Bea and Jules, Day 25!

Happy Advent!

Happy Christmas!

-

from Jules and Charlie

and Bea -

and me. 

Bea and Jules - Day 23

Candles!

Jules gets to sit and be quiet for a long time. 

So she makes a poem.

Bea and Jules, Day 22:

Sugar plums.

Jules read stacks of Christmas books to Charlie.
Now Charlie wants to ride a North Pole train,
find polar bears and magic jingle bells.
And he wants to dream about dancing sugar plums. But who knows what sugar plums are?
Jules tells him they are a new kind of cereal.
Now "Sugar Plum Cereal" is on Charlie's Christmas list.

What books would you recommend to Charlie for dreams about dancing sugar plums? 

  

The Night Before Christmas - Clement C. Moore, Richard Jesse Watson
The Nutcracker - E.T.A. Hoffman, Maurice Sendak
The Polar Express - Chris Van Allsburg

Santa Calls - William Joyce

The Three Snow Bears - Jan Brett

The Mitten - Jim Aylseworth, Barbara McClintock

The Snowman - Raymond Briggs

Bea and Jules, Day 19:

Jules has the best, best news!

Gran is starting to feel better! 

Gran says that after last night's music, 

she almost feels as spry as a snap pea and fit as a fiddle.
Almost!

Today she is sharing pie secrets,
and Jules is all ears.

How is that for a little bit of Christmas magic?

Bea and Jules, Day 15

Wreathy Making

Today, Bea and Jules forage for outside presents.

Charlie helps.

          

             ”Remember, Charlie - don’t eat wild berries!”

Gather, bunch, bend, and tie. 

Wreathy gifts! 

Oops. Charlie's has heaps of branches,  

but they're all sticks! 

Thankfully, Bea always has a plan.

What can she do with a pile of sticks?

Wrap them with yarn and bells.
Or paint them to look like long red elves! 

Now Bea can check “make stick presents” off her list. 

What are your favorite crafty things to make this time of year? 

Bea and Jules, Day 13

Oranges

Today Jules is making presents - pomanders with oranges and cloves. 

She watched her gran make them, and now it's Jules' turn! 

Won't Gran be surprised?  

Books:

An Orange for Frankie - Patricia Polacco

Bea and Jules, Day 12

DAY 12: Secrets. 

Jules and Bea are Secret Angels this year.

They swapped names. 

Guess who they have? 

Yep. 

They send secret notes every day. 

“Have a good day!
- From, your Secret Angel”

Also they send things like…

Glitter. (Thanks, Jules.) 

A pretty leaf. 

A rock from the parking lot.

A bottle cap. 

A singing train.  (Sorry, Charlie!!)
More glitter!

Books!

    

The Jolly Christmas Postman - Janey & Allan Ahlberg

The Dove's Letter - Keith Baker

A Letter to Amy - Ezra Jack Keats

Fanny & Annabelle - Holly Hobbie

Bea and Jules - Day 11

Good news for Jules!

Bea and Jules, Day 10:

Today Jules has the most wonderful idea. 

What do you think Gran will say?

So Many Brilliant Dog Books! Here are just a few:

The Stray Dog, Marc Simont

Carl's Christmas - Alexandra Day

The Christmas Day Kitten - James Herriot, Ruth Brown

Angus Lost - Marjorie Flack

Harry the Dirty Dog -  Gene Zion, Margaret Bloy Graham

Charley's First Night - Amy Hest, Helen Oxenbury

The Dog Who Belonged to No One - Amy Test, Amy Bates

Boot & Shoe - Marla Frazee

Tupelo Rides the Rails - Melissa Sweet

What are your favorite dog books?

Bea and Jules, Day 9

Day 9: Snow!

Snow!

Bea and Jules finally got their wish!

Jules is outside, celebrating in it.  

Bea is curled up by the window, watching.

What are you celebrating today?

What's your favorite thing to do when it snows? 

Bea and Jules - Day 8

Bea still really wants it to snow.  

Jules, too!

They gather up glue and clean jars

and a few dollhouse toys. 

Bea glues toys inside each jar.

She makes Jules wait while they dry. 

  

Jules grabs the glitter!

Shake, shake, shake!

Now, close the lid.... Shake again

Snow globe!

Bea and Jules, Day 7 - Night Tree

Day 7: Night Tree.

Well! 

Jules may have planned for the animals to wake up and talk on Christmas 
Eve, but the animals didn’t know they were supposed to wait.  

Maybe they already had something to talk about.

          “Psst! Spread the word! Feast at the Night Tree!”

The treats Jules and Charlie made are already gone. 

Nibbled up. 

Vanished.

            “At least they had a party!” Jules sighs.  

That’s okay. There is still plenty to do to bring Christmas to everyone else. 

Books ! 

THE FRIENDLY BEASTS - Tomie DePaola
THE NIGHT TREE - Eve Bunting
OWL MOON - Jane Yolen, John Schoenherr

Bea and Jules, Day 6

Day 6: 

Gifts for the birds. And beasts.

According to legend, animals have the power to speak to humans for one mysterious hour every Christmas Eve. 

Jules wants to be ready! 

She and Charlie make treats for the birds and all the other animals - peanut butter-birdseed-pinecones, birdseed cakes, and strings threaded with berries - and hang them up on an outside tree.

Now, she and Charlie have to wait until Christmas Eve to find out! 

Will the animals come?

What will they say?

Bea and Jules, Day 5

Day 5: Tree hunt

Gran had a fake tree last year, but Jules is pretty sure a fresh tree will be just what Gran needs to feel better. 

Uncle Moony is not convinced, but Jules is good at arguing. 

They go to a tree farm thirty minutes away. 

What do you think:
Fake or fresh trees? 

Day 5 & 1/2:

On the way home, Jules sees a cloud of birds.
Jules wonders what kinds of holidays birds celebrate. Uncle Moony tells her this bird cloud is made up of starlings, and a group of them is called a murmuration, so Jules makes up a murmuring sort of poem. 

Maybe birds don't have holidays.
Maybe they are always celebrating. 

Jules is pretty sure she would be, if she could fly.

And what do you think Jules’ gran did when they came in with the tree?  

She almost dropped her coffee cup. 

But Jules’ gran is used to the idea now,
and she says it will be perfect. “Perfectly Jules.”

Books!

No Two Alike - Keith Baker

Birds of Bethlehem - Tomie DePaola

Bea and Jules, Day 4

Day 4: Snowflakes

Bea is impatient for snow. She really, really wants it to snow. 

So, she gets out paper and scissors. 

Fold. Fold. Fold. Fold. 

She folds her paper into a nice, pizza triangle. 

Snip. 

Paper wedges drift to the floor. 

almost like snow.
The hardest part is knowing when to stop cutting.
Maybe Bea's snowflakes will give the sky a hint!

Snow Books!

The Snow Blew Inn - Dian Curtis Regan, Doug Cushman
Winter Bees, and Other Poems of the Cold - Joyce Sidman, Rick Allen
Over and Under the Snow - Kate Messner

Bea and Jules, Day 3

Day 3:

Charlie wants to write a letter to Santa. Jules is happy to help. 

“Dear Santa, Happy December! Charlie wants ANOTHER train! This is okay with me, but pleeeese not one that SINGS!!! His old one that sings is hiding under my bed because it was ANNOYING! Also, I  think Charlie wants extra candy to give to his sister (me). And if you can make Gran feel better, we will even be okay without the candy. 

Love, Charlie (and Jules!!)”

Books!

The Jolly Christmas Postman, Janet & Allan Ahlberg 

The Dove's Letter, by Keith Baker

I can't wait to read "How Winston Delivered Christmas," by Alex T. Smith.