December Stories and Songs, Part Eight

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It's not a day I regularly celebrate nor a doctrine in which I believe, but it seemed like a good day to honor Mary, the Mother of God.  In my tradition (Pilgrims, Puritans, Calvin, Zwingli) we are slowly getting better about this.

For today's story, we're back with the inimitable Tomie de Paola. The book is one of his very best, The Clown of God. It's based on Anatole France's story Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, (The Juggler of Our Lady) and retold and illustrated by de Paola in a colorful, Renaissance-inspired style. The message of this story, I think, is that what we do, our vocation, if it is done as well as we can do it and done with love, is pleasing to God.  

With many renditions to choose from, I picked the Wiener Saengerknaben (the Vienna Boys' Choir) to sing the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria for this day.  I have it on this old CD called Christmas Favorites, but it's on several of their other albums as well.  Whether you pray to Mary or simply revere her as the God-bearer, I hope you will enjoy this song and story today or some time soon.

December Stories and Songs, Part Seven

The book for today combines two themes that were much on our minds (Sisterfilms' and mine) that December -- a New England Christmas and making, rather than buying, presents. Lucy's Christmas, by Donald Hall with illustrations by Michael McCurdy, is based on Hall's mother's childhood in rural Vermont in the early 20th century. The farm and small-town setting, in which the whole town gets together for the Christmas program and tree, is something few people today experience. Even the store-bought presents coming from the Sears, Roebuck catalog would be a novelty to today's children. (Although I've seen many a Glenwood wood-burning kitchen range in my time!) Donald Hall, who was U.S. Poet Laureate in 2006, is a New England treasure.

To go with this book, the song I chose was O Little Town of Bethlehem, to the preferred American tune by Lewis Redner, sung by Janis Hardy and the Plymouth Music Series Ensemble Singers on the CD Now It Is Christmas Again, compiled from Prairie Home Companion broadcasts. It's one of the songs mentioned in the book and, as an American carol, seemed most appropriate.

December Stories and Songs, Part 3

Off to Italy today with Tomie de Paola and a rollicking tale of what happens when Big Anthony tries to comply with Strega Nona's rule about preparing for Christmas with no magic.  Sisterfilms thought that I should post disclaimers about some of the stories, because they might make readers or listeners cry.  This one won't, unless you laugh until you cry.  (By the way, if you want to read some very nice memoirs about Tomie de Paola's Christmas celebrations over the years, his book Christmas Remembered, published by Putnam in 2006, is a winner).

Years ago, the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis did a wonderful stage version of Merry Christmas, Strega Nona. At one point, shepherds from the Abruzzi come into Strega Nona's village playing their bagpipes, in the Canzone di Zampognari (in Italian variously Quanno nascette Nino and Tu scendi dalle stelle).  I recognized the tune as one I'd heard on a folk music album with English words. The song was 'Twas on a Night Like This, the words by Pete Seeger, and the album I now have is this one: 'Twas on a Night Like This, a Folk-Legacy recording featuring Cathy Barton, Dave Para, the Paton family, Ed Trickett, and even a reading of Howard Thurman's Benediction by Gordon Bok.  The song is also available for download as sung by Pete Seeger, from the Smithsonian website in conjunction with Folkways.

So, grab a biscotto and an espresso (or Italian soda, for the uncaffeinated) and spend some time in Italy with dePaola's sunny colors.  A perfect antidote for any grey skies you may be seeing outside!

December Stories and Songs, First Day

It's a bit late in the day here on the East Coast, but I'm still going to start this out so that there will be a story and song suggestion for each day up to December 24th.

For a few years now I've been recording a story and adding a song or two as a way of sharing Advent with Sisterfilms although she is far away.  The list I'll be posting this year is actually from 2006.  Therefore, there will be one story that comes on the wrong day for this year -- the one for the first night of Chanukah, which was December 15 that year, but is December 21 this year. Of course, you can read the stories in any order you like.

The very first story, and the one that gave me the idea to do this, is one we have loved for a number of years. I blogged about it last year in one of the Advent Friday Fives.  It's Karin's Christmas Walk by Susan Pearson. Unfortunately it appears to be out of print, but there are several used copies available through Amazon.com and other online used booksellers, and there's also a good chance you can get it at your local library.

For a song to go with this book, which is about coming home for Christmas (and waiting for someone to come home for Christmas), I chose I'll Be Home for Christmas.  A number of people have recorded this, notably Bing Crosby, but I'd also like to suggest Neal and Leandra's version, which includes the intro, as Bing's version does not.

Each day I will have a new story and song suggestion;most of this year's are suitable for younger children, a few would be more suited for older kids just because of length and vocabulary.