{"id":4307,"date":"2020-10-08T06:00:39","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sawpublishing.com\/?p=4307"},"modified":"2020-10-06T12:02:24","modified_gmt":"2020-10-06T16:02:24","slug":"five-fall-favorites-holiday-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawpublishing.com\/five-fall-favorites-holiday-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Fall Favorites: Holiday Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Five Fall Favorites blog party. As promised, our party room today is\u2014blankets! If you don\u2019t believe blankets are a room, you need a large quilt, a low clothesline, four corner-weights, and a pair of twin eight-year-olds to show you what to do!<\/p>\n

For those of you who prefer cuddling up in a quilt on the patio, that\u2019s fine, too! A warm blanket and a hot drink make the perfect combination for today\u2019s top five\u2014holiday stories. We\u2019ve got a special challenge with this category, because it is holidays stories that are NOT about Christmas. Never mind, the blanket and the hot drink will still come in handy\u2014most of these stories do take place when there\u2019s a bit of nip in the air!<\/p>\n

A Pioneer Thanksgiving<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n
SAW Rating\u201456\/100<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"A<\/a>\u201cWheat and corn are piled in the barn and corncrib. Bushels of apples and potatoes are stored in the root cellar. All is finally read for winter. Now everyone is busy preparing for the Thanksgiving celebration . . . Thanksgiving is a special day for the Robertson family, but this year, before dinner is on the table, they will have more reasons that usual for giving thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barbara Greenwood and Heather Collins have developed a unique concept in their pioneer stories about the Robertson family. Combining soft pencil illustrations with a series of mini-stories, hands-on activities, and information blocks, they have created a resource that incorporates beautifully into historical unit studies, holiday projects, and just plain having-a-good-time.<\/p>\n

It may be worth noting that A Pioneer Thanksgiving<\/em> is a sequel to Greenwood and Collins\u2019 A Pioneer Story<\/em>. In my opinion, A Pioneer Thanksgiving<\/em> can be read without the background of the previous book, although the different characters are not formally introduced since it is presumed that the reader is already familiar with them.<\/p>\n

Read Courtenay\u2019s full review here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

View the Goodreads page for this book here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Thanksgiving: What Makes It Special?<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n
SAW Rating\u201463\/100<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"Tired<\/a>When a woman on the radio wishes everyone a happy \u201cTurkey Day,\u201d a Christian family discusses the true meaning of Thanksgiving\u2014and what makes it special.<\/p>\n

A sweet picture book for very small children, Thanksgiving: What Makes It Special <\/em>discusses the fundamental principles and history that make this holiday meaningful. A good introduction to the subject of giving thanks.<\/p>\n

Read Chelsea\u2019s full review here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

View the Goodreads page for this book here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Tabby\u2019s White Hyacinth<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n
SAW Rating\u201465\/100<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"Whether<\/a>Tabitha Holmes came to church on Ash Wednesday for a very simple reason: it offered a little shelter from the bitter wind and a chance to warm her chilled body before heading back to her miserable home. But Tabby\u2019s shivering figure attracts the attention of another little girl\u2014and together, they become involved in a quest to bring a special offering to church on Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n

For those who already observe, or are thinking of observing, the season of Lent, this story gives a glimpse of many ways in which both children and adults can practice self-sacrifice\u2014sometimes in ordinary, sometimes in unexpected, ways.<\/p>\n

Read Courtenay\u2019s full review here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

View the Goodreads page for this book here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Hetty\u2019s Thanksgiving<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n
SAW Rating\u201465\/100<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"Hetty\u2019s<\/a>Little lame Hetty doesn\u2019t expect very many blessings at Thanksgiving. Her precious cat, Muff, is the only companion she has to cheer her discouraging life. When Aunt Jane banishes Muff out into the snowy street, Hetty feels that her \u201ccup of unhappiness is full.\u201d She could never have imagined that Muff is about to bring her the most wonderful Thanksgiving of her life.<\/p>\n

This little tale, originally included in Isabella Alden\u2019s 1894 collection New Year\u2019s Tangles and Other Stories<\/em>, now republished on its own by Anglocentria, Inc., is a cheerful reminder of how kindness, generosity, and the prompting of God can transform a child\u2019s holiday beyond their wildest dreams.<\/p>\n

Read Courtenay\u2019s full review here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

View the Goodreads page for this book here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Holiday Tales<\/strong><\/a><\/h5>\n
SAW Rating\u201473\/100<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"What<\/a>A surprise garden for an invalid mother, and a lost scholarship\u2014what do they have in common? Perhaps not much on the surface, but through each of them a boy learns valuable lessons about submission and respect that will serve them for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Holiday Tales <\/em>is a volume of two stories set in the Long Vacation (British summer holidays), and the lessons learned by seven Campbell brothers and the unfortunate Cecil Cunningham.<\/p>\n

Read Chelsea\u2019s full review here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

View the Goodreads page for this book here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

What Do I Love About Holiday Stories?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\"AOh, that\u2019s a little too obvious! It\u2019s the warm blanket and the hot drink, of course! Okay, maybe that\u2019s not totally true. I think what I actually enjoy most about holiday stories is the way they help to build holiday traditions.<\/p>\n

Holiday stories have an obvious anchor-point in every year. As surely as the holiday comes around, we have another reminder to get out our favorites\u2014old and new\u2014and go on building our holidays traditions with every page we turn.<\/p>\n

What are your all-time favorite holiday stories? I\u2019d love to hear what they are, and why you love them, in the comments section below!<\/p>\n

And as always, see you tomorrow\u2014this time for the most useful category of books we\u2019ve reviewed yet!<\/p>\n

For more information on the Five Fall Favorites blog party, (or to see some more favorite holiday stories,) step over to Rebekah at the Literary Lodge:<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t miss your chance to be this year\u2019s Five Fall Favorite\u2019s giveaway winner! The 2020 fall reading collection includes 5 signed paperback books by FFF participants\/alumni, a FFF book bag, and an Amazon gift card.<\/p>\n

a Rafflecopter giveaway<\/a>
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