A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z

Do you know Mary Engelbreit?  Her illustrations are incredibly beautiful and I adore all her books!  She never disappoints and I would like to share with you the latest book I purchased from her! 

 

I discovered A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z thanks to Melissa who wrote about it on Julia's Bookbag and I bought it instantly because it was just too cute to resist! 

 

If you are a booklover, you should totally read her blog!  Melissa is also an accomplisehd photographer and a foodie who always shares her recipes! Thanks to her, I have discovered so many new books, fantastic toys and the prettiest tea cups !  She is a true inspiration for me!

 

The book cover alone would have convinced me to get this little gem!

Look at the tiny mice-elves!  They have pointed ears!

The verses are adorable!

I love this darling little mice family!

 

Mary Engelbreit has a knack for creating a charming and whimsical world where one would love to get lost. Here illustrations are never boring.  Each page is filled with vivid colors and meticulous details.  Each scene comes to life in the most adorable way. 

The characters she has created are all loveable and I wished she could write a book about their adventures!  It is a thin but inexpensive book that is totally worth owning!

 

I am so looking forward to this weekend to finish my Christmas village and to take some rest.  I am totally exhausted!  I wish you all a beautiful weekend!

 

The Nutcracker And The Mouse King

While looking for Christmas books for my Christmas Books Advent this year, I was surprised and happy to find The Nutcracker And The Mouse King book by E.T.A. Hoffmann and illustrated by Gail de Marcken.  I didn't hesitate to purchase the book.

The pages are filled with gorgeous and detailed illustrations with so many vivid colors!

 

 

 

 

This book is lengthy and not the short version children may be accustomed to.  The pages are filled with text as you can see below and there are many dialogues.  This may take more than one night to finish for little kids.

 

 

I grew up with a somewhat different version of the usual children's Nutcracker book.  It was not the whimsical ballet version but rather the Russian animation from 1973. 

 

The first video is in Russian.

For English subtitles, you can watch this version:

I was enthralled by Tchaikovsky's music and the sad story of the Nutcracker.   The characters were beautifully drawn and the mood was just right.  It had everything: love, beauty, drama and action but it was not too tense for little kids.  This movie became one of my favorite to this day. 

I have seen the Nutcracker ballet in a theatre a few years ago and although I loved the performance, I wasn't as moved as when I saw the animated movie.

My son love this book!!! So far, he has rejected all the books concerning the Nutcracker but he was interested in reading this one!  He also did enjoy tremendously the Russian animated movie!  

What is your favorite Nutcracker book and movie?

The Snow Queen

This is possibly the most gorgeous book version I have ever seen of The Snow Queen from Hans Christian Andersen.  It is illustrated by Mary Engelbreit and it is a delight to the eyes!

My boy first heard of this story a few months ago, but not in its entirety so he asked me if I could get him the book.  There are many many picture books of this story but I chose the one from Mary Engelbreit because I love her illustrations.  Also, this story could be quite dark and scary for a child so I was hoping Engelbreit's adorable and innocent style of drawings would be more age appropriate for children.

If you are not familiar with the story, here is a quick summary: Kay and Gerda are two young children and they are the best of friends. One day, Kay gets an evil glass shard in his eye and heart and he becomes mean and sees the world differently.  He is then kidnapped by the Snow Queen and Gerda goes on a quest to find him. 

The story is full of magic and suspense!  It is quite long, especially for young children, but it was captivating from start to end and I think it will be something that my son would want to re-read on his own.  I can't wait for my baby girl to be old enough to understand the story too!

I ordered the book via Amazon a month ago and hid it for the Christmas Book Advent.  Two days ago, my son opened the wrapped book and he was very glad to read the whole story at last.  He loved the pictures and I couldn't be happier with this purchase.  It is a BIG book and it's worth every penny!

I posted some pictures on my Instagram account this morning but if you don't have Instagram, I am showing them here below.

Aren't those the sweetest illustrations you have ever seen?  Please pardon my enthusiasm for I am such a fan of Mary Engelbreit!

Do you like this story?  I loved re-reading this tale and I must say that I now want to buy all the illustrated Snow Queen books out there!  If you have a different version of this book, please let me know!  Which one would you recommend?