December

December is an excellent month for finding wonderful stories to tell with the use of props.  Not only is there an abundance of outstanding Christmas books arriving daily on the new book shelf, there are several other December events that provide for good story "tells."  The first day of winter arrives in December usually along with the first snowfall, and Hanukkah and Kwanzna are other holidays celebrated during the month.  All of these provide great material for end of the year storytimes.

Today, our department received a new holiday book, Just Right for Christmas, by Birdie Black & Rosalind Beardshaw.  I can't wait to turn it into a prop story, but alas I will have to wait until next Christmas as we already have our programs for this December.  The story begins with a king who purchases a huge roll of bright red cloth.  He decides to have a cloak made for the princess.  The scraps of cloth are left outside the back door, where the maid finds them. She makes a jacket for her ma, and leaves her scraps outside her back door.  Bertie the badger picks them up and makes a hat for her pa.  She places the scraps by her back door and Samuel Squirrel grabs them to make a pair of gloves for his wife.  One tiny scrap of cloth blows out of his window into the snow where Milly the Mouse finds it.  On Christmas Eve, she makes a little red scarf for her son Billy and places it under their tiny Christmas tree.    On Christmas morning, all the recipients open their gifts.  The book ends with this sentiment:  "Each present was so soft and red and Christmassy and felt just right. . . . just how Christmas should feel."

I can see this being done as a flannel story.  You can use the characters right from the book, or if you have clip art books, appropriate characters usually can be found inside.  Clip art characters are also available online.  Once you have found the characters you want to use, copy and enlarge them to the size you want on the copy machine.  Cut them out and trace onto flannel pieces.  Cut out the flannel character, and then draw on the faces and the outline of their hair, clothes, and shoes with a black permanent marker.  Use fabric paints to paint in their hair and clothing.  I would also have different sizes of red flannel cloth to show as you are telling the story.  At the end, I would put up cut-out red flannels of the princess' beautiful long cloak,  the mother's red jacket, the badger's red hat, the squirrel's red gloves, and little Billy Mouse's tiny red scarf.  You don't  need to make extra flannel pieces of the gift recipients.  Oh, and of course, you will need a flannel board and easel to tell the story.  But then again, actually not.  I have made my own flannel boards in the past.  Just hot glue (or use fabric or tacky glue) felt pieces onto a heavy piece of cardboard.  If you don't have an easel, hold the felt board or find a way to keep it propped up as you tell the story.

I would also have an extra piece of the soft red flannel cloth to pass around at the end of the story so the children can feel the soft, red fabric.

But since I don't have this completed to actually show you photos of how to do it, I am going to my inventory of Christmas stories for future posts.  In my next few postings, these are the stories I will feature (not necessarily in this order):

Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
Dream Snow by Eric Carle
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
Hannah's Bookmobile Christmas by Sally Derby
Little Robin's Christmas by Jan Fearnley
The Snowball by Jennifer Armstrong
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Emma Kragen

Some more reviews of  Just Right for Christmas

This is a delightful tale with a nice rhyming cadence, a well-paced and clever buildup, and satisfying ending. The vibrant acrylic illustrations are charming and filled with action, fine for group storytime or bedtime sharing.
—School Library Journal

The endearing mixed-media illustrations, often arranged on the page within a simple sewing pattern, effectively capture the joy of the season. The warm message of the closeness of family pervades both text and pictures, and the final two-page spread brings all the inhabitants together, ice-skating in their brand-new finery—a lovely communal touch.
—Booklist online

http://www.mediamikes.com/2012/11/book-review-just-right-for-christmas/

http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/picture-book-saturday-just-right-for.html?showComment=1353927739938