The Days After Christmas

by Maggie C. Rudd, Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator)

Overview

With lyrical writing by Maggie C. Rudd and bright illustrations by Elisa Chavarri, The Days After Christmas is a joyful picture book that reminds us that magic and cheer can still be found even after the decorations are put away. Also features instructions for a post-holiday craft!

In the days after Christmas

When you wake up in your bed

And holiday memories

Float through your head…

After the bustle of the holiday season, grandparents wave goodbye and it's time to pack up the sparkly ornaments. The house feels too quiet. What do you do when the excitement and festivities are over?

The fireplace may be a perfect place to read new books with a cup of hot cocoa and some snuggles with Mom and Dad. And leftovers might still be pretty tasty. Upon reflection, the memories of the Christmas season can bring smiles, not sadness – and a hopefulness that there’s still so much to look forward to.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374390167
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.45(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Maggie C. Rudd is the author of I'll Hold Your Hand, On the Fourth of July, On the Days After Christmas, On the Last Day of School and the middle grade novel, How To Stay Invisible. When she isn't writing, she is teaching high school, making forts, or outside getting muddy with her kids. She lives in rural North Carolina with her family.

Elisa Chavarri is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including I’ll Hold Your Hand and On the Fourth of July by Maggie C. Rudd and the Pura Belpré Honor–winning book Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello. Originally from Lima, Peru, she did much of her growing up in Northern Michigan, where she now resides with her husband and two small children.

Editorial Reviews

"This story shows children that after the holidays, life continues... A great pick for children’s library collections." —School Library Journal

"Rudd’s relatable second-person rhymes reflect on the quiet days after Christmas festivities, resulting in this gentle spin on the usual yuletide fare. Cozy moments and time outdoors in the snow invigorate—just the reset needed to help everyone cherish holiday memories while looking ahead. " —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2024-07-04
Families enjoy the quiet after Christmas.

Christmas chaos has led to post-Christmas calm in this story that sees racially diverse families cleaning up, quietly enjoying toys, and appreciating nature. The smiling children of each family help tidy and sip cocoa with nary a meltdown. Rudd’s simple but uneven rhymes in a flexible ABCB pattern anchor the quotidian days. Singular words are rhymed with plurals, and attempts at slant rhymes fall flat; sometimes the language becomes unnecessarily repetitive: “Now it all seems too finished, / too over, too ending.” Chavarri’s art, too, is greeting-card cheery and wrapping-paper ready. The illustrations of holiday memories that open and close the book are generic gift boxes, pine trees, and candy canes rather than specific toys or holiday foods. The tale lacks a central family or character for readers to follow. The strongest scene is a three-spread sequence set outdoors when children hang birdseed ornaments for critters and play in the snow. There, the narrative includes a rhyme that works: “You tromp through the woods— / jumping rocks, watching birds— / and find magic in nature / without noise, without words”—a lovely way for families to experience the post-holiday doldrums.

A tree-trimmed holiday narrative that doesn’t hang together. (directions for birdseed ornaments, other ideas for activities after Christmas)(Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews