Christmas Day Books

Delightful tale of twelve animals and three humans moving house on Christmas Eve. A warm-hearted fantasy world where all the animals do their share. It gives a hopeful message that even in hard circumstances, working together to a good plan the family can survive. The enchanting pictures remind me of The Tompten and other Scandinavian picture books. The magic things (such as Pinnochio) move with the creatures as well as the practical (the dryer!) A real Christmas classic, about hope and sharing, reminding us that the first Christmas was spent in the barn.

I don't have any children nor grandchildren in this age group. I have not read any of the "Carl" books for which Alexandra Day is evidently noted. I saw the cover drawing with a goat toting a Christmas tree & was intrigued. Looking through the book brought smiles & a desire to own this book. At home I found the pictures drew me back again & again. The wild collection of possessions & the large number of pets made me feel right at home. I enjoyed this book so much I went back to get more copies for friends but the book store was sold out. Thus, here I am at amazon.com finding the book I was seeking all over the state. As you can tell, this book is one of my favorites & if I were still a preschool teacher my students would be enjoying it right along with me.

I was really disappointed with this book. If you are a Carl fan, you will not like this book. The illustrations do not bring the family or their plight to life. Some of their belongings, i.e. a commercial popcorn machine, didn't quite fit in the scheme. It would make a nice Christmas gift book for a child. Perhaps the story would have been better suited to the late 1800's or early 1900's.

Shedding Light is a compilation of philosophical insights by gifted poet Harold Nash. In it, he touches on a range of topics, including such issues as religion, personal development, interpersonal relations, and the ultimate purpose for human existence. Broken down into two separate sections, Shedding Light begins with a nine-chapter sequence in which Nash delves deeply into the mercurial nature of humanity. Many of his reflections are expressed in anecdotal form, and the insights that he shares with the reader often come in crisp, laconic passages, such as this one from "Chapter One: Maturity":

"As much as most
people tend to equate seriousness
with maturity, the truth and fact
is that they are not parallel with
each other. To assume that they
are the same, or have the same meaning,
is not only a misconcept [sic], but it also
confirms the lack of enlightenment
that one may have."


And this one from "Chapter Two: Humility":

"In order to be humble,
you first have to learn to give up a
priviledge [sic] that you have, for someone
else to have that privilege."


Profound insights from one who obviously doesn't just talk the talk, but has also walked the walked on many an occasion.

The second half of Shedding Light features seven poems by Nash that are equally as philosophic as the mini essays in the first half of the book, and anyone familiar with Nash's poetic style is already prepared for the types of straight-ahead insights that they espouse, such as, for example, this passage from "When Truth is Told":

"When truth is deep,
eyes will weep; the heart will sink,
and tears will leap, and what you sow,
is what you reap.

When lies are made,
They run for shade, when burning truth,
Throws its parade."


And this passage from the impressively insightful "An Ancient Chinese Secret," outlining the different types of people that one will meet over the course of a lifetime:

"He that knows - and knows not
that he knows
He is sleep - wake him.

He that knows - and knows that
he knows
He is wise - follow him."


As with his previous work, in Shedding Light Nash provides the reader with helpful insights borne of a need to inspire, educate, and enlighten others. Most of all, though, his desire to connect on a deeper level with those who are hurting, dejected, or confused sets Nash apart and highlights the courage of a true artist committed to using his gifts & talents for the benefit of the greater good.


Wendy Paulson
Apex Reviews

This is a very good philosophy book that is guaranteed to get you to look at life on a higher level. The author Harold Nash talks about humility, and loyalty, and then covers the subject of karma as he enlightens you.
The book ends with a few very lovely poems such as " Sunny " and " My Pekoe Tea. " This book is a must read !!!

Shedding Light by Harold M. Nash is a philosophical look on the ways of the world. This book offers scenarios of situations that may occur in a person's lifetime; breaking down what type of reaction could possibly occur from a misunderstood action. The point Mr. Nash makes is to rationalize and to think before we overreact. Maybe if we conversed and listened to what was going on, rather than jumping to conclusions, a lot of unnecessary hurt and pain could be avoided.

Shedding Light by Harold Nash would be a nice tool for a teenager. The ideas are put together enough to help a hot head to cool off without making a wrong decision. There were some topics that left me scratching the top of my head, because I had no clue how they fit in with the rest of the book. With proper editing, Shedding Light would be easier to understand. I recommend this book to parents of teenagers. I, as a parent, would read the passages I feel can shed some light on life, out loud to my child.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

This small book is packed with precious stories that your family will love. There is a scripture verse with each day, questions to ponder and other fun surprises. This book really puts Christmas into the right perspective.

Every advent season our family reads through some kind of daily readings book. We were not overly impressed with this book. It was "OK" according to our 10 year old. Other Christmases we've read CS Lewis and Arnold Ytreeide so the bar is set pretty high. We didn't always agree with what the daily readings were saying but it lead to some good discussions amongst the four of us. In short, this collection of readings is OK, not great. There are other books I'd recommend before this one.

Great gift for cat loving bosses and friends! Wonderful for introducing grandkids to the song. Beautiful pics.

This is one of those books that is such a pleasure to read during the holidays. As soon as we finish reading it, the girls are begging to have it read to them again!

It is easy for a young child to follow along with and the pictures are great!

This book is not by David Brin at all. I have no idea why it is still listed this way, since it is wholly authored by Madeleine L'Engle. The book is a little heavy-handed in extolling the Christian virtues of the protagonist. However, if you are looking for a gift for a child who anticipating the arrival of a new sibling, this would not be a bad choice.

L'Engle's prequel to the Austin Family series extols the virtues of patience and love as a young Vicky waits for the anvent of Christmas and a new baby. Adults and children alike will enjoy savoring the book in anticipation of the holiday. It's a great tool for slowing down the comercialized pace of the season. I'd reccomend the illustrated hardback, but I'm afraid it's out of print!

If you are a fan of cut-paper collage art, you will love this book. The illustrations are gorgeous. And, my family liked learning about all the traditions and customs of Christmas's past.

There is lots of sing-a-long fun for the whole family here. We have several book versions of The Twelve Days of Christmas song, but this one ranks first on the fun-fun-fun meter. Each day a young pig's True Love brings her a gift, hidden behind a fold-over section on the right-hand page, and the gifts pile up and the disorder does too. Finaly, all is in place, in order, and ready to sing.

The illustrations are great, simple, and silly. This is a constrant grab by the youngest with the demand to sing. She's picking up the words as we sing along and by the end of the book, she's singing loudly and confidently, even if its not the right words. When we start, pretty soon everyone, including the cat, has come into the room and joined in.

Kids love singing. They do it naturally and this book is a natural way to nurture that love.

If you're looking for an easy, generous-sized stocking pattern, this book is perfect for you. It is a very easy courthouse step pattern. Great tree skirt pattern, too. I'm not a big applique person, but if you like them, there are many good applique patterns and projects. Great book. Good directions. Excellent patterns!

I read this book online and had to show it to my 6 yr daughter. This is the cutest story and very unique. Every book about winter seem to be the same and a Frosty Day is completely different. I liked the idea of changing the color of snow. I am definitely going to buy this book and recommend it to others.

This is another wonderful fictional writing by TL Tedrow depicting Laura Ingalls Wilder. THis is a great book for children who have read the original series and want to read more. Enjoy!