I am very excited about the upcoming holidays with my girls, as this is the first year they will experience New York City and all its beauty at Christmas time. Instead of a birthday party this year, my youngest daughter, Bella, wants to be introduced to the Big Apple. So, we will plan an overnight trip into the city to see the tree lit up in Rockefeller Center, the ice rink at Bryan Park, and then walk them around Central Park and Times Square. I can't wait to see their eyes light up with excitement, just like mine did when I first saw New York City for the first time. The girls can't stop talking about their upcoming trip, and I can't wait for the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center so that we can go and take in the sights.
But, as we wait for New York City to get ready for us with all their Christmas beauty :-), I have been enjoying sharing books with the girls about New York City. The other nigh I shared a new release from the folks at Candlewick Press, which would make a great advent book if your family does a book advent for Christmas, or you, too, are planning a family trip into the city, or just love to share cute holiday books with your family. The book, "Red and Lulu" by Matt Tavares, is a wonderfully written story that is sure to become a family favorite and enjoyed year after year around the holidays. The story and beautiful illustrations do an amazing job at sharing the magic of New York City around the holidays (and year round), while also reminding people about the true meaning of the season and why being around loved ones is important.
My girls really enjoyed this holiday book, which features two birds Red and Lulu who make an unlikely next in the Rockefeller tree. And, once the tree comes down, they end up finding another beautiful tree in Central Park to live during the rest of the year. But, each year when the holidays roll around and people flock to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree, Red and Lulu return to nest. You can't help but smile as you read this story about love and friendship and all that makes Christmas cheerful and magical. I will definitely be wrapping this book and using as part of our 25 days of Christmas book advent with the girls. I know the girls will be happy I am including and will have me read it over and over again, as we near our trip to NYC and afterwards, so they can remember their magical trip to the city, where Red and Lulu fell in love with the city and found their forever home there.
This really is a cute story and one family's will enjoy time and again. I highly recommend it as a book to share with your family, or to be given as a gift to a child this holiday season.
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More about this book:
"Red and Lulu make their nest in a particularly beautiful evergreen tree. It shades them in the hot months and keeps them cozy in the cold months, and once a year the people who live nearby string lights on their tree and sing a special song: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree. But one day, something unthinkable happens, and Red and Lulu are separated. It will take a miracle for them to find each other again. Luckily, it’s just the season for miracles. . . . From Matt Tavares comes a heart-tugging story combining the cheer of Christmas, the magic of New York City, and the real meaning of the holiday season: how important it is to be surrounded by love.
Separation and miles cannot keep a determined cardinal from his loved one in an ode to serendipity and belief that is destined to be a new Christmas classic."
About the Author:
Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of Crossing Niagara, Henry Aaron’s Dream, There Goes Ted Williams, Becoming Babe Ruth, and Growing Up Pedro, as well as Zachary’s Ball, Oliver’s Game, and Mudball. He is the illustrator of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, Over the River and Through the Wood, Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport, The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, and Jubilee! by Alicia Potter. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.
Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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