Book Sharing Monday

One more Christmas theme book to share with you today... We have enjoyed many books by this author, Cynthia Rylant. This particular one is called Silver Packages. It is the story of young boy and a very special Christmas train. Every year, the train comes and the rich man tosses gifts to the children. Every year, this boy wishes for a doctor kit, but instead receives things he truly needs at the time. I think it is a wonderful story, and a nice gentle reminder that we don't always get what we want, but we should be grateful to receive what we need. The illustrations by Chris K. Soentpiet are beautiful and complement the story perfectly.

Here is a little part for you:

"One year a boy named Frankie stands beside those tracks and waits for the Christmas Train. It is very cold and a lot of snow has come down the night before. Frankie's shoes are thin and his feet hurt badly from the cold. But he is determined to wait, even if his feet and all the rest of him become ice." Cynthia Rylant, The Silver Packages.

This story is actually based on a real train which has been rolling through the Appalachian Mountains each Christmas season since 1943 and delivers presents to children in coal towns. If you follow the link above to Chris Soentpiet site, you can also read how the story is also inspired by the author's childhood. You can also print colouring pages from his site, look on the left side menu.