Pieces of Christmas [Hardcover]

Teri Sloat (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Christmas poems bearing wishes for peace throughout the world

"When Santa returns from making his rounds,
The letters he’s answered lie drifted in mounds.
He calls the North Wind to blow them around,
And pieces of Christmas come swirling down."

Each of the stamps on the letters to Santa paint a different, enchanting picture of holiday spirit all over the world. Crocodiles stop at crocodilian cookie shops and javelinas hop at a jingling jamboree! In these fanciful verses, animals from Africa to Antarctica celebrate Christmas in their own very special ways.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-The letters that Santa receives are blown all over by the North Wind and come floating down like snow. A different landscape from around the world fills each spread, while a fragment of an envelope shows stamps depicting animals having fun and a four-line verse describes what they are doing this Christmas. The concept is awkward and confusing. Are the fragments of letters actually supposed to be snow, or are they just littering the planet? The final page shows Santa inside a snow globe, which does offer an explanation for the pieces, but many youngsters may not make it that far. The stamps are colorful and fun, but the verse does not scan well and the rhymes are often forced. The antics of these animals will not likely sustain a child's interest through the entire story. Spend your holiday budgets elsewhere.-E. M.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Teri Sloat is the author of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout!, as well as the author and/or illustrator of many other books for children. A former teacher, she lives with her husband and their three children north of San Francisco.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805063552
• ISBN-13: 978-0805063554
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,708,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN IMAGINATIVE CHRISTMAS RHYMING TALE, November 28, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pieces of Christmas (Hardcover)

The Christmas pieces in Teri Sloat's imaginatively conceived rhyming tale are the stamps on letters to Santa Claus sent from all over the world. It is through these stamps that readers are introduced to different cultures and climes.

A lizard sends good wishes, and wildebeests dance; holidays are observed on mountaintops and in Antarctica. Each stamp from a faraway place reminds us that we are united in joy at this time of year.

Then, when Santa's rounds are complete we find "Santa sleeps `neath a quilt and a blanket of down. He dreams of a world that sleeps safe and sound With a feeling of peace all the year round, While pieces of Christmas cover the ground...

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A JOLLLY CHRISTMAS RHYMING BOOK, December 6, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pieces of Christmas (Hardcover)

The Christmas pieces in Teri Sloat's imaginatively conceived rhyming tale are the stamps on letters to Santa Claus sent from all over the world. It is through these stamps that readers are introduced to different cultures and climes.

A lizard sends good wishes, and wildebeests dance; holidays are observed on mountaintops and in Antarctica. Each stamp from a faraway place reminds us that we are united in joy at this time of year.

Then, when Santa's rounds are complete we find "Santa sleeps `neath a quilt and a blanket of down. He dreams of a world that sleeps safe and sound With a feeling of peace all the year round, While pieces of Christmas cover the ground."

Recommended for ages 4 - 8.

- Gail Cooke