Christmas fare

Christmas is just around the corner…(six more sleeps)… and I love Christmas.  I must admit I’m lucky that my family situation permits me to give the mall madness a miss, allowing me to enjoy the best bits (in my opinion) of baking goodies, visiting with friends and family, cooking winter fare, decorating the house inside and out (lights, Christmas balls, action!), more baking and more cooking and of course eating!!!

So, to help pass a little Christmas cheer along (Canadian style) I’m recommending A Porcupine in a Pine Tree: a Canadian 12 days of Christmas by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Werner Zimmermann (819.1 BeP 2010 PIC BK).

The title pretty much says it all– this is a remix of the Twelve Days of Christmas done with all things Canadian.  From caribou and beaver tails, to Stanley Cups and hockey players, to Mounties and loons, to sled dogs and squirrels -- Oh my!

The illustrations are particularly apt.  They capture the riotous nature of all these creatures cavorting to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas as the hockey players chase the Stanley Cups, the Mounties munch on doughnuts while the sled dogs playfully eye these same doughnuts, and the squirrels merrily curl away with their acorn ‘rocks’ and tiny brooms.   Everyone is having a blast.  And the bemused porcupine is adorable.

And, the author has managed to keep the tune of the carol without compromising its natural rhythm.  This impressed me a fair bit as this could have been a situation where the premise of Canadian symbols takes over and the singer is left having to make the words bend to the music.

This is a really fun book that is a Christmas treat to delight almost everyone