3.36 STARS from 36 GoodReaders
The TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a very familiar part of Christmas. It's what's called accumulative song, which means that the verses build on top one another.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords-a-Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids-a-Milking
7 Swans-a-Swimming
6 Geese-a-Laying
5 Gold Rings
4 Colly Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Susan Jeffers takes these lines as a basis for her story. But unlike the the song, she has the gifts come from Santa rather than from a true-love.
Her tale begins with a little girl who opens her gift early. There's an accident and the music box --which looks like a giant snow globe featuring a pear tree and a partridge-- breaks.
Curling up around the music box the little girl goes to sleep. Only to find that Santa has arrived. Santa sweeps her through 'the 12 Days of Christmas'. And at the end the little girl wakes up to find that the toy is restored.
Curling up around the music box the little girl goes to sleep. Only to find that Santa has arrived. Santa sweeps her through 'the 12 Days of Christmas'. And at the end the little girl wakes up to find that the toy is restored.
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It's a cute enough premise.
What works very well is the gorgeous artwork. It's colorful and whimsical. Sometimes sweet and sometime majestic.
I just wish that the art was all there was. With perhaps just the beautiful font listing the gift. "Six Geese a Laying" or "Twelve Pipers Piping", for example, is all that is really needed.
In my opinion the images speak for themselves and the addition of lines like "The Pipers piped us right up to Santa's front door" are just awkward.
In my opinion the images speak for themselves and the addition of lines like "The Pipers piped us right up to Santa's front door" are just awkward.
A lovely variation of the TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, this book would be lovely to share with children. I just wouldn't read the text, but would suggest children show me where the 5 Golden Rings are, etc., and we'd make up the story in our own words.
LOVELY but problematic.
Pam~
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
by Susan Jeffers
Reading Information:
Page Count: 40
no Accelerated Reading information currently available
Lexile: AD650L
--sample pages and reviews available
updated by Pam
November 2014
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