to protect the ocean to take care of pollution for the health of the planet. 


Lil C, age 9: I love the ocean because it has a bunch of cool animals! I don't have a favorite, but I love dolphins, seahorses, fish, hawksbill sea turtles, and lemon sharks - they're cute because they're tiny! Dolphins are really smart and friendly and cute. And I like seahorses because they're also cute and I like their camouflage ability! We need to protect the ocean because without it we wouldn't have any seafood to eat and we also wouldn't have a lot of our oxygen!


Leionnah, age 9: I love the ocean because it is beautiful! The octopus is my favorite ocean animal. We need to protect the ocean to save life!


Logan, age 9: I love the ocean because of how big it is and how much of it we will hopefully get to explore. The great white shark is my favorite ocean animal because it is such a large, enormous shark! We have to take care of the ocean because we have to protect the sea life - trash can harm all the creatures of the ocean!


Scarlett, age 9: I love the ocean because it has seashells and sea creatures. My favorite ocean animal is a starfish because it is pretty, and I like the star shape. It is important for us to take care of and protect the ocean so the sea creatures don't get sick!


Lupin, age 10: I love the ocean because I love water and swimming. My favorite ocean animals are otters because they're adorable! We need to protect the ocean because it is a natural resource and we need to protect it forever.


Chloe, age 11: I love to swim in the ocean and I love dolphins, turtles, and other amazing animals. I love dolphins, narwhals, and sea turtles. I love dolphins because they are so beautiful. I love narwhals because they are the sea unicorns. I love sea turtles because they're so cute and I love them. We need to take care of the ocean so we can protect the beautiful animals who live in it!


Lily Rae, age 11: I love the ocean because I like water and marine animals. I like all ocean animals but especially coral. If we don't take care of the ocean, our planet can't thrive!


Marissa, age 18: I love the ocean because it is a beautiful home to many sea creatures and fun water sports like kayaking and sailing. My favorite ocean animals are seals. We need to take care of the ocean in order to protect sea life. 

0 comments:

    I'm sharing this one a day early because tomorrow is our first every virtual art show!! Come back tomorrow at 6pm EST to see the ama...

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds - Week 4

   


I'm sharing this one a day early because tomorrow is our first every virtual art show!! Come back tomorrow at 6pm EST to see the amazing art our little ocean protectors have created!

Note: You can download a calendar with all the books for the month at the bottom of this page. I looked for books that were awesome and also easily accessible - I'm pretty sure I found all but one as read alouds on YouTube and, all books are available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers, and I was able to find most of them at my public library.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases - at zero cost to you.



This is the last Jan Brett book on this list, promise! I can't help it! "The Wild Christmas Reindeer" tells the story of little Teeka who is trying to get the reindeer ready for Christmas. She tries being firm and bossy, but her yelling only gets the reindeer into a tangled mess! Will she find a better method before Christmas Eve? (This is a great reminder to all us parents out there who sometimes forget and think that being firm and bossy is the best way to raise our children...but those strategies don't usually tend to work so well in the end.)




2. "A Christmas Spider's Miracle" by Trinka Hakes Noble and Stephen Costanza

This story is based on a beautiful Ukrainian folktale that I grew up hearing - and why there is always a spiderweb ornament on our Christmas tree! A poor peasant mother wants to give her children a magical Christmas, but she has very little. She goes to the forest to get a small tree and doesn't realize there's a family living in it! The mother spider sees a kindred soul just trying to provide for and love her family and spends the night spinning beautiful web decorations for the tree. In the morning the tree sparkles and shines! 




3. "La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story" by Antonio Sacre and Angela Dominguez

This story is about a little girl who is accustomed to spending Christmas in snowy New England with her mom's family but is going down to hot Miami to spend Christmas with her Cuban father and his family. At first she's very disappointed that Christmas won't be like normal, but as she starts getting involved with preparations and celebrations, she learns that different does not have to be bad.




4. "Room for a Little One" by Martin Waddell and Jason Cockcroft

This is our favorite nativity story! This story is told from the animals' perspective who, unlike all the people living in Bethlehem, gladly make room for Mary and Joseph and welcome little Jesus into the world. For me, it's not only a sweet story about the birth of Jesus, but a nice reminder that all the amazing animals in this world deserve our care and respect.




5. "Together for Kwanzaa" by Juwanda G. Ford and Shelly Hehenberger

This is a great story to introduce you to the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa and the seven principles which are celebrated during the 7-days of festivities. 




6. "My First Kwanzaa" by Karen Katz

This is another cute story which introduces you to the holiday and traditions of Kwanzaa. This story is better suited for younger children as it explains things simply and clearly.




7. "Seven Spools of Thread" by Angela Shelf Medearis and Daniel Minter

This book waves the seven principles of Kwanzaa into a story that reads like an old African folktale. There are seven brothers whose fighting makes life miserable! When their father dies, his will states that they have until sundown to turn 7 spools of thread into gold or they will be denied their inheritance. Will the brothers figure out how to work together?



If you want to keep track of which books you've read and look ahead to the rest of the month, download our printable Holiday Read Aloud Calendar - December 2021. And if you're looking for some fun activities to do as a family this month, check out the Holiday Activity Calendar.

I hope you and your family have lots of cozy cuddly story time this holiday season!

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds:

0 comments:

   Winter will be here in a week and so will our Virtual Art Show to benefit Team Seas! I can't wait to share all the amazing artwork w...

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds - Week 3

  


Winter will be here in a week and so will our Virtual Art Show to benefit Team Seas! I can't wait to share all the amazing artwork with you all! But first, books for week 3!

Note: You can download a calendar with all the books for the month at the bottom of this page. I looked for books that were awesome and also easily accessible - I'm pretty sure I found all but one as read alouds on YouTube and, all books are available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers, and I was able to find most of them at my public library.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases - at zero cost to you.



1. "Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian

"Snowflake Bentley" tells the story of Wilson Bentley, a man who lived over 100 years ago and whose passion it was to observe and learn about snowflakes. He was the first person to ever photograph a single snow crystal! He was a pioneer in the field of photomicrography and photographed over 5000 snowflakes during his life - and never found two that looked the same!




2. "The Night of Las Posadas" by Tomie dePaola

Las Posadas are a Mexican celebration of the Christmas story taking place the evenings of December 16-24. The celebrations commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph and their search for an inn (the word posada means inn) and involves people reenacting the search and finally being admitted - there are also food and drinks and music and piñatas involved!




3. "The Tomten" by Astrid Lindgren

The tomte (singular of tomten) is a character in Scandanavian folklore. He is a little gnome-like creature who looks after the animals of a farm during the winter. He does his work at night and is unseen by people. "The Tomten" is a beautiful story introducing us all to this adorable little guy.




4. "Gingerbread Christmas" by Jan Brett

Jan Brett has so many wonderful holiday and wintery I just had to include a few on this list! In "Gingerbread Baby," we are introduced to Matti and the gingerbread baby he saves from getting eaten by hungry townsfolk and animals. In "Gingerbread Friends" Matti creates a special surprise for Gingerbread Baby, who is longing for some friends. And finally, in "Gingerbread Christmas," Matti brings all the gingerbread friends - who have now formed a band - to perform at the Christmas festival. But what will happen once all the children start smelling the delicious gingerbread and their tummies begin to rumble??



I told you! Jan Brett has so many cute books! This is a Scandanavian tale about a family whose house was plagued with trolls every Christmas Eve. They would find their way into the house and eat up their feast! But this year, a boy and his ice bear are traveling to Oslo and stop by the house, looking for a warm place to stop. What will happen when the trolls show up and find an ice bear waiting??




6. "Night Tree" by Eve Bunting and Ted Rand

We LOVE this story! Read along as a family takes a moonlit trip into the woods to find a tree to decorate with popcorn, fruits, and seeds for the wildlife. It has inspired us to make our own edible ornaments for trees in our yard for our backyard friends.




7. "A Coyote Solstice Tale" by Thomas King and Gary Clement

"A Coyote Solstice Tale" is a Native American story about trickster Coyote who is having his friends over for a solstice party and is surprised to find a girl knocking on his door! She leads the animals to where she came from - a mall! See what happens when this group of forest animals discovers experiences the overwhelming store full of people and noise and...stuff!



If you want to keep track of which books you've read and look ahead to the rest of the month, download our printable Holiday Read Aloud Calendar - December 2021. And if you're looking for some fun activities to do as a family this month, check out the Holiday Activity Calendar.

I hope you and your family have lots of cozy cuddly story time this holiday season!

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds:
31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds:

0 comments:

  Welcome to week 2 of our 31 days of holiday read alouds! If you missed the books for week 1, you can find them here ! Note: You can downlo...

31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds - Week 2

 


Welcome to week 2 of our 31 days of holiday read alouds! If you missed the books for week 1, you can find them here!

Note: You can download a calendar with all the books for the month at the bottom of this page. I looked for books that were awesome and also easily accessible - I'm pretty sure I found all but one as read alouds on YouTube and, all books are available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers, and I was able to find most of them at my public library.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases - at zero cost to you.




1. "The Wish Tree" by Kyo Maclear and Chris Turnham

This book is just too cute! It tells the story of Charles, who is searching for a wish tree - which his brother and sister don't think exists. He brings along his trusty friend Boggan (which is really his sled). I absolutely love when Boggan adds to Charles's conversation with a little "wisssssh" here and there. Charles and Boggan meet many woodland friends along the way and it's simply a sweet and magical story.



The Underground Toy Society helps toys find new homes. When they discover a holiday toy donation bin in a toy store, they think they have the perfect solution! But the bin says new toys only! Will the Society figure out a way to help the forgotten toys find new homes for Christmas?

The Kindle version is free to purchase right now so make sure to grab a copy!


3. "Too Many Tamales" by Gary Soto and Ed Martinez

This is a silly story that will make kids giggle as Maria tries on her mom's ring while making tamales for Christmas Eve and then discovers the ring missing! Could it be in one of the tamales?? How will she ever find it? Read along and find out how Maria and her cousins search for the missing ring.




"Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter" is a simple and sweet story about the changes in nature that occur at the change of the seasons.




5. "Sun Bread" by Elisa Kleven

This is one of my favorite books for the winter solstice. In response to the dreary winter grayness, the town baker makes a sun bread. The hot, delicious bread brings all the townspeople out of their homes and even brings the sun out, brightening everyone's winter! The book includes a recipe for sun bread.




6. "Lucia Morning in Sweden" by Ewa Rydaker and Carina Stahlberg

This book takes you through the traditions surrounding Saint Lucia Day in Sweden. Saint Lucia Day is celebrated in Scandanavian countries on December 13th - the old date of the winter solstice according to the Julian calendar. The festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season and brings light during the darkest time of the year.




7. "A World of Cookies for Santa" by M.E. Furman and Susan Gal

This book makes me so hungry! Follow along Santa's route and find out what kinds of treats await him in different countries! There are a lot of recipes included in the back of the book for you to try as well!





31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds:

0 comments:

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)