Christmas Coloring Page

Thanksgiving has passed and we are entering in the center of the Christmas season.  My family and I spent this weekend decorating and welcoming the season. Those who know me well probably have guessed already what the first decoration up was. (Did you say Nativity scene? Ah - you do know me pretty well.) We had Christmas music on from our local radio station, and later while Dad and the kids set up the artificial tree, I made some home made Christmas sugar cookies.

 My oldest decorated the cookies with sugar as I rolled out and cut the dough. And so, since my family and I are in the Christmas spirit full force, I want to share some of that with you.

For those of you who are fans of A Star in the Night, my Christmas book about a little boy who discovers the true meaning of Christmas, enjoy this coloring page! Illustrated by K.C. Snider.  Color it in and send me a photo- or just color and enjoy. If you do color it and send a photo, I'll feature it on my blog. Parents: send photos to jennifer_gladen5@msn.com . Click on the picture here for a larger photo.

Book Review: Chances Are

"Chances are you'll never see animals as strange as these..." Thus begins the great adventure with Author Sue Bangert-Wood and Illustrator Jack Foster in the comical alphabet book titled Chances Are.

This light-hearted book displays unique animals wearing a swimming suit, driving or even playing guitar. I love the creative animals Sue Bangert-Wood comes up with in this fun A-B-C book. The rhyme in story flows smoothly and adds a nice rhythm as you read. As someone who has worked in the classroom, I see this book as one that would engage the readers and invoke  some fun reactions out of the readers.

The activities and puzzles at the end of the book are sure to be a hit with teachers everywhere. The bright, energetic illustrations done by Jack Foster breathe even more life into the story. He illustrates well the essences of the characters and their fun, energetic antics.

This is an all around great book which I recommend reading to kids of every age.