Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas: The Christmas Tree Ship

Share with children a story of selfless giving this holiday season.

Crane, Carol.
The Christmas Tree Ship.
September 2011.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy courtesy of publisher.

Based on newspaper accounts and other sources, Carol Crane tells the story of one man's ultimate sacrifice to provide the children of Chicago with Christmas trees.

"Captain Santa" has made it his mission to deliver Christmas trees from Michigan's upper peninsula to Chicago to provide the less fortunate children with a form of Christmas. This has been a tradition for years. When suddenly, one year, the ship is overcome by a winter storm and Captain Santa and his trees perish, it is worrisome that Chicago's children will suffer the misfortune of no trees. However, realizing the importance of giving, Captain Santa's wife and daughters decide to carry on the tradition.

This is definitely a heart-wrenching story but well-worthy of sharing this holiday season. It's not your typical Christmas-y story, which makes it all the more special, as the deeper meaning will really encourage older children to take a new look at the true meaning of Christmas!

Reading Activity:

• As a family, after reading and discussing the story, think of something (however small) that you could do for a family or child less fortunate that your own.
  

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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

The Handkerchief Quilt

How communities come together for a united cause...

Crane, Carol.
The Handkerchief Quilt.
May 2010.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

In The Handkerchief Quilt, Carol Crane shares with readers a fictional account of true event from her own family's history - a flood in the school where her mother was a teacher. An early winter storm during Thanksgiving vacation results in furnace going out and pipes bursting, culminating with a flood of the school, which caused a great deal of damage, ruining hundreds of books and papers that were used by the students. To help raise money for new books, Miss Anderson, the teacher, takes all of the handkerchiefs given to her by students to use for a quilting project that would ultimately raise money to help replace books. Students and their families work tirelessly to construct the quilt and their work pays off, as the quilt is finally finished and sold, allowing the school to begin the task of replacing library books and paper for the students. To show their gratefulness towards Miss Anderson, they even plan a surprise for her!

The story, fictional, while based on true events, is perfect for children to begin grasping the idea that communities can pull together in times of need to come out on top and reach a common goal. The ways in which the story are told make it very child friendly and interesting to learn about! I think this book would be an inspirational story when trying to introduce and involve children in a community service project in your community!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Sleeping Bear Press has kindly put together a Teacher's Guide to use in collaboration with The Handkerchief Quilt. My personal favorite activities asked students to write a newspaper article on one of three topics that were a focus of the book (page 4), the recipe that allowed students (and an adult) to create cathedral glass window cookies (page 5) and the "How Would You Feel..." activity (page 15).
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

It's Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year begins according to the Chinese calendar which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. As the track of the new moon changes from year to year, the Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. This year, Chinese New Year occurs on Monday, January 26. It is the Year of the Ox.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, I have two reviews for today...

Chinn, Karen.
Sam and the Lucky Money.
1995.
Lee & Low Books, Inc.: New York, NY

Ages: 5-8
Genre: Fiction, Holidays
Guided Reading Level: P

Review/Summary:

Sam is very excited to head to Chinatown for New Year's Day. Every year, as part of tradition, his grandparents give him leisees, crisp dollar bills tucked in red envelopes that are decorated with symbols of luck. This year is even better than most - Sam gets to chose how to spend his money, Mom and Dad aren't even making him the notebook or socks that he has had to other years. When they arrive on the bustling streets in China Town, crowds of people are swarming everywhere in anticipation of the New Year traditions - meals, the parade, the firecrackers, and the arrival of the festival lion. He takes his time, shopping... trying to decide what to buy. Buns? New Year's cookies? Cars, planes, robots, stuffed animals? Basketballs? Sam has settled on purchasing a basketball - until he discovers that he can afford nothing in the store. "What is four dollars good for?" He questions appearing greedy. After a scolding from his mother about appreciating what he has, Sam suddenly remembers the man on the street who had no shoes or socks. His mood quickly changes as he realizes that he can do anything he wants with his money and he opts to give all four dollars to the man so he can buy at least some socks. After giving the less fortunate man his money, Sam realizes how lucky he really is!

This is a wonderful book that depicts the Chinese New Year celebrations for Asian Americans. The vivid illustrations realistically portray many aspects of the culture as it truly exists. This would make for a wonderful read-aloud to children or could be incorporated into a unit on different Christmas/New Year's celebrations around the world.

Crane, Carol.
D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet.
2006.
Sleeping Bear Press: Chelsea, MI.

Ages: 5-12
Genre: Non-fiction
Guided Reading Level: N/A

Review/Summary:

While the book does not focus entirely on the Chinese New Year celebration, it does contain significant detailed information on the holiday for several different letters of the alphabet. The book is also a wonderful resource as it can be used with older children as well, as the text to describe each illustration is very simple but further detailed information is also provided. This book would fit well into a unit study on China (perhaps the 3rd grade level) or could again be used when learning about certain aspects of Chinese history... for example, Chinese New Year.

Lesson Plans/Book Activities:

• Chinese New Year
• Chinese New Year 2009, Year of the Ox, Events, Recipes, Zodiac, E-Cards
• Chinese Inventions and the Chinese New Year