Jump Into A Book

The Tomten and the Reynard (fox)

A tomte is just another word for a gnome. Tomtes know many things. They know what the weather will be by how quickly the squirrels are gathering nuts. They know how to find the tastiest mushrooms but most importantly, they know how to talk to animals, especially foxes.

The Tomten and the Fox is a story written by Astrid Lindgren and illustrated by Harald Wiberg. This is one of our absolute favorites this time of year.

As a fox sneaks up on the farm, a little tomte man watches over the family charged with his protection.

 Quietly the fox looks for something to eat. His eyes fall upon the hens which would make a tasty meal. Before he can do any damge the tomte stops him and talks him out of stealing hens by offering him a bowl of porridge. Satisfied the fox goes back to his den.

It seems the great talent of this old, old, tomte is to talk a fox out of stealing a hen.

***********Giveaway***********

Today we have such a wonderful giveaway. Mama Kopp has made the tomten and the fox. To have a chance at winning please leave a comment below. For three extra chances to win link to this blogpost. I'll close the comments at 9 pm on Thursday and a winner will be announced Friday morning.

Lucia: Child of Light

Out from the long dark winter comes a young and beautiful maiden with a wreath of candles on her head. Surrounded by her court of candle holding friends, wand holding star boys, and all of them singing of the hope and assurance that the light will return once again.

I took this book with me as I moved all over the globe just to make sure that I could share the story of Lucia wherever I went. It is and was my manual about the how's and why's of the St. Lucia celebration. Along with recipes, this book contains really fun tips to make sure that your Lucia celebration is fun and beautiful. Also included is the Santa Lucia song in both Swedish and English.

Something to Do

Not in either of the books we have highlighted here,"Lucia,child of light", or "Lucia Morning in Sweden" contain the very famous beverage we drink on this day as well. Glögg is a hot spicy drink which is drank throughout the whole holiday season but a huge pot of it is always brewing on my stove top for Lucia.

Glögg

· 4 cups of apple or grape juice

· ¼ cup of sugar

· 18 whole cloves

· 8 whole cardamom pods

· 1 cinnamon stick

· 1 piece of fresh ginger 1 inch long

· Serve with raisins and almonds

In a cooking pot pour your juice of choice and add all of the spices. Turn the heat onto medium and cook until the sugar has melted. Cover and leave it standing for an hour. Strain off the spices. Right before serving reheat and place in a thermos, glögg pot or slow cooker to keep it warm. For serving place into a cup or mug and top with raisins and almonds.

Lucia Morning in Sweden

This beautiful book has become a read-a-loud favorite in this house. Ewa Rydåker and illustrator Carina Ståhlberg have truly captured the spirit of "living" the Lucia tradition each year.  The book tells the old story of Sankta Lucia through the eyes of three children living in this time period. Set in Sweden, the story follows the adventures of Sofie, Louise, and Carl as they prepare for Lucia Day on December 13th. On that day, many Swedish people celebrate the legacy of Lucia and the coming of the light with coffe, saffron buns, ginger snaps, and wonderful singing. In addition to the story of the Svensson children, the book also includes the Lucia Song, recipes for ginger snaps and saffron buns, a short story of the Lucia legend, plus two patterns for the Lucia gown and star boy outfit.

Though this book contains a recipe for saffron buns, I haven't tried it. Since this  is the "Something To Do" book review, I thought I would share our tried and true family recipe for saffron buns. If you get the wrong recipe the buns turn out to be like stones. The recipe in the book is similar to ours but we do some prep work that guarantees the success of our buns. It seems I'm a little biased about Lucia buns. I want everyone to have a realll postive and beautiful experience.

This book sets the mood just perfectly.

Saffron Buns or Lussekattor pronounced "Lucy cat-tor"

Lucia Saffron Buns

Ingredients:

· 1 package of dry yeast

· ¼ cup of warm water

· ¾ cup of milk

· 1 ½ cup stick of butter

· 1 tsp of saffron threads

· ½ cup sugar

· ¼ tsp of salt

· 1 cup of raisins

· 2 eggs

· 31/2 to 4 cups of flour

· 1 beaten egg

 

Directions

1.    In a bowl place one cup of raisins in warm water covering the raisins. This is called “plumping”.

 

2.    In  a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water.

3.    While the yeast is proofing, in a pot scald the milk and then add the butter into the milk and heat gently until it has melted.  Once melted, take off the burner and let it cool until it is luke warm.

4.    Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lay the saffron threads on a pieces of parchment paper and place on a cookie sheet.  Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Once the saffron is toasted, take it out of the oven, fold the parchment paper over and roll over the saffron with a rolling pin until the saffron is in a powder form.  Add the saffron to the milk and butter mixture.

5.    Add the milk,butter,saffron mixture as well as the sugar, salt, eggs and drained raisins to the yeast mixture. In your kitchen aid or other mix master, beat until blended.  It should be smooth and satiny.

6.    Mix in half of the flour.  Once it is blended add the remaining flour gradually until each addition is blended well.  After all of the flour has been mixed in, let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

7.    Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and satiny.

8.    Place the dough in a  lightly oiled bowl , cover with a dish-towel and let raise for until doubled. This will take about 1 hour.

9.    Place parchment paper on  two large cookie sheets.

10.   After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 32 equal pieces.

11.   Cover all pieces with a dish-towel .

12.   Taking a piece of dough, roll it into an 8 inch rope. Shape it into a bun, S shape, snail or pretzel.

 
 

13.   To make even fancier shapes take two 8 inch ropes and make crosses, butterflies, or twisted ropes.

14.   As you finish each shape place it on the cookie sheet. Once a sheet in completely full, cover with a dish-towel to let it rise for 35 minutes.

15.   Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

16.   Beat and egg in a bowl. Using a pastry brush paint the egg wash over the buns completely.

17.   Sprinkle with pearl sugar (optional)

18.   Place in oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

19.   Buns are done when they are golden brown.

20.   This recipe makes about 20 buns.

 

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Carol

I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843.

 

And so it begins....our annual encounter with one of the most famous Christmas books of all times.

Last weekend I went to see the new Disney Animation version of this classic tale. It is brilliantly done, especically the 3-D version. I chose to go alone and check out the movie before I took my youngest and his friends. That it turned out, was a very wise choice. I might just be really whimpy, but there were moments when I was really scared in a ghostly sort of way.

One moment that stood out for me and had me hiding behind my coat, was when the door knocker was the scary floating ghost of Marley. AHhhhhhhh

Jim Carrey does a brilliant job portraying all of the characters. I love all of the flying one gets to do with spirits. We travel all through London in old times, present times, and present times looking at the future. It really feels like you're flying. It was so much fun.

The makers of this film really stuck true to the story which allowed those of us who know the story to get involved as a participant in the film as opposed to criticizing it. Another element which draws the viewer in , is the use of very familiar christmas carols. At the viewing I was at, people were singing loudly. It really added to the experience. It is because this movie is an experience that I caution taking young children to it or very imaginative children to it.

At dinner that night I had a wonderful conversation with the kids about this story and Charles Dickens. We've decided to listen to it and audible has made it easy. They are offering a rendering being read by Tim Curry for free. One can also find sites on-line that offer the book free of charge in its entirety.

Enjoy!

The Little Fir Tree

 
  

The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown is a heart grabber. The book has the most beautiful paintings which really remind me of my sweet boy "O". Jim Lamarche, the illustrator, has contributed to the magic of this great story.

They put golden tinsel

 on his branches

And golden bells

And green icicles

And silver stars

And red and green and blue

And purple chains of shining Christmas balls.

All alone in an empty field grew a little fir tree. It dreamed of being part of a forest, or part of anything at all. Then one winter day, a man takes the little fir tree away and it finds itself at the center of a little boy's very special celebration. This sweet little boy is special, he has a lame leg and he has never been to the forest and so his father brings the forest to him. This little tree gets planted in a wooden tub. "You have come to me from the wild green forest, and you are a part of my very own world." said the little boy.

In the spring the little tree is returned to the woods to grow through the summer only to return to the little boy the following winter. The tree loved to celebrate Christmas with the little boy but after a few years both of them became too big for this annual journey. I will not tell you the rest. You will just have to get yourself a copy and find out what happens.

Something To Do :

Since this story has heart we are going to make something wonderful for this tree. A thick felt heart. I'm going to take one of my favorite buttons to put it at the center of the heart and then add a string to hang it on our "outdoor" tree. It also makes a nice package tag.

• Make a heart pattern

•  Take a thick piece of felt any color and cut out one heart pattern

• Take your favorite button and glue it in the middle of the heart
• Use a small hole punch to make a hole a the top of your heart.
• Thread ribbon or string through the hole.
• Now hang it up.

 

There is something about December that has us running for our favorites of everything and that includes books. Today is cold and rainy. I would love it so much if it would just snow. Though this won't happen today, the only thing I can think of doing is pulling out one of our favorite books, "Snow" by Uri Shulevitz . We read this all winter long. First it starts with one snow flake and little by little

this small city is magically transformed into a winter wonderland.

  
 What is it about snow? The ugliest place can be transformed into a place of magic and mystery by this falling powder from the sky. Though there are many crafts we could do that would give us the feeling of snow and the remembrance of snow, I would rather wait for the real deal.

Snow Cream

  

   

When we moved to the Smoky Mountains we discovered a southern tradition called snowcream.Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow?  So today if you are in a place where it is snowing you can make yourself a little bowl of magic right now. For the rest of us, we will just have something to look forward to. 

• 8 cups of snow 
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar until dissolved. Add snow, stir until consistency is thick and creamy. Serve immediately. Might I suggest that it tastes great with chocolate chips or little goodies (small candy) too.

    

 

  

   

When we moved to the Smoky Mountains we discovered a southern tradition called snowcream.Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow?  So today if you are in a place where it is snowing you can make yourself a little bowl of magic right now. For the rest of us, we will just have something to look forward to. 

• 8 cups of snow 
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar until dissolved. Add snow, stir until consistency is thick and creamy. Serve immediately. Might I suggest that it tastes great with chocolate chips or little goodies (small candy) too.

    

 

The story of the Snow Children

I can't think of a better way to start off the December season than with the story of The story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers. Who couldn't love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter's feast. I was trying to remember the first time I heard this story and I can't remember. It seems like its been a constant throughout my life.

Now it's time for us to have a little fun. We are going to jump into this book by making message crowns to wear to the snow festival. It's just that we won't be doing it here but over here. This is a special jump that I designed for the new e-magazine Rhythm of Home. Today is it's maiden voyage with the very first issue.

Rhythm of Home is a creation of love by Heather of Shivaya Naturals and Bernadette from Sugar in my Bowl.  This quarterly online magazine hosts projects, articles, interviews, and recipes all embracing the rhythms of Waldorf and Montessori methods. 

For this edition they have a great list of contributors which includes Meg from Sew Liberated, Julia from Adirondack Mama, Eileen from Little Acorn Learning, Shelley from Waldorf Mama, and an interview with Amanda Soule and me.

You can find out more about jumping into books here and making message crowns here.

Virginia Lee Burton

Virginia Lee Burton's name may bring to mind a well loved steam shovel and his friend Mike Mulligan, a sweet little house, and a snow plow named Katy, but recently we have stumbled onto two other Virginia Lee Burton books that we just had to share.

The Song of Robin Hood is a collection of intricately designed and illustrated sagas of Robin Hood. Complete with music, this book has had us singing,creating costumes, and embracing true bard like behavior, while living inside these 18 ballads.

 

 
  
   
  

In a 20th anniversary edition, The Emperor's New Clothes brings back to life a fairytale classic. These illustrations are done in stunning colors and brings out the little details of the story. For myself I love the looms and the detail to weaving and sewing. Each time I look at this book I discover something new. I hadn't known that she had illustrated this story so it was a real treat when I discovered it at the bookstore.

For most of us we know Virgina Lee Burton as an illustrator, but she was also a dancer,musician,designer,sculptor,and printmaker. Along with all of these endeavors she lived a full and happy life with her husband Demetrios and their two sons.

As a family they raised sheep, entertained friends,taught art and design classes which later evolved into the Folly Cove Designers.

After living through both of these books I became very curious as to who this talented woman was. I spent a great afternoon watching a Sense of Place,on DVD. Like so many of us,she balanced a family life with creating. After knowing more about her,I'm so inspired and encouraged to keep moving forward,one creation at a time.

Great Green Reads for Boys and Girls

Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle

Toby Lolness is less than 2 millimeters tall. He and his family are part of a whole civilization that lives inside a giant tree. His father has discovered an inconvenient truth about the health of the tree and if they don't change their irresponsible ways their tree will die, leaving them  homeless. This book is peppered with great illustrations,including a map of the tree on the inside.  Toby Alone will make you think of the environment.

 

 

Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth by Lee Welles

Lee Welles is a past camp instructor who really gets it when it comes to enrapturing children. This is a quick and fast read which has been billed as "fiction with a mission".  This book is the first in a series which establishes Elizabeth, the main character, with the power of "Earth".

(Publisher Comments)

Elizabeth was happy to be at the end of the school year. She anticipated playing on the farm with her best friend and various family members. That was until the Harmony Farm Corporation moved into her town.  Her world starts to crumble as her best friend moves away and her parents whisper of farmers selling their land and the effects this factory farm operation could have on them. When she thinks things can't get much worse, she meets the most unusual creature, Gaia, the living entity of the Earth. Strange things begin to happen to her, around her and through her! Elizabeth wonders if meeting Gaia has been a blessing or a curse. Will elizabeth have the strength to fight a large corporation? or will her upstate New York home be spoiled by profit driven pork production that fouls the air, land, and water?

Gaia Girls :Way of Water By Lee Welles

Book 2 in the series. Way of Water is the winner of the 2008 Nautilus Gold Award in the category of Young Adult Fiction Fantasy. Miho's backyard has always been the sea. The creatures of the sea are an endless source of fascination for her. Miho finds herself in the care of her uncle after her family has been stolen away by the sea. She has never met this uncle nor has she met his world and culture,Japan. From the city of Nagoya to the seaside town of Goza, Miho is trying to fit in by learning the language, the culture, at the same time she is dealing with her own grief. While in Goza, Miho discovers her family history and embraces new teachers, an old man who becomes her Sensei of Sho-Do. Sho-do is also known as "The Way of the Brush". It is there that she meets Gaia from the first book. Gaia grants Miho amazing powers to connect with the "minds in the water" and she is given access and understanding to the many worlds of the oceans. Many questions face her as she learns and tries to use her powers to restore the balance of her traditions while teaching others to understand The Way of Water.

Green Boy by Susan Cooper

Newbery Medal winner Susan Cooper has created an eco-novel which covers in depth the clash between good and evil. Bahamian brothers Trey who are 12 and his younger mute brother Lou, who is 7 find themselves caught between two worlds. The first is their lovely island life, which is being threatened by business development and the second which is a dark and sinister unknown world called Pangaia. They accidentally find themselves there when they entered through a magical window. Through various journeys between the two worlds, the brothers embark on a number of journeys which leads Lou into being hailed the savior which had been foretold. The siblings are asked to lead the Greenwar against "The Destroyers" which is the current government. This is an action packed story which combines brilliantly nature,myth,technology, and destiny.

Operation Redwood by S.Terrell French

This is the third appearance this book has made on Jump Into A Book. I couldn't leave it off of the green list. You can read about it here and here. I love this book and I think you will too.

 

 

 

 

 

Pond Scum by Alan Silberberg

This book comes at environmentalism from a whole other angle. Oliver is the type of boy who enjoys pulling the wings off flies just to hear the little snap. His whole life changes when his mom moves the family to a run down old house in a small town. While attempting to install a TV antenna on the roof, Oliver tries to avoid a kamikaze attack by a vicious crow and falls through into the attic. There he finds a strange, glowing gem that has the power to transform him into any creature he touches. Suddenly he enters the amazing parallel world of the Pond, where he befriends a fat salamander named Mooch and a misfit crow called Antoine. Together, with their other friends they need to save the pond from a power hungry crow who secretly plans to use the animal's fears and distrust in humans for his own evil affairs.This lively and witty book, complete with body humor is a refreshing non-preachy delight and teaches kindness and stewardship from the perspective of the animals.

The next three books are from one of my favorite authors Carl Hiaasen.

(From the Carl Hiaasen Website)

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

You know it's going to be a rough summer when you spend Father's Day visiting your dad in the local lockup. Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor-which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can't prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. Right. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah's dad is stuck in the clink.

Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally . . . somehow. His allies may not add up to much-his sister Abbey, an unreformed childhood biter; Lice Peeking, a greedy sot with poor hygiene; Shelly, a bartender and a woman scorned; and a mysterious pirate-but Noah's got a plan to flush this crook out into the open. A plan that should sink the crooked little casino, once and for all.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Roy Eberhardt is the new kid--again. This time around it's Trace Middle School in humid Coconut Grove, Florida. But it's still the same old routine: table by himself at lunch, no real friends, and thick-headed bullies like Dana Matherson pushing him around. But if it wasn't for Dana Matherson mashing his face against the school bus window that one day, he might never have seen the tow-headed running boy. And if he had never seen the running boy, he might never have met tall, tough, bully-beating Beatrice. And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East Oriole Avenue. And if he had never discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime. Apparently, bullies do serve a greater purpose in the scope of the universe. Because if it wasn't for Dana Matherson...

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Mrs. Starch – fearsome biology teacher – never returned from a field trip to Black Vine Swamp.

The principal says she was called away on a "family emergency," but Nick and Marta don't buy it. They think Smoke, the class delinquent, has something to do with her disappearance.

And he does! But not in the way that they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they'll really begin to see the big picture.

Two of my favorite picture books fit in our green theme as well so I'm adding them here.

Old Turtle by Cheng-Khee Chee

This beautifully illustrated book is a tender,thoughtful, and moving story about a turtle who gets everything on the earth to work together to take care of eachother and the place we call home.

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant & Nikki McClure

This sweet little book shines a light on all of the endless possibilities each day holds. The opportunities and chances that won't come again. While doing this ,it kindly delivers the message about stewardship of our planet. It's just a wonderful read.

The Unfinished Angel

As usual, the most amazing and endearing Sharon Creech has published yet another great book. Who would have thought that an angel wouldn't really know if they were doing their job correctly? Coming to the aid of this misfit angel  in the ancient stone tower of Casa Rosa,an American girl  named Zola knows exactly what this confused angel should be doing.....and that's helping people.

Over many years the neighbors of this Swiss village have been enemies,children have been lost, and in the end everyone wakes up to their lives to realize that everyone can do something to help the other.

I just love the way the angel speaks with an Italian accent. It makes for really good reading aloud.

(From the book The Unfinished Angel)

"Peoples are strange!

The things they are doing and saying—sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads? And why so much saying, so much talking all the time day and night, all those words spilling out of those mouths? Why so much? Why don't they be quiet? "

This is an hilarious and endearing quick read that reminds us that the simple kindness of everyday comes from eachone of us.

Somthing To Do: Family or Neighbor Swap Meet

Do you have clothes that you aren't needing anymore or that still have store tags on them? Do you have children's clothes that don't fit or that you don't need? What about baby items? Is your DVD collection bulging at the seams? Books you would like to trade? Cooking items,tools etc.... If there is a resounding yes to many of these questions ....then it's time for a swap meet.

Having a swap meet is a great way to clean out your closets,garage, attic, or any other cluttered areas in your home. A swap party is the perfect way to get rid of some of those things you don't use anymore,get some new things you may need, help the environment by reusing, and doing all of this without spending a dime.

Why not make a mini-party out of it by having everyone bring something to eat and drink? This is a great way to catch up with neighbors,family, and friends.

p.s.

Just remember the After Swap. You will want to have everyone take back those items that didn't swap or call your local charity such as Goodwill,Salvation Army,Veterans of Foreign Wars, Habitat , to come and pick up the left-overs. Many of these charities have scheduled pick-up days.