Weekly book shelf 12/16

Reading aloud:

Being great lovers of L. Frank Baum, when I discovered that he'd written a Christmas story about the origins of Santa Claus, I knew we had to give it a try. We read this aloud in one week, partly because it is a relatively short chapter book, but also because Calvin couldn't enough of it, so we didn't put it down for long. Wonderfully fanciful and imaginative, this is a Santa Claus story like none other. The story line was loosely followed in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, a stop motion Christmas special released in 1970.

Reading to himself:

Every year we buy Calvin a Christmas book for Saint Nicholas Day. Prior to this year those books have been the classic picture books with beautiful illustrations. He's in a transition age now where he still loves picture books, but is looking for denser reading materials, so when I found an illustrated copy of Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, we figured that was the perfect solution. Since we read the chapter book aloud in a matter of a few days, he's been drinking up the illustrated version over and over again throughout the rest of the week, a habit I think likely to continue through the holiday.