Christmas Eve Blizzard

JoAn W. Martin 2407 Kilgore Rd. Baytown, TX 77520 281 427-2713 Vlahakis. Andrea. Christmas Eve Blizzard. Illustrated by Emanuel (Manny) Schongut. Mt. Pleasant, SC. Sylvan Dell Publishing. 2005. Hardback. $15.95. ISBN 10:0-9764943-3-7 Ages Pre-school-Grade 2 Nick and his grandfather are concerned about a young apple tree they planted only seven months ago. Can it survive the blizzard? As Nick watches the snow swirling furiously, he bundles up and goes out to rescue a brilliant red bird that has tumbled out of the tree into a snow drift. Grandpa recognizes the cardinal, but says it is rarely seen in his area, especially at this time of year. Grandfather and grandson work together to build a cage. When the cardinal recovers, they set it free. All winter Nick watches for the cardinal, but it does not return. After Nick grows up a strange incident occurs. People come from all around to see what they perceive of as the apple tree that is filled with apples in the winter. As they come closer they realize it is not apples. Every Christmas the apple tree is filled with cardinals. At the end of Christmas Eve Blizzard are five pages for teaching children. In a section titled, "For Creative Minds" environmental information abounds. Included are "Teaching Trivia," making bird feeders, even how to care for an injured bird. An especially easy, but interesting project is peanut butter on pine cones hung in trees to feed birds in winter. This is Andrea's first picture book. Most of her work is about nature. As a child she rescued a bird during a blizzard. Schongut, a prolific illustrator of all levels of books, has illustrated for many publishing houses. He taught art at Pratt Institute in New York for several years.

This holiday 810 word picture book is a gentle story about an injured cardinal. The reader can almost feel the wind and snow as young Nicholas trudges through the blizzard to get the fallen red bird. Nicholas and his grandfather, who grew up in Mexico, build a birdhouse for the cardinal. On Christmas morning, Nicholas takes the cage outside and frees the now-recovered bird. The story ends with many cardinals coming to perch on the branches of Nicholas's apple tree. The pictures in this book are striking. The red feathers of the birds against the pale blue sky, and all the snow, makes a vivid contrast. The Creative Minds section includes a glossary to explain the six Spanish phrases which are used in the story. It also contains information about birds, making several styles of bird feeders and explains how the word cardinal can also refer to numbers. Overall, an excellent book for young readers and their adults.

There are certain books that evoke emotion in us. Usually, it's because of nostalgia. We associate certain things with various times in our lives. When I happened to stumble upon Christmas Eve Blizzard, by Andrea Vlahakis, I felt a surge of nostalgia, for my own childhood, my own discoveries, and my own relationships with nature and with my grandparents. Christmas Eve Blizzard is a beautifully written book. The messages in the book are appropriate for all ages. The illustrations, by Emanuel Schongut, delicately portray the harsh conditions of the storm and tell the tale in pictures as effectively as it is told in words. Additionally, this book contains various phrases in Spanish. Nicholas refers to his grandpa as "abuelo," and they each intermingle a few Spanish words within the text. The words and phrases are identified within the book and are also included in a glossary in the back of the book. The thing that makes Sylvan Dell books so unique is that they each contain a Creative Minds section in the back of the book. For educators, this information provides a wealth of classroom activity ideas. For moms and dads, this information is a great way to expand your child's knowledge and to learn various crafts you can do at home to teach your child about birds. This is the perfect read-aloud book during the holidays or any time of year.

I gave 5 of these out as christmas gifts. The story is so important for young minds and the illustrations are quite beautiful. The colors draw the reader/participant in and the ending is delightful. Also, in these days, it is wonderful to have the extra educational supplement after the story. Well done

"Christmas Eve Blizzard" is Andrea Vlahakis' charming story of young Nicholas and his grandfather who put all thoughts of Christmas decorating and preparation aside as they lovingly care for a cardinal whom they find stranded in a snowy blizzard. Responding to their kindness, the cardinal quickly regains its strength and flies off to rejoin its family. A sweet and unexpected reward for Nicholas, Grandpa, and their entire village, brings them all a lifetime of Christmas cheer. In addition to Emanuel Schongut's lovely illustrations, "Christmas Eve Blizzard" is enhanced for young readers with a Spanish/English glossary for the Spanish words that appear in the text of the story, as well as fun facts about birds (and cardinals in particular), information on making a bird-friendly backyard habitat, easy bird feeder crafts for Christmas and year round, information on what to do if the young reader were to find an injured or orphaned baby bird, and even cardinal numbers and math games! With it's timely and timeless Christmas message of caring for animals and other people, and a young boy's relationship with his grandfather, "Christmas Eve Blizzard" is a very special and highly recommended addition to a child's Christmas reading list and for inclusion into both school and community library picturebook collections.