The Night Before The Night Before Christmas By Jay Dee (Plus a Giveaway!)

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Title: The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

Author: Jay Dee

Illustrator: Darren Geers

Publisher/Year: Kraine Kreative/2014

Summary: At Santa’s workshop, the night before the night before Christmas is hardy a time to rest. The elves work tirelessly to get the final toys made before Christmas Eve, but Elfie just can’t keep pace. He spends too much time making his toys perfect, and when Santa comes to check on production, everyone is surprised by his reaction.

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas is a beautifully illustrated, timeless tale with a twist. It is the night before Christmas Eve and all of Santa’s elves are at work making the final toys for Santa to deliver to all the good girls and boys the very next night. Main character Elfie is a likable little fellow who takes pride in his work. And he wants the toys he makes to be perfect. His perfectionism is something many of us can relate to; I sure can. But unfortunately for Elfie, this is no time to be perfect. Or is it?

My favorite part of the story, besides the spectacular full-page illustrations, is that Santa himself knows the reason for the season, or put another way, Santa knows the true meaning of Christmas and who and what it is that makes Christmas special. You have to be open to what I call a “time paradox” (the twist) at the end of the story, if you are, I’m confident that you and your children will embrace the feel-good message presented here. Overall, The Night Before The Night Before Christmas is a sweet story about a very special Christmas gift.

Giveaway:

I am giving away a copy of The Night Before The Night Before Christmas, generously donated by the author, to one lucky person. To qualify for the giveaway, you must 1) follow this blog and 2) comment on this post. I will choose a winner at random, who I will contact via e-mail for a mailing address. Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. You have until December 7, 2014 to qualify.

Please share this review and giveaway on social media. Thank you!

Update (12/8/2014): Congratulations to Linda Kautzman, the winner of The Night Before The Night Before Christmas! Thank you to everyone who entered and commented on this post. Look for more chances to win picture books in the future!

Picture Books At The Library

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Unfortunately, I cannot review them all, but I do read them all and have assigned a 🙂 to my favorites. Below are a few I’ve cataloged recently. (Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

Meet a cat named Tim and his friends in four short, fun, adventure-filled stories told with very few words, but lots of pictures and imagination.

🙂 Tabi, the little mouse who lives in the general store and cares for the toys, wants his friend Max, the blue dog, to find a good home.

When Edgar, the mischievous toddler, accidentally breaks a statue while roughhousing with his sister, he must decide whether to tell their mother the truth-and Lenore must decide whether or not to tattle.

🙂 From award-winning author Jerdine Nolen comes a tale of a little girl who wishes for her father to be home more, but she never expects her wish to come true the way it does.

🙂 Ruthie Tober’s family is known for the beautiful, warm mittens they knit so when she and her mother meet a deaf woman and her baby and give them shelter, Ruthie decides to design very special mittens for them.

Mousey diligently watches the cookie for his best friend Sam and protects it from pigeons and ants. But what will happen when a hungry cat appears and he’s not after the cookie?

🙂 Share a nighttime stroll down cobblestone streets with the charismatic gentleman bat.

Edie and Andrew are best friends and fashion animals. But what happens when Edie becomes obsessed with her ensembles?

Reminder: Check It Out!

Did you know that the library is a treasure chest? It’s a treasure chest filled with precious gems. My favorite gems are the picture books, of course.

The library is also a garden filled with beautiful, sweet-scented flowers. My favorite flowers are, you guessed it, the picture books.

But did you also know that if you don’t check the picture books out from the library, they will be weeded from the collection?! It’s not enough to just go hang out in the children’s room, pick a bunch of books off the shelves, and then sit down and read them (though that’s very nice). If you want your favorite book to remain part of your library’s collection, then you must check it out. If you want all your beloved titles to be on the library’s shelves for years to come, available to countless children, check them out, check them out often.

Because the library where I work has limited space, books (and other items) are weeded out often to make room for new books. Recently, many wonderful picture books were pulled and put in the large book sale we had over the weekend. It breaks my heart to see them go. My only consolation is that most of them sold and so will have a second life, so to speak.

I’d love the books to remain a part of our collection. And if we had more room, we could keep them longer. But circulation stats count, meaning if they don’t circulate (get checked out), they get pulled.

So if you have a favorite picture book at your library: Check It Out!

Picture Books At The Library

🙂 When sugar snow falls, all the colors of the farm are brighter than ever against the crisp white fields!

🙂 When his brother refuses to come outside, a child plays by himself in the snow and creates an imaginary world.

🙂 It is Little Snow the rabbit’s first Christmas and after all the forest animals tell him about the animals’ Santa, he is excited to wake up on Christmas morning to find his own surprise.

🙂 One day there was a knock at the front door. Mr. Mo was gardening, so Mrs. Mo went to see who it might be…

How can there be a bear that’s not a bear, a hat that’s not a hat, or a ship that will never float or sink? This book is a guessing game for your brain. Have fun playing!

A young boy named Arto must move with his family from the chilly North that he loves to the hot South that he’s sure he will hate.

Here are ten thrilling ways to start counting that will have you laughing and learning all the way up to 10, 20, 30, 40…100 and beyond.

Picture Books At The Library

In my position as a technical processing assistant at the DeWitt Community Library, I catalog a lot of picture books. Here are a few I’ve cataloged recently:

(Whenever possible, summaries have been taken directly from the books.)

In this story (told in the form of a television broadcast), bears emerge from hibernation demanding to be fed.

Circles, rectangles, ovals, arcs, and more have fun moving about, along with a mischievous mouse that wants to play too.

Readers young and old will get lost in the loving details of each illustration, and the warmth of the simple pleasures that surround us all.

Join one lucky little girl as she learns the recipe for making the perfect story.

🙂 When frightened animals squeeze into Noah’s bed during a storm, causing the Ark to tip, Noah soothes the beasts with a lullaby.

When three cats find themselves homeless in an alley, they form a singing group with the hope that they will earn the love they need.

🙂 From the great expanse of the darkening sky filled with stars, to the softening sounds of city and farm quieting down for the night, the perspective comes closer to reveal the end of day at home and then the child snuggling into bed.

Ping and Pong are friends, even though they like to do different things.

When Cat is accidentally whisked away in a fish van, her litter of kittens are left to fend for themselves.

The North Pole Penguin by Christopher Payne

The North Pole Penguin

Title: The North Pole Penguin

Author: Christopher Payne

Illustrator: Lorena Soriano

Publisher/Year: CreateSpace/2014

Now that Halloween is over, my thoughts have turned to Christmas. It’s less than two months away after all. I’m already thinking about the decorating, shopping, and visiting that make up part of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. You may be too. But are you also thinking about Christmas books? If not, I have the perfect one to get you started: The North Pole Penguin.

This book has the potential to be a Christmastime classic. With its clever rhyme and bright, put-you-in-the-spirit illustrations, The North Pole Penguin begs to be read over and over again. The story is about Parker Preston, a penguin from the South Pole, who loves Christmas and longs to thank Santa Claus in person for stopping at his igloo every year. So he sets off for the North Pole with a gift for Santa and meets new animal friends along the way who also want to give gifts to Santa. Some even accompany him on his journey. Here’s a sample from the book:

Upon some thinking long and hard, he knew his Christmas cause

To cross the globe and go and see the man called Santa Claus.

He’d bring him gifts and change the roles before the winter’s thaws

To give back to the special man whose kindness had no flaws.

If you’re searching for a sweet Christmas story with amazing illustrations and the strong possibility of becoming a holiday tradition, The North Pole Penguin is a perfect choice.