Borrowing the rhyme from the famed 19th century poem, “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” author, A.H. Edelman and illustrator Serge Gall, bring to life Santa in a Snow Globe, complete with “stand here” icons, showing children visiting Santa where to safely stand to wait their turns.
The book begins:
”Twas the week before Christmas
and all through the store,
the lights gently glimmered
like knobs on the door.Most people wore masks
and stood six feet apart,
but it was the week before Christmas
so they did it with heart.”
Children are seeing making their wish lists and window shopping, while wearing masks… many are looking for Santa. Finally the kids find him, sitting inside a snow globe! Of course, everyone wants to know why Santa is inside a snow globe, it’s so different from what they’re used to. Luckily an elf steps in to answer questions. He tell us that Santa is older and has to stay ready to fly, so he has to take extra special care of keeping any germs to himself and has to also be extra careful to not pick up any germs too. The book goes on to talk about how the world is different this holiday, without mentioning COVID-19 but giving enough indicators for parents to quickly follow the plot. Climate change and protests are also touched on. The book has a huge emphasis on kindness.
I liked how this book was different from other Christmas books and how much I could identify with the kids wearing masks. Mom liked it too. She thought it was a fun and timely twist on a story we read every year… though she would have preferred for Santa to wear a mask and the masks to be more consistent throughout. Mom liked that I learned new words, like species or types of animals, and overnight. But what she liked the most was that we had a jumping off point to talk more about the pandemic and how things are different, how we feel about it, and what we hope will be different next time. I think you will like Santa in a Snow Globe too!
Will you please let me know your favorite part? Tell me about it on social media:
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DOWNLOAD FREE PRINTABLES – Click the text in pink to get started; NO login required
Snow globe coloring page – grab some crayons and color this dome-shaped wintry scene
Count snowflakes— Practice counting winter white snowflakes
Find the letter G— Look inside the snow globe and circle every letter G, as in globe
HAVE SOME BOOK-INSPIRED FUN! Roll the die and add cotton balls with this counting and number recognition activity
CRAFT VIDEO: Make your own paper snowflakes and use our free snowflake pattern template as a guide
PS – GINGERBREAD ACTIVITY BOOK – To continue the wintry/holiday theme, download our free special holiday activity book with dozens of preschool worksheets and hours of fun!
TALKING POINTS
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What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
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Why was Santa inside a snow globe?
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How could being inside and apart from others be helpful to keep Santa safe?
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Have you had to wear a mask? What does it feel like? Do you feel safer with a mask on?
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Santa didn’t seem to think the planet needed presents. What did Santa think the planet really needed?
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Santa says it’s important to smile when things are tough. What does that mean?
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Can you think of a time you didn’t feel very happy but you managed to make a little smile with your lips? Can you tell me about it? What was upsetting? What did you think about or do to make yourself smile a little? Did smiling help lift your spirits?
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How is this holiday season different from last year? What do you hope next year will be like?
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Is there anything in this book that you’d like to talk about?
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Is there anything in this book that you didn’t understand?
USEFUL INFO FOR GROWN UPS:
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Book: Santa in a Snow Globe
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Written by A.H. Edelman
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Illustrated by: Serge Gall
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Age Range: 3 to 12
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Board Book: 34 pages
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Publisher: IR Publishing (October 1, 2020)
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ISBN-978-0990887140
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