It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

Do you remember when you were a kid in school and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation seemed forever? That's how the last two weeks went for me and now here we are ... The Week Before Christmas Break!!! When did it sneak up on me? This last week of school brings all kinds of gifts. I love to decorate the library for the holidays. I use snowmen as my theme. They prove the perfect decor for so many reason. One is that I have a huge collection (over 100 of the cool guys) and they would take over my house if I put them out there. Second, they are non-denominational. That's important at a public school. There are some children who don't celebrate the birth of the Savior and I want them to feel comfortable coming to the library. But the biggest plus for me personally is that I can put them up on the first of December and they are good all the way through until Valentines Day. And there is just something wonderful in hearing a five year old walk in, look around and exclaim, "This looks amazing, Mrs. Seeno!"

One of my other library traditions is to make breakfast for the staff the last week before vacation. I always cook the same thing and they haven't complained that I lack originality. I make my "famous" overnight French toast with pecans. It's my way of thanking them for all their support of the library.

But one of my very favorite library traditions is to share Robert Sabuda (http://www.robertsabuda.com/pop-up ) pop-up books. Pop-up books are too fragile to be in the library collection but children love them. Sabuda is a genius with folded paper and I have been a fan for over a decade. My first book was Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-Up. One of my favorite things about Sabuda is there is always a surprise at the end of his books. The one in this book is a gingerbread house that pops up on the last page. My other favorites to share are Twas The Night Before Christmas (There is a great reindeer that pops out of this one) and The Twelve Days of Christmas with it's music box with an actual twirling ballerina.

I know I have said it before, but I have the best job in the world. Along with all these wonderful experiences in the library, I get a two week break to spend with my family carrying out all of our family traditions. It's a Wonderful Life!

Favorite Children's Book

This is the first year where I am actually taking my entire two weeks off during the Winter Break. But I can't get children's literature completely off my mind. Terry and I have read lots of Christmas books during this holiday season. It made me start to think of my favorite books as a child. Here's my list:
1. Green Eggs and Ham (This is my favorite of all time!!!!)
2. Fire Cat (I don't know why, but I have always liked this story)
3. These Happy Golden Years (It's the last of the Little House on the Prairie books where Laura and Manzo get married)
4. Little Men (Much better than Little Women ... I like the sequel too, Jo's Boys)
5. The Nancy Drew Books (The Ringmasters Secret was my favorite)
6. The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (This was a great story about how important family is)
7. Homer Price (Oh, my gosh ... I wanted one of those unstoppable donut machines!)
8. Make Room For Ducklings (Doesn't everyone love this one? I have several copies of it in the Library)
9. What Do You Say Dear? (This is a book about manners with illustrations by Maurice Sendak. I love this book and share it with my students every year... and they love it too.)
10. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (Another Dr. Seuss classic.)

So what did you love to read (or hear read) as a child? I'm tagging Heather, Kelsey, Laura, Maryann, and Lindy