We are thinking about fairy tales…
This is because our current, fabulous, featured book is a fantasy with many fairy tale elements. These both add to its magic and deliver wisdom and eternal truths.
Also, less loftily, we are fast approaching prime panto* season. Oh yes we are! So to get yourself into the seasonal mood – ask yourself this, “If I were a fairy tale character, which one would I be?” Take the quiz below to find out!
https://blog.oup.com/2015/12/fairy-tale-personality-quiz/
* And if you don’t know what a British ‘panto’ is click here to watch the first ten minutes of this pantomime version of Cinderella. Already a fan? You’ll love this!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bmLlszawFk
Fairy tale and folklore characters in art…
On the Book Corner page of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Busby and I have been exploring the features that make a fairy tale a fairy tale. On the way, we’ve come across many beautiful illustrations. It seems that popular folk and fairy tales have provided inspiration for some very famous and accomplished artists over the centuries.
It’s interesting to see how their work is ‘of its time’. See what you think. One of these is very modern. Can you spot it? Which do you like best?
Harry Clarke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
You can listen to free fairy tales online, here: https://www.storynory.com/archives/fairy-tales/
We are welcoming winter, but taking a final look at autumn…
Thank you to Cathy for her brilliant photo of her gorgeous new puppy, Rufus, blending in effortlessly with his background. Busby says, “I had a go, but with three colours in my coat, I feel the odds were somewhat stacked against me.”
Sadly, slideshows don’t load on some i-phones. If you are having trouble viewing the above pictures, switch to another device, if possible.
We are looking forward to the sounds of the season – old …
And new…
Or new to us. Busby and I were stopped in our tracks when this hauntingly beautiful Christmas song from Iceland rang out from a day-long programme of music from around Europe.
In this version, the acoustics make it quite eerie. Here is the challenge… Where do you think that it is being sung?
Painting –Northern Lights over Iceland, by Harald Moltke, 1899 – via publicdomainreview.org/collection/aurora-borealis-in-art
Clue: there is something a bit fishy about it. Find the answer on slide two, below
Jack Russell tiny card ( Mini Dog22G) by Penny Lindop – www,pennylindop.com
We are thinking about the winter moon…
It is often so visible in the early morning winter sky.
This year, the full moon falls on the 18th December, three days before the shortest day on the 21st, the winter solstice*.
No surprise that at this time of year, the Native Americans’ evocative full moon names feature snow, frost and cold as they headed towards the depths of winter.
Busby says, “My favourite full moon name just happens to be that of the Lakota of the Northern Plains: when deer shed their antlers.
That new stag you put on the wall is getting far too much attention. I have marked December the 18th on our calendar.”
Busby!
You can read more about Native American full moon names, and maybe see which November/ December moon names spark your imagination, on this website from Western Washington University: https://www.wwu.edu/astro101/indianmoons.shtml
*My favourite audio book for this time of year is Winter Solstice, by Rosamund Pilcher, see below.
We are looking forward to enjoying some wintery books.
For older readers looking for a great comfort read, Winter Solstice, by Rosamund Pilcher has all the right ingredients, and it’s a great listen on Audible, narrated by Jilly Bond. Best listened this side of Christmas – you’ll see why!
Busby will be curled in his basket near the fire, one anxious eye on the moors on the horizon, listening to The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Older, braver children can join him (although not literally!) here: http://www.audiobooktreasury.com/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles/
For a wintery read for children aged 8+, Busby recommends The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken. It is read by her daughter, here: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-wolves-of-willoughby-chase ( You need to join SoundCloud to upload it, but this is free.)
We are hoping for some snowflakes.
If snow is rare where you are…
don’t worry! You can make your own snowflakes, and try out the challenges too, here: https://www.transum.org/Maths/Activity/Snowflake/?Level=
We are marvelling at…
something we found whilst researching a poem on the theme of hope. To put it in context for you, the story features paper birds, which often represent hope. This green box comes from the book page for The Girl Who Drank the Moon and I’d like it to have a wider audience. So here it is:
There is a very famous poem that links the image of a bird with hope. You can watch an extremely beautiful performance of it here. Please do watch this, put it on full screen if you can – you will not regret it! https://www.poetryfoundation.org/video/77372/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers
Feeling inspired? You can learn a word a day, or a week, here: https://youtu.be/YtAi0R83qzU There are 50 – what a great ‘try something new’ goal for 2022!
We are looking forward to Advent…
and Advent calendars, although, one of us struggles a bit with the fiddly doors. It can be a real issue when you only have paws. Take a look how one small village in Sussex got around this problem last year!
Aren’t these windows beautiful! Each represents a Christmas carol – some windows and carols appear more than once. I wonder how they will top that this year!
Sadly, slideshows don’t load on some i-phones. If you are having trouble viewing the above pictures, switch to another device, if possible.
We are getting ready to start our own calendar – online, to avoid the paw issue.
If that appeals to you, you can find a free online calendar for children, here:https://www.santagames.net/calendar/index.htm
This website also has e-cards, colouring sheets, songs and stories. You can see where Father Christmas lives, visit the elves’ workshop and feed the reindeer. You can even turn the sound off (!).
AND you can find it in French, here: https://www.vivenoel.com/calendrier/index.htm
This one might appeal to older readers: https://www.ashmolean.org/advent
Or how about making your own online Advent calendar? This one looks like a fun, creative challenge: https://adventmyfriend.com/
The picture on the left comes from the 2020 Jacquie Lawson online Advent calendar. Her website also has beautiful, animated Christmas cards, such as this one: https://www.jacquielawson.com/sendcard/preview?cont=1&hdn=0&fldCard=3502239&path=393919&pmode=init
( If you prefer paper Advent calendars, over the years, we have loved many of the fantastic ones from this excellent site: https://www.flamingopaperie.co.uk/web/dafina )
And finally…
Just so we remember what Advent is about, Busby has requested a carol by his favourite duo – one with words he can almost understand. So, to leave you on a peaceful note, here is the The Fox and the Hound back again with this beautiful duet.
Thank you…
everyone who has signed up to follow this blog – every time I see a new name, I feel great and Busby feels (p)awesome.
You can subscribe right at the foot of the blogs below or on the home page. Make sure you click on confirm subscription in the email that’s sent to you!
We will be back next month with yet more wintery wonderfulness to cheer up the darker days of the year, and, of course, with Busby’s quiz result.
IF you can’t wait until then, why not join our Quiet Paws Book Corner? If you like our blog page, you will almost certainly enjoy the information and activities on our book corner pages.
It’s free and everyone, young or old, is welcome. You just have to enjoy children’s literature. Head to the Join the Book Corner page in the menu at the top to sign up.
Buzzy Paws 
