Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Read Aloud

Each year I grab a collection of Christmas books to share with the classes I teach.  Generally I try to find something they haven't already heard; there are plenty of Christmas books out there to choose from.
This year I was lucky enough to have Harper Collins send me several new books, one of which is Charlie and the Christmas Kitty by Ree Drummond. 
I love Ree's Pioneer Woman website and cookbooks. And I already knew Charlie from her first picture book, Charlie the Ranch Dog. 
This Christmas book was a hit with every class I read it to.  Charlie is the narrator of this story which led to some good questions and discussion with the students who wondered how anyone could know what a dog was really saying.  And it doesn't hurt that Charlie is funny as he comes to terms with the fact that there is now a kitten on the ranch. 
I loved the colorful illustrations in this book- done by one of my favorite author/illustrators, Diane deGroat,  and the students especially loved the mini-scavenger hunt on each page as they tried to locate the chipmunk in each picture.
I'm sure Charlie the Ranch Dog will be up to more adventures at some point, and I can't wait to hear from him again.

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