The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket & Illus by Brett Helquist

Another non-over-the-top holiday book!

A holiday book from Lemony Snicket is just as amusing and clever as you would think it would be. And under the grumpy and almost cynical facade is a reminder of the everyday miracles we encounter in life. 

And the writing--

...this is a holiday story and so takes place in the dead of winter, when the air is grey and wet shoes line up in hallways, shivering and crying tears of sleet.

I love the writing. 

This is a little-ish book, all square, which makes it even more intriguing and satisfying. 

Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them, you find more than you ever dreamed you would see. 

Miracles and pimples. A winning combination.

The miracle we are looking for here is purpose in the life of a tuxedo wearing lump of coal.

 Like many people dressed in black, the lump of coal was interested in becoming an artist. 

The miracle beings with a fortuitous tumble from a bag of charcoal, which sets the lump of coal free. He can now wander around and look for a purpose on his own. 

He went first to a gallery, but no luck. They didn't think much of a smudgy bit of coal who left dirty footprints where ever he went. 

The lump of coal then tried a Korean barbeque. Because second best to drawing on paper, is drawing rough black lines on...a breast of chicken or salmon by participating in a barbeque.

But that didn't really work out either. 

Then the lump of coal crossed paths with a department store Santa. 

This Santa had a naughty stepson who needed a lump of coal. 

They exchanged thoughts and ideas and....

The lump of coal ended up in a stocking on Christmas morning. 

Not a very glorious position for someone with dreams and ambitions. 

But then, the miracle really kicked into high gear. And it turned out that the naughty stepson was delighted to meet this talking lump of coal and had all kinds of ideas of what they could do together. 

Mostly to do with art, which the gallery sold for an enormous fortune. 

All these things are miracles. It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season--like all the other seasons--is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them, and that's the end of this particular story. 

 I love this book. Keep looking for miracles. Every single day. 

I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems

I don't think I have discussed Elephant and Piggie on here yet. 

I LOVE ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE.

Piggie is calm and rational (generally) and elephant is volatile and reactive. But they are best friends and do everything together. Except nap apparently. 

These books are so fun to read. Kids love all the over reaction and emoting. 

Piggie is upside down. How could that NOT be hilarious. 

Willems delights in the absurd

As well as the over the top. 

I haven't read this to kids at school yet. I can't wait to do this loud snore. I sometimes worry about the teacher next door....

Clearly Piggie had a good nap, but not elephant! 

But wait a minute!

Oh the nonsense! 

Nora's Roses by Satomi Ichikawa

This book is fanciful, sweet, and involves roses. For the longest time, I didn't think I liked it, not sure why. It was one of those library book sale books that are bought en masse that I don't carefully look through for years. Recently I looked through it again and---love! 

First of all, I love the name Nora. If I had had my way, our second daughter would have been a Nora.  I lost that discussion, but I got to put it as her middle name. Which is all to the good as it turns out since she is completely and totally a Lillian/Lily. Still love the name though, so I am always prejudiced in favor of little dark haired girls named Nora. 

This poor Nora is stuck in bed with a cold. 

What could be more boring than this? thought Nora.

After a little wallowing, Teddy was so bored he opened the curtains to discover a rose blooming just outside the window. 

Nora's toys are no ordinary toys. 

After that, they are not as bored because they watch everyone stop to smell the roses. 

Her friends stop by. 

The violinist stops to smell the roses, as does the carpenter and his daughter.

Her other friends come by, but they leave again. Nora starts to feel a little lonely again.

She falls asleep and starts to dream...

The roses grew feet and came to visit.

I find this dream entirely charming. Roses playing violins and cellos.....

She wakes as the neighbor's cow comes to eat the roses. 

Seems an uncomfortable thing to eat. 

After Buttercup was done, there was only one rose left. 

Nora wanted to keep that last rose. But how? The various ways of preserving roses run through her mind, but none of them are quite right. 

And then she knows what to do. 

She draws a picture to keep forever.

The Skates of Uncle Richard by Carol Fenner & Illus Ati Fomberg

This book is the essence of every childhood daydream. The grandeur the imaginative child can come up with. The crash of reality, and finally, the formation of realistic goals. 

At the beginning of the book--Love this poem! 

Marsha in her dreams--a glorious ice skater

Marsha in reality--a girl with an obsession with watching ice skating on TV

Marsha is pretty sure the only thing standing between and her dream is her lack of white figure skates. With Christmas approaching, she makes sure her mother knows how necessary it is for her to have white figure skates. 

Christmas comes with an ice skate sized box under the tree. The excitement!! But... they are Uncle Richards old skates--the ugliest skates she had ever seen. 

Poof. Her dream is gone. Because no one could dazzle on the ice in ugly skates. 

Finally, a few weeks after Christmas, curiosity gets the better of her and she tries them out. They are less than elegant on her bedroom floor. 

Her brother Leonard finally brings her to the skating pond. He gives her a few brief pointers before skating off with his friends. 

Dreams that die... 

The skates were every bit as awful as they looked. Her ankles were wobbly and it all seemed hopeless. 

Thank goodness for the Uncle Richard's of the world! He skates up and notices his old skates. He ties them on Marsha correctly, making her ankles feel strong. 

Uncle Richard knows a thing or two about skating. 

Suddenly Marsha is skating. Not the flying figure 8's she dreamed of, but the tenative skating of someone just learning. 

The difference between the dream and the reality is a wide gulf of effort. I always breezed over that part in my dreams--one day I would just wake up able to (                ).  Fill in the blank with some enviable talent. 

Marsha, just starting out, trades the dream for the reality. Because sometimes, being able to actually skate is even more incredible than being a skater on TV. 

Push, glide....push, glide. Past her staring brother she skated. Hardly even a wobble. Proud, not stiff. She glided away on the skates of Uncle Richard, taller and taller and taller, never once falling down.