This year as I pulled out the Christmas decorations to light up our little lake house, I came across a basket of Christmas themed children’s books we always placed beneath the Christmas tree when the kids were younger. Some of the books are older and more worn than others because we purchased them when Emelie, now 18, was just a toddler.
Each year we added one or two more books until we had quite the collection. Throughout the month of December, and often several days into January, the kids selected one book each for me to read to them at bedtime.
Decidedly, none of them were of the tome variety; instead we purchased little paperbacks like my friend Brenda Ponnay’s newest book, “Merry Christmas, Little Hoo!”
Like many families, we had our nighttime routines and traditions, one of which was reading with the bedroom lights off and the flashlights on. As you can imagine, it was cozy, cuddly and magical. There were only two rules, and they were for everyone’s protection. First, no kicking allowed (we lost a tooth that way once). And next, no shining lights in each other’s faces (only your own–which everyone did).
Books are so much more fun when read by flashlight!
In this Christmas book, Little Hoo is a young owl who, like young’uns everywhere, has difficulty falling asleep on Christmas Eve. Slightly scared and hyper-aware of every little scritch, scritch, scritch and scuffle, scuffle, scuffle, Little Hoo chooses to replace his fears with Christmas imaginings.
Branches scratching across a window become reindeer walking in the snow and a white cat running with a jinga-ling, jingaling collar just might be Santa’s sleigh bells.
Colorful, fun, and lightweight (literally and figuratively), “Merry Christmas Little Hoo!” is written to be highly interactive for young children ages pre-kindergarten through elementary age. Personally, I think it’d make a delightful read aloud for parents who aren’t afraid to get a little animated in their story reading.
The question repeated throughout the book – “What’s that noise, Little Hoo?” begs for kids to consider just WHAT THAT NOISE MAY BE before parents turn the page and reveal the truth.
For fun, parents can extend the reading into a lesson in imagination by letting kids take Little Hoo’s place and making up their versions of what the noises might be!
“What’s that noise, Little Hoo?”
» Dinosaurs on roller skates decorating sugar cookies?
» Elves digging a tunnel to the North Pole because Santa’s sleigh crashed into the overpass?
» Mrs. Santa doctoring Santa’s bum with Aloe Vera when someone left a fire burning in the fireplace!
For whatever reason, bums always found their way into the storylines in our home.
But back to the book…
I have long enjoyed Brenda’s graphic illustrations–and not just because I know her personally, but because she is incredibly talented and has a distinctive flair I can spot anywhere.
Also? She makes great coloring pages like the one above. Click here to download the “Merry Christmas from Little Hoo!” coloring page.
This isn’t Little Hoo’s first introduction into the world of children’s books either; nope, he has a series of books all his own.
Time for some fun now!
Find a book, this one is available to purchase in paperback and e-book versions, grab a flashlight, turn off the lights, and READ!
Oh! And by all means don’t forget the kids!
Help other families build their Christmas collections! What is YOUR all time favorite Christmas children’s book?
Heather Sanders is a leading homeschooling journalist who inspires homeschooling families to live, love and learn. Married to Jeff, Heather lives in the East Texas Piney Woods where she currently home schools two of her three kids.