Advent (Day 21): These Farmhouse Bookshelves

Dec 21, 2013

I finished the Christmas grocery shopping today.

That means I have nothing to do for days but read and read and read by the tree. Well, that and wrap presents. I do tend to put that chore off till the last possible minute. And, I suppose the children will still demand to be fed. Strange how they expect regular meals even while on holiday.

But, still, rest assured, there will be a great deal of reading in the days ahead. I hope that proves true for you as well.

Here are a few more favorites from our stack of Christmas stories.

 

(You can find all my book recommendations here along with a disclaimer about the affiliate links I use.)

 

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Today, I’m recommending three picture books, but wait … these books aren’t really meant for small children. My second-grader and fourth-grader enjoy these, but I would share these books with anyone from an older child to an adult.

This first book would make an especially nice gift for a poetry or art-lover.

It is Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening with gorgeous illustrations by Susan Jeffers.

With its intricately detailed illustrations of snowy landscapes, this is a book that demands we slow down. My children love to search out the forest animals hidden in each image, and Jeffers gives this familiar poem a lovely, new twist of an ending through her designs.

But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep

Christmas Day in the Morning was originally published by Pearl Buck in 1955. This picture-book version features full-color artwork by Mark Buehner.

If you don’t know the story already, I won’t spoil the surprise. I’ll only say that this one inspired my daughter to shovel the driveway as a Christmas gift to her Dad.

Buck’s classic story always makes me tear up a little. Okay, I have trouble not breaking down whenever I read it out loud.

The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I’ll remember it, son, every year on Christmas morning, so long as I live.

Winter’s Gift is another sentimental favorite (but what’s Christmas without a little sentimentality?). It is written and illustrated by Jane Monroe Donovan and tells the story of an old man spending his first Christmas alone. He is without hope until a horse, lost in the woods, brings with her a very special gift.

‘The star is the most important part of the tree,’ she would always say. ‘It’s a symbol of hope, and no matter how bad things get, you should always have hope.’

 

4 Comments

  1. Kris Camealy

    Thank you for this collection of beautiful Christmas books. I have just added them all to my Amazon wish list 😉 XO

    Reply
  2. Susan Tell

    Oh, me too Christy. I so look forward to lots of quiet and reading these next two weeks.

    Thank you for all your suggestions. Maybe one morning will be at the library.

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  3. Danielle

    Well, I’ve had fun discovering your blog, thanks to Amy! We’re kindred spirits, that’s for sure. And you don’t live too far away from me, I imagine. I grew up in south eastern PA and went to school at York College to get degrees in Graphic Design and English. Now I’m just over the line in Maryland. I put your blog into my Feedly and excited to start following you!

    Reply
    • Christie Purifoy

      Danielle, I’m so glad you found me. It’s especially nice to meet a blogger and near neighbor. Looking forward to connecting online, and – who knows – hopefully in person someday.

      Reply

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