The other day I came across a fun book at the library, and much like when you give a mouse a cookie, when you give a teacher one good book, she has to find out if it’s a series.
The Twelve Days of Christmas in New York City, as you might guess, features 12 great things about NYC, all to the tune of the popular Christmas carol. One page features the song lyrics, the opposing page gives facts in the form of a letter home from the main character.
My son, who is five, happens to be obsessed with the song — we even own a Halloween book that uses the tune. He delights in finding out what each page brings, and finds parody songs hilarious, so he’s really enjoying the song option in his book. (“They said, ‘two dinosaurs instead of two turtledoves! ha!'”)
My daughter, who is eight and in love with the idea of New York City, read each letter home and took notes. She’s planning our time in NYC next summer carefully, and this book has given her a few things to add to the list of sights to see. (“Mom, did you know you can take a ferry and see the Statue of Liberty?”)
With a little poking around on Amazon, it turns out there is an entire set of books with this theme. I was able to find books featuring Washington DC, New Jersey, Oklahoma, California, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and Wisconsin.These books would make a great gift for kids to prepare for a trip, or to share what winter is like where you live. Now that I know it’s a series, I may look into ordering some of the other titles for future years, especially as we expand our travels with the kids.
What good books have you found at your library lately that’s led you on a quest for more?