Monday, November 24, 2008

Thankful for old books

I have a large box of old books that my parents gave to me when I had my kids. There are lots of books from the 70s and 80s in there but there are also several that were considered "old" even when I was young. Here is a little treasure I found among them, the book has good pictures but it is the words in this book that make me like it so much. The kids love it too:


A Christmas Party

On Christmas Eve would you believe the forest gave a party.
She asked the little squirrels in and rabbits, fat and hearty.
She called the bear who slumbered there until he heard the talking.
And all the little woodchucks came in couples nearly walking.
She lit the skies to charm their eyes with many Christmas tapers.
She spread the ground with snowy rugs to help their merry capers.
She hung a tree for all to see with frosty chains and pompons.
She spread a feast for scores at least with nuts and carrot bonbons.
They clapped their paws and joined their claws and danced in dizzy measure,
and Santa Claus drove home that way and dropped them each a treasure.
He gave the bear a lion’s share of sweets and Christmas candy.
The rabbits, bows, and no one knows how fine they felt and dandy.
Each squirrel found pecans, a pound, the woodchucks corn and clover,
and Santa stayed to watch a while until the fun was over.
On Christmas Eve, would you believe? And yet I think it shocking,
not one of all the guests who came could hang a Christmas stocking.

Poem by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 1909.

I googled her and found of that she was born in 1875 and was an American children's author. In 1947 she won a Newbery Medal for her book Miss Hickory.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Year's ago when my children were small I sent this very book to school so my son could share it with his class. The book unfortunately never found the way home and I have lamented the loss ever since.

Thank you so much for printing it out for me and providing the author. I will now go on a search for my own copy.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!

Anonymous said...

In the late 70s or early 80s I found this poem printed in a Family Circle or Woman's Day Magazine in pamphlet form. I too sent it to school with my son when he was in first grade so that he too could share with his classmates. This copy did return home and it has seen many, many, Christmases since. I now share it with my grandsons and grand nieces. What a lovely heartwarming story.

JOY ... and thank you for sharing.

~Amy said...

You're welcome! :)