Lets go to the Library!
Plus 5 children's books that chase that winter wonderland vibe
Hello friends! What happened to December? We jam-packed our holiday so full of cheer (i.e. cookie eating, cookie making, cookie decorating, cookie cooking, more cookie eating) that I didn’t manage to do anything else, including writing this newsletter. I missed y’all.
Once upon a neighborhood walk, I discovered bins of working Christmas lights for free, which allowed us to truly Griswold our house with holiday lights. I was pretty pleased with the hodgepodge results. If you have been here for a while, you know I lean into the chaos.
I went to the library by myself yesterday. My husband (a teacher) is home for Christmas Break and, I swear, if I were a giant ice cream cone the kids would still probably pass me up right now for Dad’s far superior Lego imagination play. I got to browse the shelves in total “that isn’t my child screaming and throwing a fit” bliss. Glorious.
Perusing the shelves reminded me of how many books there are in the world, and how I want to read them all. I love that about the library. I love that I can pick up any book off the shelf and bring it home without having to worry if I am going to love it because I will be returning it. I love how many surprising new favorites have entered my life from the hallowed shelves of the library.
If you haven’t signed up for your local library, make it a 2025 New Year’s resolution to visit your nearest branch and start taking advantage of all of the amazing free books and other resources your library will offer! Most libraries require your valid ID and a separate proof of address (like an electricity bill etc) and can sign you up in a matter of minutes. Then you have an entire room of books at your fingertips without even having to reside with a beast.
Your library also probably has some surprising programs available. I know our nearest libraries host yoga classes, offer master gardening advice, lead writers’ workshops, fiber arts gatherings, lego nights, and (of course) so many storytimes. What does your local library offer that you (or your kids) really love? My kids always hope it is going to be the monthly puppet show.
Because it is winter, I have been checking books out that feature cozy things: puffy coats, warm drinks, and adorable animals buried in the snow. While the rest of you are enjoying these things IRL, we in central Texas have been cruising with weather hovering around 80 degrees, so I have been using books about winter to teach my children (and remind myself) what winter is like.
I hope that wherever you are, whether it is warm or cold, you are finding time to cozy up with a great book.
Thanks for joining me in my reading adventures in 2024, see you on the other side in 2025 for even more reading adventures! I am so grateful for all of you being here and hope that you have found at least one amazing book you have loved to read or share with a little one in your life.
FROM THE STAX
WHEN THE MOON IS FULL by Penny Pollock Illustrated by Mary Azarian
A poem per month centering around the names of each full moon. The moon names are often attributed to Native American culture, but a quick Google search shows that although many Native tribes used the moon phases to track time, the names varied depending on tribe, location, customs, and language. Here is a pretty thorough collection of Native moon names if you are interested.
With gorgeous hand-illustrated woodcuts to accompany each poem, this book is a triple threat. It is brilliant to look at, encourages reading poetry, and teaches you some commonly used names for each month’s full moon. A book to cherish year-round that will spark curious minds to explore the lunar cycle. The winter scenes really caught my imagination with their stunning and stark woodcuts.
BRAVE IRENE by Williem Steig
When Irene’s seamstress mother falls ill the same night as the Duchesses ball, it is up to Irene to deliver the beautiful dress over the mountain, and Irene is determined to succeed. Unfortunately for Irene, the weather has a different plan in store.
A blustery winter wind, a white-out blizzard, near desperation and despair, and a refusal to give up are all a part of this enchanted and nearly disastrous evening. I love how Steig tells a story, and I can just imagine the cold biting my fingers and toes, and share in the utter frustration Irene feels when the wind batters her beautiful gown out of her hands. I love little Irene’s determination, and the way this book feels like a window through time to a different world than that which we inhabit today.
BRIMSBY’S HATS by Andrew Prahin
Brimsby the hat maker and his best friend enjoy a quiet life of tea and chats until Brimsby’s best friend declares he is off to explore the world, leaving Brimsby alone with his hats and his tea. Eventually, Brimsby also sets out in search of some new friends.
I love a book that feels a bit like a comic. As sweet as it is adorable, this little gem will spark ingenuity and invention through its clever illustrations as Brimsby finds a new purpose for his hat-making specialty that will warm your heart. We love a story about finding new ways to make new friends.
SO MUCH SNOW by Kristen Schroeder Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby
The forest animals are being buried in the snow! How high will it go? Burying creatures one by one until the sun comes out and down it goes. But just when we think spring might be on the way, is that another flake of snow?!
With a sing-song melody and repeating refrain, this book uses the day of the week to pass time, while different animals get buried in the snow drifts. I loved the simplicity of the snow growing deeper and deeper before the week ended and the sun came out to melt the snow. Each animal pops back out to romp and play as the snow melts away. Targeted for younger readers, but enjoyed by all.
ONE FOGGY CHRISTMAS EVE by Kerilynn Wilson
The true magic of Christmas is sharing time with family and loved ones. So, when a soupy fog threatens a small girl’s traditional Christmas Eve visit to her grandparents, she refuses to let the terrible weather stop her holiday cheer. Reminiscent of Rudolph, but with less (no) terrible teasing and more magic from within, this book holds enchanted Christmas charm.
Like Brave Irene, this is another story about determination, near defeat, and a lot of heart. Pairing hugely magical illustrations with just a few words, you will find your imagination to takes flight as you read about this journey one foggy Christmas Eve night.
Here is to you, to winter, to the end of the 2024 and to 2025. To another full moon, to more snows and melts and more snows. To cozy blankets and big imagintations.
2025 feels like a year in the distant future. If I don’t wake up tomorrow to a full Blade Runner style world of flying cars and robots I will be disappointed. Doesn’t 2025 seem a wild year to be alive?
I’ll see y’all next week because I am going to let the New Year be a big red RESET button. I will shake off whatever kept me from writing and start all over again. Don’t be afraid to get back up, dust yourself off, and keep on going.
I am so glad to have you along for the ride.
Our library has a Toy Library. It's a separate, non-free membership but it is only $12 USD for 3-months or $28 USD for 12-months. You can take out up to 15 toys at a time for 1-month. The toys are mostly geared towards younger kids (up to 3, I'd say) so new parents get the most benefit from it but my almost-4s still get new things several times a week when we go.
It is great because every parent knows and dreads that "they play with it once for 8-hours non-stop and seem to love it and then never touch it again" and this helps with that since, whatever, you can just return it next week and get something else.
It is especially good for things like jigsaw puzzles that are semi-disposable anyway (does anyone really do these multiple times?) -- they actually have a fairly large collection of adult jigsaw puzzles as well but I'm not sure if you can take them home or only do them in the library.
Our library has a really lovely "Read to a Therapy Dog" monthly event. How I wish such a thing had been around when I was small!
Happy 2025!