It's Monday! What Are You Reading? December 17, 2012

This time of year is one of my favorites as far as reading picture books.  There is just something about Christmas/Winter books that make me want to snuggle in with my two little boys and read just a few more of them on these cold December nights.  The following are just a handful of the Christmas/Winter books that I've shared with my elementary students and/or my boys and they were big hits with them!

Living in Wisconsin, all my students know that winter is definitely NOT the warmest season here, but after I read the book, they had to admit that the little boy was right about how winter CAN be the warmest season.  The warm winter illustrations in this book really added to the text.  I loved how the little boy stated that his coat puffed up with feathers and warmth and how his hands get to wear warm sweaters over them in winter.  Images of hot cocoa and grilled cheese made this a book a true winter gem.

My elementary students are in LOVE with Charlie the Ranch Dog!  Charlie claims he's such a help on the ranch, but we all know the truth.  Charlie lives for two things: naps and bacon!  When a kitty arrives at the ranch for Christmas, Charlie isn't sure how this is all going to work out, but he's pretty sure it isn't going to be good.  After all, what are kittens good for?

Children love to help with Christmas things and Olivia the pig is no different.  She is always trying to help out be it by feeding her brother William, setting the table for Christmas Eve supper, or checking on Santa.  While not all of her helping plans work out as planned, it's the thought that counts.  Readers will smile at everything Olivia does and it may even remind them of ways they've tried to help out, too!

These are just a few of neat picture books that I've shared with my classes over the past couple of weeks.  I hope that you're able to share some of these with your classes or children before the holidays are over.  Happy Holiday Reading!