The WinterHaven Sleigh Tour - Week 1: Winter Book Review & Giveaway!

 

Today A Dream Within A Dream is super excited to join the WinterHaven Sleigh Tour hosted by WinterHaven Books. This week, we are posting our choice of a Winter Book Review. To see who else is on the sleigh, go to WinterHaven Sleigh Tour  for a list of participating blogs!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Author: Dr. Seuss
Genre: Children's Christmas

Description:

"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! / Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason." Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that's two sizes too small. This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos. (Ages 4 to 8)


Review:

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was originally written in 1957 and has since become a Christmas classic for kids and adults of all ages. The book is a children's book and is relatively short with pictures on each page. The illustrations themselves are done in black, white, and red and appear to be drawn with pencil or ink. They aren't overly detailed or brightly colored, but they are interesting to look at because the characters of the Grinch and the Whos, as well as their village are so fantastically different from anything in the real world. 

The story itself is written in prose, with several poem qualities. The rhyme scheme used definitely appeals to the reader (or listener) as the endings of each line couplet rhyme to give it a sing-song  rhythm. Smaller children who are listening to the story being read to them will like this rhyming and it will keep their attention. Another interesting thing to note about the writing is the use of completely nonsensical and made up words. Dr. Seuss is a master of this kind of language and is famous for using it in his books. The words he invented for the story are unusual and are sure to stick in the minds of the readers. The plot is a fun one, but also has a great moral to it as well. The story is teaching children that the true meaning of Christmas doesn't come from gifts or things that are bought, but from love and being together. Overall, this is a Christmas classic that readers of all ages will enjoy. It's a true classic that never gets old and one that will be appreciated for years to come.

 

 

WinterHaven is sponsoring a giveaway which will include 4 winners who will each receive 1 Signed Copy of Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (Signed by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn) AND 1 Not-Signed Copy of Let it Snow!

 
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