Continuing on the Twelve Days trail here, we come to The Twelve Bots of Christmas, by Nathan Hale. From Santa and his reindeer, to every entry in this old standard of a song, all are 'bots of some sort. Clever, wonderful details, and a lot of fun! Be sure to check out the pipers. :-)

Here's a "New Mexican" twist on 'that' song. ;-) The Twelve Days of Christmas: a Pinata for the Pinon Tree, by Philemon Sturges and illustrated by Ashley Wolff. No swimming swans here! I enjoyed seeing decorations and traditions that differ so much from mine! Included is a recipe for bizcochitos (cookies) which, according to the author, are popular this time of year.

For a more 'close up' take on this familiar song try The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington, written and illustrated by John Abbott Nez. Follow Max, as he visits his cousin Molly (and aunt and uncle Martha and George) in a winter tour around the state. I liked that Max wrote letters to his folks, and that there were no electronic devices in sight. Just one thing seemed to be missing (to me, anyway) ... rain!

Woodland Christmas: Twelve Days of Christmas in the North Woods, by Frances Tyrrell uses the traditional words, but puts a spin on the interpretation of them. The 'eight maids a milking' are raccoons with buckets of stars from the Milky Way, for example. Beautiful pictures.

Another print version of this song (and my favorite) may be found on the December 20, 2014 post.

Reading Hermit With Dog