Seven Stories of Christmas Love
By: Leo Buscaglia, PhD
Illustrator: Tom Newsom
Publisher: Slack Incorporated
Date of Publication: June 1, 1987
Length: 110 Pages
About the Author
Felice Leonardo "Leo" Buscaglia PhD, also known as "Dr. Love," was an American author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. His dynamic speaking style was discovered by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and his televised lectures earned great popularity in the 1980s. At one point his talks, always shown during fund raising periods, were the top earners of all PBS programs. Dr. Buscaglia died of a heart attack on June 12, 1998.
The Spirit of Christmas is Love
This book features the following short stories about the author's Christmas memories:
A Christmas Morning Memory - A story about Leo's poor Italian immigrant family and a lesson in forgiveness and love.
Two Festivals of Light - Leo and his family share Christmas dinner with their new Jewish neighbors.
A Gift of Ravioli - When Leo was a boy, he had a crush on the public librarian. He only had some of his mother's homemade ravioli to give her at Christmas, but that was enough.
The Christmas Story According to Big Matthew - A humorous story about Leo directing the Christmas pageant when he was a young elementary school teacher.
A Santa Suit Does Not a Santa Claus Make - Leo is recruited to be the school Santa Claus when the school custodian fell ill.
No Room at the Inn - Leo shares the Christmas story during a magical trip to Bali on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't - Leo finds himself in the hospital recovering from a heart attack and quintuple heart bypass surgery on Christmas day, 1992. This does not stop him from spreading love to fellow members of the "Open Heart Club."
My Thoughts
I remember watching Dr. Leo Buscaglia on PBS and reading his books in the 1980s. When I saw this book at the library sale, I was immediately drawn to it. This little book does an amazing job defining the true meaning of Christmas. The author tells how each of the Christmas memories he shared in this book reinforced his beliefs in the value of caring and love.
I can't choose a favorite story from this book...I loved them all. The illustrations are lovely and add value to the stories.
The spirit of Christmas is love. Each of the seven stories in this book emphasized the importance of family, friendship, caring, sharing and love. "Dr. Love" was a great inspiration to all who heard him speak and read his books.
I highly recommend this book to older children and adults.
It is a short book that packs a mighty punch. You will want to read it each year to remind you of the true meaning of the season.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I found this book on the quarter shelf at a Friends of the Library sale.
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I Will Come Back For You: A Family in Hiding During World War II
Author: Marisabina Russo
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Date: September 27, 2011
About The Author
Marisabina Russo is the author and illustrator of numerous books for children. Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II, based on the
experiences of her grandmother's family during the Holocaust, was named an
ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book.
A Jewish Family In Italy
A grandmother uses her charm bracelet to tell the story of her life in Italy during World War II.
The first charm is a donkey. The donkey represents the happy times that Jacob, Sabina and their children had in Rome before the war. They would often go to the park and ride on the backs of gentle donkeys.
The second charm is a piano. Jacob would play the piano and sing to his family each night when he got home from work. One day, Jacob learned that he and all Jewish men had to move to a small village up in the mountains. The music ended and the family missed Jacob very much.
The third charm is a bicycle. Jacob learned that the Germans were coming to the village and all the Jewish detainees would be moved to a concentration camp. Jacob ran away and hid in the mountains. A friendly farmer carried Sabina on the handlebars of his bicycle to a safer hiding place higher in the mountains. The children were left behind but hoped to be reunited with their parents as soon as it was safe.
The fourth charm is a pig. The children hid in baskets of live piglets and were carried high into the mountains on the back of a donkey. They were reunited with Sabina and lived with her on a farm until the war ended.
The next two charms are a barn and a spinning wheel. These charms represent the time that Sabina and the children lived on the farm. Sabina worked in the fields and even learned to spin yarn from sheep's wool. They looked like part of the farmer's family so no one suspected that they were Jews.
The Last charm is an ocean liner. Sabina learned that Jacob had joined the partigiani, a group of people who were fighting against the Germans. He was killed by Nazi solders who found his hideout. After the war, Sabina and her children sailed to America where they started a new life.
My Thoughts
When I was a child, I loved to read biographies and books about history. I read very little fiction, I always wanted a "true" book. I majored in social studies/history when I went to college. I love to learn about the history of my country and the world.
The subject of the Holocaust is difficult to explain to children. This fictionalized story based on the author's real-life experience deals with the subject in a sensitive and appropriate manner.
I really love the way the charm bracelet was used to represent each part of the story. The author gives more information about her family in the "Afterword" section of the book. Incredibly, about 85% of the Jews in Italy survived the war, more than in almost any other European country.
This is an excellent resource to teach children about war, evil, bravery and kindness in the face of danger. Highly recommended for children in early elementary grades and up. (The book jacket says ages 5 - 9 but I think it could be used with older students.)
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I checked-out this book from the public library.
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