A Christmas Like Helen's [Hardcover]

Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (Author), Mary Azarian (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

At Helen’s home, there are no telephones or electric lights. Cars have not yet been invented, so she and her sister and brothers must walk a mile to school, even in freezing weather. Without refrigeration, they must harvest ice from the pond.
But at night she and her family gather around the woodstove to hear stories of castles and princes in hiding. They take horse-drawn sleigh rides, snug under buffalo robes and wool blankets; skate in the moonlight; and on Christmas morning have real maple syrup for breakfast.
With absorbing details of country life and elegant, hand-colored woodcuts, this book captures the strength of family, the magic of Christmas, and the love of place all year long.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–The author tells contemporary children what Christmas would have been like for her grandmother, living on a farm in Vermont before there were cars, electricity, or telephones. The engaging narrative and Azarian's fine, hand-colored woodcuts combine to raise the story above many similar nostalgic accounts of holidays past. Best suited for reading aloud, this gorgeous book might inspire grown-ups to share their own family stories with the children in their care.–V. W.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* K-Gr. 2. Kinsey-Warnock and Caldecott Medal-winner Azarian return to the Vermont landscape they mined in From Dawn Till Dusk (2002) to once again chronicle life on a farm. Here, though, they recall a particular woman, the author's grandmother, and focus on a special time of year. Speaking in second person, the unseen narrator notes all the things one would have to do to celebrate Christmas like young Helen did: "You'll need to be born on a Vermont hill farm before cars, or telephones or electricity." Uncles, aunts, and dozens of cousins must visit. There's even one Christmas that everyone thinks will be your last because you have scarlet fever. Evocative, yes. But this also gives a sense of how grinding life in the nineteenth century could be, even as it was tempered by familial closeness, simple games, animals, and maple syrup. The language is lovely ("the cold stars will be thick enough to scoop up with a spoon"), and Azarian's trademark woodcuts, hand-tinted with color, are as endearing as ever. Warm and welcoming. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; New title edition (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618231374
• ISBN-13: 978-0618231379
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb in every respect, December 6, 2009

By 

Tracy L. Polyak "honey bunny mom" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Christmas Like Helen's (Hardcover)

This is just such a superb story. I first read it at the library while waiting for my 4yo's class. I sat in the middle of the children's department fighting back the tears. Then I read it to the family, and my husband and I were both blubbering. My daughter immediately asked me to read it again. It is a Christmas must-read for all ages.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, January 4, 2011

By 

J. Cowan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Christmas Like Helen's (Hardcover)

This has the same appeal as "From Dawn Till Dusk," wonderful. My 9-year-old is taken with these descriptions of farm life and we love the woodblock-printed illustrations.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous!, August 28, 2010

By 

Ann E LePore - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Like Helen's (Hardcover)

All of Natalie Kinsey-Warnock's books are very popular with the children and young adults in my life. Her stories are all very visual, fast-moving and incredibly thoughtful.