The Fox and the Star, by Coralie Bickford-Smith

The Fox and the Star, by Coralie Bickford-Smith is a book which is currently being raved about online. It won Waterstones Book of the Year and Goodreads readers are all agog in the hopes that everyone on earth will read this book. I admit that I was curious too, as it was presented to me as a beautiful book perfect for the holidays. When the UPS man delivered this book to my doorstep, I eagerly ripped open the packaging so that I could feast my eyes upon this promised work of wonder.

It's entirely my fault that I didn't realize the book only has 66 pages. In my mind, I'd built up a classic feeling Christmas tale with gorgeous illustrations and heaps of magic included. Because of my preconceived notions of what I was going to be reading, I felt an immediate let-down when I cracked open the cover and discovered a picture book. Even more disappointing was that it was a picture book not about Christmas or any other holiday for that matter. Despite feeling a little bit of a let down, the book looked beautiful so I gathered the children around and we sat down for a read.

Coralie Brickford-Smith is a name you might not immediately recognize but you will likely be able to identify her illustrations. She is the illustrator for many a Penguin Classic Book. (Check out her website.) The Fox and the Star is entirely written and illustrated by Brickford-Smith which is a treat in itself having been familiar with her work by sight. It's a uniquely illustrated book in that the text is situated - almost camouflaged at times - within the illustrations. The story and images are married to each other in a way that is quite unique in the world of illustrated books. Here is an image of one page spread to give you a general idea of the layout, although this image doesn't necessarily illustrate (har har) my point about the camouflaged text:

The story is simple. It is about a fox who makes friends with a star in the sky. One night the fox is startled and upset to find that he cannot locate his star. He retreats to his den where he spends some period of time feeling lonely and missing his friend. When he comes back out of his den, he begins looking for star when the following message is delivered to him: "Look beyond your ears." When fox looks up at the sky, he discovers a multitude of stars in the sky and he no longer feels alone.

You can probably take a dozen messages or personal applications away from this story. For me, it reads off as being a book about loneliness. As an introvert, I find that I focus only one a few friends at any given time. This isn't intentional rudeness (I try very hard not to be exclusive or rude!) but my energies and attention tend to only go so far. From time to time there's a life "shake up" and a close friend might move away or involve themselves in other things. At any rate, some sort of separation occurs in some natural manner and at those times I tend to feel a sense of loneliness. But when I "look beyond my ears" I always find that God has someone (or someones) waiting in the wings awaiting my attention. Through these friends I find myself blessed beyond measure. All of my friends hold a special place in my heart and life and as I've been (and am continuing to) grow up, I realize that the sky is quite full of stars. This book hinted to me of this.

Just the fact that I experienced a deep emotion from The Fox and the Star makes it an interesting one to discuss. It's not really a book for adults. But it is. It isn't necessarily geared towards kids, yet mine enjoyed it very much. (They liked the fox.) This story does have a certain timeless, classic feel to it but at the same time, I can't exactly state that the story is as beautiful as it could have been or is completely deserving of the hype it is receiving. One Goodreads reader noted that if the story had been told in poetry form, or if there was more of a cadence or pattern to the words, it would have suited the book better. I happen to agree. I think between the illustrations and the fact that the author felt and wanted to communicate some great truth, more thought should have been given to the text. The illustrations are perfect and yes, the text tangles up into it, but it could have been more polished.

I would not say that this book is genius, but I would say its interesting. I wouldn't say it's provocative, but I would say that it promotes some amount of thinking. I don't know that I'd make the claim that this book is even timeless! But I suppose anything is possible. The only thing I will say for The Fox and the Star is that it is unique and that it is wonderfully illustrated.

Did I enjoy it? In the end, I did so, despite the fact that it wasn't all I was expecting it to be. My kids also liked it and I'm glad for that. It's not a holiday specific read. It's probably not one that I would personally want to read again and again but I'm glad to have had the chance to read it at all.

Many thanks to Penguin Books who sent a copy of this book my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and, as always, all opinions are 100% my own. (This has to be one of the most ridiculous disclaimers to have to keep typing. Have you ever known me to share a thought that was not my own personal opinion?)

A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer

Several years ago I read a Georgette Heyer book with my in town book club. I don't recall enjoying it. In fact, I think I probably didn't. However, someone somewhere out there in book bloggy land read and reviewed A Civil Contract. It sounded like an interesting read and I marked it down as a "want to read at some point in the future."

Fast forward until just a month or so ago when my friend (who had recommended the first Heyer book) mentioned that she was reading A Civil Contract. Aha! She owned a copy and she promptly agreed to lend it to me so that I could enjoy it as well. She assured me that I would enjoy this story and she was absolutely right about that! I found this to be an absolutely absorbing book.

A Civil Contract tells the story of an arranged marriage between Jenny Chawleigh, daughter of a self-made financier, and Adam Deveril, a nobleman without a fortune. Jenny's father wants her to marry into a title and Adam finds himself with a practical need to marry for finances. The two had come into contact with one another through a mutual friend named Julia. Adam really wanted to marry Julia but without financial means to support her, Julia's father instead encouraged Adam to accept the arrangement proposed by Mr. Chawleigh. Jenny admires Adam but knows that he does not love her. Instead of asking for love, she spends her time studying to know him better and prove herself a credit towards him.

The romantic tension in this book comes between Julia and Adam as they occasionally rub elbows post-Adam's marriage. The reader can clearly see that Julia wasn't made for Adam and that Jenny is a much better fit but, as is the case in real life, personal dreams of what we believe we "should" have had overshadow the blessings staring us right in the face. As my friend pointed out, this book is unique in that it focuses on a marriage relationship instead of a courting/dating relationship. The vows have been said but the couple doesn't really know each other. (Again, this is also like real life. *wink*)

While I didn't really care for the first Heyer book that I read, this one I had a hard time putting down. To be more truthful and blunt, I found the story so interesting and compelling that I resented every interruption that came my way. This is not a good attitude to have about a book when you are in the midst of a family. It's probably a really good thing that most books do not capture my attention in the same way or else I would be forced to quit reading entirely.

I liked A Civil Contract for many reasons. Number one, it's very well written. I have been duly informed that Georgette Heyer is an expert on the time period she writes in. She apparently researched her books thoroughly and included many true tidbits from history into her stories. That made it fun reading because you know that when she is talking about something that the Prince Regent said or did, it really happened. Secondly, her characters are extremely believable. Not one person is over the top or jars you out of time and place. Thirdly, although this is a romantic story it is extraordinarily tame. No worries about scenes or language or anything sketchy which would set the conservative reader on edge. I could totally relax and follow the storyline without worry. Then too, I find the story more real than most that you read. Not all relationships (any?) are blissful through and through forever and ever amen. Nor are all struggles the volcanic type. Sometimes life is just a a quiet challenge, and we're all just trying to figure out how to get through and make as much of a success of things as possible. Such was the case with Jenny and Adam which makes them truly likable people. They have ideals and standards, but they also are honest about their weaknesses and have to work out their own boundaries.

If you're looking for a fun book which takes a different look at relationship, check this one out. It's fascinating, educational and, again, just an easy good time. After this experience, I am no longer adverse to Georgette Heyer. I can very well see myself reading another of her works someday.

Many thanks to my friend who lent it to me!

Snippets

I'm falling behind in making notes about what books I've read this year! I've got to pick up the pace and quick! To that end, I'll offer up a few "snippets" for today:

The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls was the last of my Facebook Challenge reads that I had accepted. You might recall that the first of every year I invite a certain number of people to make a suggestion for a book that I then have to read in the coming year. In 2015 I invited 4 people to make such a suggestion and Shonya "assigned" me this book as one of my challenge reads.

I finished it several weeks ago and meant to write about it immediately, because it was something of a haunting read. I wanted to write my thoughts on it out of my system but instead I walked away from it and let them languish. (Whoops.) If you aren't aware of this story, know that it's a New York Times Bestseller and a memoir by Jeannette Walls. In this book she shares her growing up experience with a set of parents who might by all accounts be considered deadbeats, but whom she really adored as a young child. Their family moved all over the country during Walls' childhood, due to her father's inability or interest in holding down a job. Both of her parents enjoyed the concept of having a free spirit that could wander about at whim and fancy. Doing whatever pleased them most seemed to be their life goal. The problem what that is that you can't do just anything you like when you have three children in your care. Jeannette and her siblings knew what it was like to be and/or feel alone, to be freezing cold in the wintertime, and to be hungry year 'round.

As Jeannette comes of age, she begins to feel the urge to make something of herself. She wants to take more care of not just her own person but of her siblings too. She set goals for herself and worked hard at them. I would say that Jeannette Walls has done a great job striking out on her own and pursuing hard goals. She has succeeded in much that she has put her hands to, but never quite lost the respect a child always feels for their parent, regardless of how they are or are not cared for. Walls had a challenging set of parents to write a story about but she does so in such a fashion so as to provoke a sense of compassion in the reader. I'm not quite sure how she managed that as I'm typically not very compassionate towards those who absolutely refuse to work. I can't say that I understand her father at all, but she explains him so that I feel sorry for him, to some extent or another. One thing that I really appreciated her saying was that people with brokenness in their life have some of the best stories to offer. I think there's truth to that. We're all broken but not all of us admit it. If we were to do so, honestly, our stories would be vastly more interesting. We are able to connect with the Walls family in part because she lays all things bare. With nothing hidden, you can find places to identify and connect with and that's pretty amazing.

This isn't a bright and peppy book, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an interesting one. I think it would make a good book club read because the characters contained herein definitely stand out. Plus there's a lot of social topics to be discussed as a result of reading and thinking about the Walls family story. Anyway, if you like memoir and you like being provoked to thought, then this is a title to be considered.

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Another title which I devoured in an afternoon (it's short enough to do so) was Hurry Henrietta by Molly Cone. I picked this one up at a used bookstore simply because I thought the premise sounded interesting. It was described as a book about a young Jewish girl who was the oldest of five daughters. Her siblings all grew up and fell in love but she never married, being very focused on educational pursuits instead. Come to find out, this is a true story about Henrietta Szold who you can read about here. She was a U.S. born Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America.

Hurry Henrietta tells a very condensed version of her life story. Author Molly Cone says of it, "This story leaves out a great many things - you cannot really call it a biography - for it picks and chooses among the events of her life to find her "true" story. Call it only a story." That's probably the most honest disclaimer I've ever seen in a book! That is also a very good description as a great many liberties are taken when it comes to picking and choosing which parts of Henrietta's life to focus on. This story is something of a hodge podge of random bits and pieces from Henrietta's life and it is not very neatly stitched together at that. While I learned who Henrietta Szold was and noted a few interesting things about her personality, there wasn't a great deal more to it than that. I think Cone's idea was to clue you in on Henrietta's existence. In so far as that, she did a great job.

As you might gather, I wasn't enamored with the book. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting to discover when I purchased it to read. Sometimes you have to take a gamble and on this one I learned about someone I had never heard of before. In my mind, that makes this book which wasn't a total waste but I don't know that I'd go about recommending it as being the greatest thing ever. If you come across it and her story sounds a little bit compelling, it makes for an interesting and quick read.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum

Late last month I was asked if I would like to review a copy of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and it was one of those moments when I couldn't say "YES!" fast enough. (It's rare I'll turn down a chance to read a fun Christmas story.) Penguin Classics recently reprinted this story by L. Frank Baum which was originally appeared on the scene in 1902. You'll note Baum's name, of course, as being the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which had been published two years prior. I read Oz back in 2009 (linked to my review which I personally find to be poorly written) and thought it was weird. Honestly, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a Baum Christmas tale if it was told in the same style as Oz but the fact that the theme was Christmas convinced me to take the plunge, regardless.

I am tremendously glad to have "taken a chance" on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. It was an absolute fantastic, magical tale and one which I would suggest is not to be missed in your Christmas reading. Unlike in Oz, Baum has a rhyme and rhythm in writing about Claus. It passes off as more of a fairy tale than anything else. The basic plot is that a mortal babe is found in the woods near the immortals. The immortals are not to have anything to do with human mortals, but a nymph named Necile asks to be allowed to take charge of the human infant and raise him. She is granted permission to do so and, as you might guess, she names the child Claus.

Claus spends his growing up years in the fellowship and community of the immortals. When he is full grown he is introduced to the world of men and he finds himself needing to make his way among them. He settles in a place called Laughing Valley where he builds his home and new life among men. This book is divided up into life sections of Claus, describing first his childhood then his adulthood, concluding with the explanation of how it was that he ultimately became immortal himself. Along his journey we see how he came to begin crafting toys for children, how and when he began using reindeer, as well as the evolution of the chimney and stocking traditions. It's all cleverly told in an engaging manner which kept me spell-bound from the first to the last page.

I didn't grow up believing in Santa Claus but always thought he was a rather fun character. My children understand that though he is not real, he is based on a real person and that person was worth admiring. We like reading stories about this jolly, giving soul and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus foot the bill when it came to a relaxing, enjoyable Christmas read. As soon as I was done with it, I passed it along to my oldest (age 9) who read it in two days and said he enjoyed it also. This is a title that I'll be sliding up on my shelf to re-read in Christmas seasons to come. If you have a chance to look it up, DO! It's just plain, jolly fun.

Many thanks to Penguin Classics who sent a copy of the above title my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

It had been years (and years and years) since I'd read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson. In fact, the last time I read it I think I was thirteen years old. Some friends of mine were performing in the local theater's production of the same title and I volunteered to operate the show curtains which was my first foray into the world of local theater. I figured I had best know what the story was about so I read the book. (I know that some people absolutely love theater productions but I can't say I'm terribly enthusiastic most of the time. That's due in large part to working behind the scenes every now and again on a production, but I digress.)

Getting back to the book, as I say I hadn't read it in years and wanted to revisit it before handing it over to my kids. If you are unfamiliar with the storyline, I'll let the Amazon description fill you in (because I'm feeling lazy):

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an extremely short and fast read, coming in at roughly 80 pages. I previewed it for my kids in under an hour. As I read along I laughed and snickered and figured that my kids would get a pretty big kick out of the characters and the story. The first of the six chapters opens up with a pretty good description of the Herdman kids being an incredibly rowdy bunch. Truthfully I wouldn't care to have them over to our house because they are too much of too much. Lured to Sunday School by the false promise of marvelous desserts, they show up to church and hear the announcement for the upcoming Christmas pageant. Then and there they decide that, not only do they want to participate in the performance, they also want the lead roles and threaten and cajole their way into them. The church body is in an uproar but plans proceed with the Herdman clan portraying not only the Holy Family but also the wisemen, with the youngest daughter taking the role of "The Angel of the Lord". I can see how this situation would provoke distress among church members. The lovely message that is "preached" in this book by Robinson though is that the Gospel has the power to change even the most rebellious of hearts. As a result of their exposure to the Christmas story, the Herdmans find their hearts softened to truth. We are not told what their lives look like post-Christmas pageant but we do know that there is a tenderness visible in them that was not there previously.

As mentioned, I wanted to preview this story before handing it over to my oldest to read for himself and, in the end, I'm glad that I did. Although I love the story and the message behind it, I was a bit put off by a few things. Twice Robinson has the Herdman kids swear using the Lord's name in vain and that's not something I really want my kids reading at this moment in time. (Why? Because they are at a stage where their vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and, more importantly, God says not to use His name in vain.) Secondly, there is an incident during one of the practices where the subject of underwear comes up and certain children are threatening to tell their mother that underwear is being discussed in church. It's a rather humorous situation but the story about the underwear grows until the pastor declares that he heard that all the Herdman kids do during rehearsals is "talk about sex and underwear." It's one brief sentence and my son might have glazed past it but I really just don't feel like we need to start reading about sex at the age of 9. I thought about blacking out that sentence and just telling him that I didn't want him to read what it said just yet. But then I internally chuckled and thought about what a dumb exercise I've considered that to be when I've overheard other people doing the same. Blacked out words only serve to make me MORE curious. Besides, the idea isn't to keep him away from the subject forever (by no means!!!) but I do think that childhood is but a brief period of time and innocence preserved is a beautiful thing. He's under 10 years old, for crying out loud! Instead of blacking out anything, I left it alone but decided to make this a read aloud book and in this way I could just edit out the few things I don't want my 3, 4, 6 and 9 year old exposed to quite yet. All of them will be reading the non-blacked out version for themselves in a few years, so no worries. It'll come, but I don't see the need to rush it.

There was a sense of disappointment in not feeling able to hand this book over freely at the moment, but this feeling did not distract from our enjoyment of the story. I read it aloud to everyone and we all got a good chuckle out of the antics of the Herdmans and their questions and interpretations surrounding the Christmas story. We read the book in two sittings only because I forced them to. My kids would gladly have sat still for the entire book in one sitting had I the voice for it. Sometimes though it's better to linger, right?

I can see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever being an annual read for our family for the next several years. (It helps that it's so short! Makes it easy to squeeze in!) Overall it was fun, we all enjoyed it, and so I'd recommend it with those two notes of warning for the conservative reader.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas, by Agatha Christie

Ahhh! Nothing says murder like.....Christmas?

A month or so ago I started scrounging around online for different Christmas-focused reading suggestions. One of the titles which popped up was Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie. I haven't read anything by Christie in eons and December demands cozy reads. I don't know why murder mysteries fall into the "cozy reads" category but somehow or another, they do. I shall not overthink that.

I found a copy of Hercule Poirot's Christmas and snatched it up, anxious to get at it. Last weekend I found myself with plenty of time and some attention to give so I settled into this story. It should be noted that this book was published under two additional titles: Murder for Christmas and A Holiday for Murder so if you think you have not yet read this title, double check before picking it up. In this story, a cranky multi-millionaire by the name of Stanley Lee unexpectedly and mysteriously invites all of his children home for Christmas. This is remarkable because he is estranged from many of his children and the majority of the family members dislike one another. Yet for one reason or another they all make the decision to come home for Christmas in hopes that they will have a moderately good time. Things don't go exactly as planned though, primarily because Mr. Lee has had such fun provoking his children to wrath that no decent relationship can possible exist. You can see his murder coming from the get-go. In Christie-like fashion it's just a matter of determining which relation did the old man in. Hercule Poirot is brought in to solve the case and it is no surprise that, eventually, he sorts out all of the clues and successfully names the murderer.

This read was everything I hoped it would be: entertaining, easy reading, relaxing, and it also contained a few moments of hilarity. I'm not too sure why Christie's books can be described that way but there we have it. (Again, let's not overthink this.) One of my favorite Christmas authors is Donna VanLiere but I kind of wanted a change of pace this year. Instead of a happy Christmas romance - (Hey! They have their place!) - I wanted something different, but not too difficult. I wanted a  keep-the-lights-on-please sort of cozy story. Christie won and I had a great time. I must say though that I hope for a better Christmas experience than the one that the Lee family "enjoyed", personally speaking. (Heh)

If you're looking for something different this Christmas season and you like a good mystery, this one is perfectly themed (aside from being somewhat macabre). It sounds so weird to say that a murder mystery makes for a great Christmas read, but Agatha Christie is such a good mystery writer that I can't help but confess to enjoying it. Make of me what you will. I'll have to abide by your impression in this case.

Kids' Travel Journal

Taking a cue from Pinterest, our family kept a travel journal over the course of our trip to England which we went on earlier this year. Already that journal has come in handy as I'm piecing together a scrapbook of the trip. It's amazing how quickly you can forget the little details which stood out and made the days memorable. I'm so glad that we took notes as we went along (even if we didn't manage to keep up the pace and document the entire trip - the first half is soundly recorded!).

When we returned home I saw this Kids' Travel Journal from Peter Pauper Press and I was so curious to check it out! I was kindly sent a copy for review. If you have some kids on your Christmas list that you know will be traveling in the coming year, you might (definitely) want to consider this book. I've peeked at a few travel journals and none appealed to me so much as this one did, which I do think is rather practical and which I plan to take along with us on our next adventure.

The following information is essential for the person doing the packing: the dimensions of this journal are 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches. It's big enough for lots of notes and information to be included in it but thin enough not to be a bear in the suitcase or backpack. It is a hardback book but I think that's fairly important for a travel journal which you hope will hold up under the weight of travel. All in all, I find it to be a manageable size and I don't have any hesitations in deciding to pack it.

I like the fact that this Kids' Travel Journal opens with several pages for pre-travel experiences. There are prompts to get the child to think about where they are going and what the plans are when they get there. There is also a page available to write down what the child would like to see and do while on the adventure which is pretty sweet. Sometimes kids will surprise you in revealing what is most important to them about any given trip. Personally, we think it's a great idea to get input from all family members so that you can better plan a trip which is enjoyable for all ages and interest and this page is remarkably useful to that end.

There are, of course, some pages which I find to be rather impractical and which I can't see us using but that's to be expected in any pre-arranged journal, I think. For instance, I'm not so sure that I'd fill out the pages which allow you to write out your itinerary (which one shall we set aside as a "sick day"?) but those more concerned with sticking to the plan might still enjoy that feature. I also wouldn't list out the "important contacts" on the off chance that the book would get lost but, again, others might find that useful. Do note that this book allows for a 14-day excursion. Depending on what type of trip you'll be on, you will want to consider that.

The later section of the book includes puzzles and games to keep the user occupied which is a clever idea. Those types of pages keep the journal in the hands of the user, encouraging interaction and documentation. There is also what I would call a "trip in review" section where the writer is encouraged to talk about the most memorable aspects of the trip as well as document any unique experiences had when returning home.

Really, if I were going to gift a travel journal to a child, the Kids' Travel Journal would be the one. It's far and away the most useful kids' journal I've run across, with plenty of space to write one's thoughts out and writing prompts that are appropriate, intelligent and helpful. I'm definitely a fan.

This makes for a fun and also practical gift to anyone planning a vacation in the coming year. Just a note to keep it in mind!

Many thanks to Peter Pauper Press who kindly sent a copy of this book my direction in order to facilitate a review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my own.