FIRST SNOW TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS PICTURE BOOKS COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS BREAK Day 1 - FIRST SNOW Follow the link for the guide to use with the picture books! https://docs.google.com/.../1n5FyYYOjWUIYG82.../edit ...

THE SCARECROW'S WEDDING by Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Oh my goodness, this book, The Scarecrow's Wedding, is such a great read! Told in rhyming verse, Betty O'Barley and Harry O'Hay have fallen in love, and it's time to tie the knot. To make it be the best wedding ever , they've put together a list of needed items for their special day. But when getting one of the items takes Harry longer than expected, the farmer makes a new scarecrow, Reginald Rake, to put out by Betty. Old Reginald thinks he is pretty smooth and sets his attentions on Betty. Can Harry get back in time to save the day? Super cute!

RUN, TURKEY, RUN by Diane Mayr. Illustrated by Laura Rader Since my daughter is home from college she brought me a load of books to share from her local bookstore, so we're going Thanksgiving picks right up until Thanksgiving Day! Run, Turkey, Run by Diane Mayr is a laugh out loud read about a turkey that tries to hide himself all over the farm with the other animals to avoid being eaten! Get ready to chuckle at the farmer's Thanksgiving table and the ending antics of this cute, holiday picture book.

THANKSGIVING RULES by Laurie Friedman. Percy Isaac Gifford has a list of rules to make Thanksgiving Day be the best Thanksgiving possible in Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie Friedman. Written in verse this fun book gives all the have-tos from wearing the outfit your mom selects to helping clean to greeting guests to trying everything that is served and lastly showing your loved ones how much they mean to you! This book helps us remind our kids about good behavior and what it means to be a good host/hostess in a light hearted way before the big day!

A THANKSGIVING TURKEY by Julian Scheer. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. While definitely a picture book, A Thanksgiving Turkey by Julian Scheer is the story of the relationship between a thirteen-year-old boy and his grandfather. While good for the younger crowd, it is certainly applicable to an older audience. Told in first person by the grandson, this beautiful coming of age story follows the move of the boy and his mother to the grandfather's farm in rural Virginia. There the boy learns to enjoy the rhythm of the farm work and time spent with his grandfather hunting. The grandfather is determined to get a wonderful turkey for Thanksgiving supper. Lots of lessons of patience and persistence occur as the turkey refuses to fall for their repeated attempts until one day. An opportunity arises for the boy and his grandfather, but something transpires at the end that causes a bit of a change of heart. Beautifully illustrated in watercolors by Ronald Himler, A Thanksgiving Turkey is a true feast for the eyes!

THE GREAT TURKEY WALK by Kathleen Karr Simon Green is a young man with a big heart. After completing third grade for the fourth time, his teacher tells him it's time to make his way in the world. When he comes across a neighbor that has 1000 turkeys to sell with no where to sell them, Simon buys them and plans on herding them from Missouri to Denver where turkeys are a rarity. To make this journey happen Simon needs someone to believe in him by investing and some help herding the birds along. What comes about is a story about true friendships that stand in difficult circumstances. HEADS UP- Just a couple of minor issues. There is 1 swear word. Also Simon's father abandoned him when he was young and joined up with the circus. Simon accidentally stumbles across him in his travels. His dad is a swindler and tries to steal Simon's turkeys. Also while at the circus Simon notices the trapeze artist and her scanty outfit.

DUCK FOR TURKEY DAY by Jacqueline Jules. Illustrated by Kathryn Mitter Do you know not everyone eats turkey for Thanksgiving? In Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules, little Tuyet is worried. She thinks everyone eats turkey for Thanksgiving, but her Vietnamese family prefers duck. What in the world is she going to tell her class when she goes back to school after break? This sweet picture book shares other foods that people sometimes eat for Thanksgiving, and that one of the most important things about Thanksgiving is time spent with loved ones.

THANKSGIVING IN THE WOODS by Phyllis Alsdurf. Illustrated b Jenny Lovlie Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf is a picture book based on a true Thanksgiving dinner event that happens every year in Upstate New York that's a little different from the traditional gathering. This one is hosted outside in the middle of the woods. That's right, Upstate New York outside for Thanksgiving! Now, this is so completely up my alley that when my husband read the picture book he said, "Don't even think about it!" ( I have been known to host my kids' birthday parties in the middle of the woods!) Can you imagine? Long tables decorated, bonfires lit for warmth, neighbors bringing steaming hot food! I can! Makes me feel positively pilgrimish. Anyway, this fun picture book is a great read as we begin thinking about gathering together with neighbors and loved ones and counting our blessings!

LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY by Russell Freedman As my daughter and I go through our Civil War series I will share our books that we loved!  First off is a marvelous Newberry Medal winner from 1988 entitled Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. This book is so well done that I am making it one of my TOP PICKS of the year! You know this book is a winner when your child asks you to read more every time you get ready to end, and mine did! Not only does Freedman do a wonderful job on the text, but this book is full of black and white photos from Lincoln's life and the Civil War. Born in the humblest of surroundings, Lincoln's story is proof of the American idea that with hardwork one is able to achieve great things. It is also a testimony to staying the course in some of the darkest days in history. This book would make a fabulous read aloud for the entire family! HEADS UP- While not gory, there are pictures of dead soldiers in battle fields. The bodies are sometimes lying in precarious positions that leave no question that the person will never rise up again.

THE HAPPIEST MAN ON EARTH by Eddie Jaku New York Times Bestseller The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku is the perfect read if you need an addition to a WWII study or if you are on the hunt for a great read about gratitude coming out of extremely difficult situations. Born into a close, Jewish family in Leipzig, Germany, Eddie experienced first hand the Nazi atrocities done to the Jewish people. Losing his beloved family members and many of his friends to concentration camps and acts of violence, Eddie found the will to survive and honor those who were lost by being thankful for every day he had on the earth. Valuing friendships and helping others in need kept him going during the darkest of days. Despite his thankfulness, it took Eddie many years before he could speak of the horror and loss he witnessed. He was unable to share the details with even his family directly. Eddie remarks in his book that when he looked at his son it was as though he were looking in the face of his father whom he had lost. Once he decided to begin telling his story, he shared it with thousands of people to hopefully help curb the hatred that fuels the violence we see today against certain groups/nationalities. While not an easy read, books like these are so important to read. Many times our worst days are dust particles in the wind compared to what the Jewish people faced, and sometimes we need a reminder of that. HEADS UP- While not gory, this story does share the attempted destruction of the Jews. There are several examples of friends and loved ones dying. It is very heartbreaking at times.

WHAT'S COOKING AT 10 GARDEN STREET? by Felicita Sala While not specifically a Thanksgiving book, I'm going to include Felicita Sala's What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street in my books for FALL and THANKSGIVING. 10 Garden Street is an apartment building filled with people of many different nationalities. The book showcases what each family is cooking inside their apartment AND gives you a RECIPE, so you can enjoy cooking the meal within your own home. Once the meals are cooked everyone gathers together to enjoy the feast. It is a picture of neighborly love, and one that we can be thinking of as we begin to prepare our hearts and minds for Thanksgiving. The illustrations in this book are beautiful with muted colors of olive, goldenrod, tan, orangey red, gray blue, and cream. It definitely has a feeling of fall. The ingredients depicted in picture form in the recipes are a delight to look through. Overall this is a fun read that, because of engaging illustrations and the recipes, you can go back to time and time again. Highly recommend.

THE EXCHANGE by John Grisham Published in 1991, John Grisham's second book, The Firm, took readers on a harrowing journey with Mitch and Abby McDeere as they tried to escape what appeared to be the perfect law firm but quickly turned out to be the biggest nightmare ever. Readers wondered what happened to the McDeeres and kept a steady flow of "What are Mitch and Abby doing now" questions to Grisham. The Exchange was written as the answer. Set fifteen years after The Firm, The Exchange takes readers to a place that we can unfortunately all understand in today's world, the act of international terrorism and hostage situations. Working now for the large international law firm, Scully and Pershing, Mitch is asked to take over a case for friend and founder of the Rome office, Luca Sandroni. Dedicated and thorough in his work, Luca is battling an aggressive form of cancer and needs someone he can trust to take the reins on a case involving Colonel Gaddafi in Libya who refuses to pay a construction company 400 million dollars for the work they did constructing a bridge in the desert over a supposed waterway that came about while drilling for oil. Luca has one request. That his daughter, who is an up and coming lawyer, be allowed to accompany Mitch on the journey to inspect the construction site. Mitch agrees and takes on the case. While in Libya inspecting the construction site, Luca's daughter is kidnapped along with their accompanying guards. The seriousness of the situation increases when video footage of the guards being murdered is released. Not knowing who they are dealing with or the purpose behind all of this thrusts Mitch and then Abby right into the middle of this international incident, and the clock is ticking. Compared to The Firm, The Exchange is a much cleaner read. (Type in The Firm in the search box for details.) There may have been 1 profanity and there are not the spicy scenes The Firm had. However.. HEADS UP- We are dealing with terrorists and their means of execution are gruesome. While not gory in detail they can be disturbing.