The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington

by John Abbott Nez

Overview

On the first day of Christmas my parents gave to me . . . a holiday book about my very own state!
The TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN series  . . . now in board book!
What could be a more perfect place to spend Christmas than the “Evergreen State”? Max has a festive time seeing a pod of killer whales, yodeling in an Alpine village, shopping for gifts at Pike's Place Market, and going right to the top of the Space Needle!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402770685
Publisher:	Sterling Children's Books
Publication date:	10/04/2011
Series:	Twelve Days of Christmas in America Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

John Abbott Nez is the author and illustrator of many children's books, including One Smart Cookie (Albert Whitman) and Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle (Putnam), which Booklist said had “tremendous kid appeal … delightful.” John lives in Seattle, WA.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2–4—The traditional song retold with some local flair. In Colorado, the fifth day brings "five golden nuggets." In Washington, it's "five golden trout" tossed by the vendors at the Pike Place Market. However, in addition to state-appropriate gifts for each day, the authors have provided a lot of additional bits of information in letters written by a local child and a visiting cousin to family members back home and in back matter including bulletin boards filled with posters of local attractions and celebrities. While these could be the basis for state reports, the Christmas packaging might make them a hard sell for children looking for nothing but the facts. The basic texts can be read or sung to the traditional tune.—Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

School Library Journal

This geographically based series with a "Twelve Days of Christmas" structure continues with the latest entry set in Washington State.

A boy named Max is visiting his cousin Molly and her parents at their houseboat in Seattle for the Christmas season. The format places a letter from Max to his parents with the details of the group's travels around the state on each left-hand page. On the facing pages, the "Twelve Days of Christmas" parody unfolds with all the gifts that Max received from his cousin, beginning with a welcoming gift of a goldfinch in a hemlock tree and ending with 12 boats a-blinking at the annual parade of Christmas ships. Lots of interesting sights, sounds and events are described in Max's letters home, and additional facts and trivia about the state are included in a concluding two-page bulletin-board spread. Brief biographies of famous Washington residents and a note about Mt. St. Helens are also included. Cheery illustrations of Max and Molly enjoying their travels skillfully accommodate the busy format.

Younger children who are not ready for all the information in the letters will enjoy just singing along with the clever parody, while older kids will appreciate Max's witty writing style.(Picture book. 3-9)

Kirkus Reviews

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