12 BOOKS YOU AND YOUR CHILD WILL LOVE TO READ TOGETHER THIS CHRISTMAS! Each book is linked for your convenience to Amazon, where you can opt to view a few more of the pages inside, OR simply take the information provided, and go to your local library and pick it up from there! Click here for the full disclosure.
by Helaine Becker and Werner Zimmermann
Recommended ages: 4-10
I picked up “A Porcupine in a Pine Tree” because it had the word “Canadian” in it’s title. I love Canadian. I am Canadian. I want Canadian. Then I started reading and dropped it. It’s the 12 Days of Christmas song. IT’S SO REPETITIVE!! Who wants to read that? However.. I apparently left it out because a couple of hours later I was making supper in the kitchen and heard singing and giggling.. over and over... I peak around the corner into the living room and my husband and my 4 year old are sitting all snuggled together laughing and singing loudly. They LOVED this book. So, for their sake, because dad’s read books too, and because I don’t know everything, I give you “A Porcupine in a Pine Tree: A Canadian 12 Days of Christmas.”
Parents will enjoy this book because . . . (if you are Canadian) because it is uniquely Canadian: pine trees, puffins, Stanley Cups, a hockey fight, RCMP officers, loons, beavers, moose.. it is just SO Canadian. If you are Vancouver Canucks fan.. sorry.. so sorry. The team featured here is the Toronto Maple Leafs. If you can get over that..you’ll be ok. If you are not Canadian, it might not make sense. On the other hand, there are epic Canadian icons cast in this book so if you want to learn about Canadian culture, come on in and read the book, eh!
Kids will enjoy this book because . . . well, it repeats itself, so they can catch on. My 4 year old kept waiting for her part: “and a por-kee-pine in a PINE TREEEEEEEE!” The illustrations are humorous. While the words repeat themselves, the characters do different things on each page as new objects, people, and animals are added to the story. It’s pretty fun. In the end they all get in a scrap, which... kids find fun.. the whole idea of watching someone else do something bad so they get in trouble but we get to experience watching it unfold.
Parents and kids will enjoy the fact that this is not a book to be read alone or quietly. It is meant to be shared.. loudly.
So, from me, not much . . . but my 4 year old gave it 4 (yes FOUR) thumbs up, wide eyes, big nods and a silent, open mouthed laugh. My husband.. he gave it 2 thumbs up and he followed me around for a while asking me when I was going to review this amazing book. Enjoy!!
Disclosure: If you purchase anything from links in this email or others that I send, I may receive some kind of affiliate commission. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend whether I was being compensated or not.