The 12 Days of Christmas by Robert Sabuda (a Review)

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The holiday season is now upon us and I wanted to share one of my family’s favorite Christmas storybooks that we first uncovered at our local library, The 12 Days of Christmas by Robert Sabuda. This storybook literally brings to life, in 4-dimensional pop up images worthy of any art gallery, the retelling of the 12 days of gifts leading up to Christmas. Upon reading this storybook it will be hard for anyone, young or old, to not find themselves singing this Christmas carol by the time the story has ended.

I found this book in my local library in the juvenile book section under the number of JB SABUDA.  While I have been told that most libraries within the United States have on the shelves storybooks by Robert Sabuda, but due to the delicate nature of the pop up images in this storybook some libraries do not allow for his storybook to be checked out from them. Even so, I highly suggest spending some time on a sofa or chair at your local library snuggled up with your child reading this storybook.

Some of the positive aspects of this book are:

• The engineering of paper that went into creating the pop-ups in this storybook is unlike any other pop-up book. They make this story come to like in a way that all ages will enjoy and be looking forward to reading every year around Christmas time.
• This book is like opening a new present every day leading up to the day of Christmas. It makes children appreciate the magical world that a storybook can create and this can translate over into any storybook that the child reads. Thus, creating an engaged and enthralled reader which is all any of us can ask or hope for out of our young readers.

Even though I love this book and would recommend it to anyone as a must read family Christmas storybook there, is a minor thing that you will want to note about this storybook:

• While this storybook will whisk away any elementary student into a magical world of images and song this storybook should not be handled by children who are rough on storybooks or too young to be able to fully comprehend the respect that such a delicate library book entails. This may prove difficult for younger children (such as preschool through kindergarten ages) since the pop up images just beg to be touched and look so lifelike and magical.

If you are looking for a new Christmas storybook to add to your family traditions then I highly suggest reading this storybook at your local library to your holiday to do list. It is a joy for all ages!  If you would like to get your own copy of this book you can find it on Amazon, or at your local book store or even at Costco. Make sure to also check out these other phenomenal storybooks by Robert Sabuda: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Night Before Christmas, Winter’s Tale, and Beauty & the Beast (to name just a few).

Clip art by: Revi Devi