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63rd out of 129 books
—
39 voters
12 Days of Christmas
Set in Africa, this beautiful rendition of the classic Christmas carol has a unique twist: colorful icons illustrate the various gifts repeated in each verse of this cumulative song, creating a rebus-style text that gives young children a fun way to follow along and chime in with the lyrics. The gorgeous, wonderfully detailed collage illustrations, comprised of colorful ke...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 14th 2010
by Putnam Juvenile
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Eager me; I've had this 2010 Christmas book on the holds list for weeks and got to be one of the first to check it out, all shiny and new, from the library. Wish I liked it more than I did, especially since I tend to love African books and African themed art and I also like Rachel Isadora, both her ballet books and her African art such as her version of "Rapunzel." But, in this case, I am sorry to say, I wasn't wowed. The art is still very nice, but the overall package seemed, dare I say it, unn...more
the EXTREME familiarity of the song (I saw some reviews complain that the whole thing was not written out; seriously, we can't figure them out?!?) can make for a dull book but the new slant (the maids a milking & their goats, the lords a leaping & their african costumes) makes it interesting again. It is also made me stop & think that while we might hear the same words, they don't always connect with the same image.
This is very bare-bones. I had no idea who Rachel Isadora was before picking this up (I still don't to be truthful) and I can see that this was featured in December's Book Page because of her past works, and not on the strength of this one.
The only good that came from this was the fact that my daughter found it quite funny how I spoke the song instead of singing it. That's it. In a nutshell as my father would say.
Besides the Christmas song this has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject. Th...more
The only good that came from this was the fact that my daughter found it quite funny how I spoke the song instead of singing it. That's it. In a nutshell as my father would say.
Besides the Christmas song this has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject. Th...more
I have been a fan of Isadora’s retellings of classic European fairy tales with an African flair and this is no exception. Isadora takes the Christmas carol and turns it into a celebration of both the holiday and Africa. While the words remain the same as the traditional carol, Isadora interprets them in a new way. The five gold rings are around a woman’s neck like women in South Africa. Eight maids a-milking are milking goats rather than cows. 9 ladies dancing was inspired by women from Swazilan...more
12 Days of Christmas was an interesting book to read. This book had a different feel and grip to it than other versions of this song/tale. This book would be great to read to all levels of elementary school and do not have too many hard words that would give a student difficulty. This book has pictures that give a student pictures to base the words off of if tey are just beginning on how to read. The book brings different elements from the setting which could help teachers discuss new animals an...more
This is a new take on the well known version of '12 days of Christmas.' The illustrations are based on the people and land in Africa. The song/story is exactly the same as the original one but they represent things and people of Africa. This would definitely be cool to have in the classroom library as it shows different illustrations. I would recommend this for pretty much any elementary grade level. Teachers can also use this book for counting and sequencing with the younger grades. Teachers ca...more
Rachel Isadora takes the lyrics of this classic Christmas song and illustrates each of the gifts in an African setting. Each page includes icons identifying the lyrics that came before, so readers can sing the cumulating song as they go. Isadora adds to the richness of her artwork with a thoughtful and respectful author's note in the back, explaining the different locations and people who inspired various images.
Apr 13, 2011
Matthew Mealer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
cultural-diversity,
holidays,
christmas,
africa,
art,
color,
first-grade,
kindergarten,
pre-k,
second-grade,
repetition
This book is great for cultural diversity. It goes through the all familiar story of the 12 Days of Christmas but it interprets it in an African Style. I enjoyed the artwork that the illustrator used and think that it would be a great book for the holiday or as a way to show how as readers we can have misconceptions of ideas. (ex: Christmas is cold and snowy)
Rachel Isadora's illustrations are kinda fascinating. Every fairy tale retelling of hers I've read I have enjoyed. Her papercuts breathe a different kind of life into the stories for me. This book is no exception. The text is exactly the same as the Christmas song we all grow up singing, but the African setting forces you to look at the gifts differently. "5 gold rings" do not show up on a young lady's finger! The maids a-milking are working with goats, not cows, and the dancing ladies are weari...more
Oct 10, 2011
Rachel N
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
adoptive families
Recommended to Rachel N by:
library find
Shelves:
childrens
My 4 year old son picked this up at the library (in October!) and I was thrilled to see the beautiful African illustrations on each page. It's not easy to find children's books that include "non-white" faces. I'm looking forward to checking into other children's books by this author/illustrator.
Unique version of the old standard, with African setting and clever rebus boxes to relay the song's verses. Love the bright rhythm of the pictures, the bright greens and yellows, the ray-like sprays of sunshine, plant leaves, hair and costumes, and the native patterns in the costumes.
This book has beautiful illustrations. The author gives some information about Africa and includes a map in the back. Could use this book to teach kids more about Africa and their culture. Could also help kids with counting and number recognition.
Amazingly vivid illustrations. A fun sing-along book at storytime with K-2. (The numbers are easy but matching the numbers with the animals was trickier to sing if you've never heard the song before.)
The 12 Days of Christmas is my LEAST favorite Christmas carol. I only looked at the illustrations, because reading the words would have sent me over the edge. Beautifully illustrated.
Summary: Sets the traditional Christmas carol in Africa, using a combination of text and rebuses. Includes author's note about some of the African traditions depicted.
I especially like the "maids a milking" with their GOATS! This is one of Isadora's best resetting of a classic American/European favorite in Africa.
You know the song...but the illustrations make this a 4. Isadora's work is amazing and a lovely nod to Africa.
Rachel Isadora's illustrations always make me feel like exploring.
The illustrations in this book are AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL!
Love Isadora's take on the 12 gifts of Christmas! Lovely!
love the illustrations - bold, large, clear & colorful
Lovely illustrations and an unusual setting.
Wonderful as usual!
Loved the illustrations!
Feb 14, 2013
Igraine
marked it as mal-gucken
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timely Interpretation of an old song | 2 | 2 | Feb 09, 2011 11:36am |
Dec 29, 2010 08:51am
Dec 30, 2010 05:53am