Rhyming Prompt: December 12

I love to read books whenever I’m able
And I wonder if you might just feel the same.
The gifts I love most are stories and fables
Whenever those pages unfurl I exclaim!
Let’s go to your bookshelf and choose one old tome
That you think you’re ready to give away.
Then let’s visit the library near our home
And give someone the gift of a new book today!

Download the prompts for December 9-12 here as a PDF or here as a Microsoft Word Document (you may have already printed these—I’m just re-posting them here for convenience). You may also want to download and print the prompts for December 13-16, here as a PDF or here as a Microsoft Word Document.

A closeup of the December 12 prompt, printed on cream colored cardstock with a green border. It is nestled in a lit Christmas tree, and has a green wax frog seal highlighted in gold.

Other Materials:

A book to donate.

Suggested Pose:

Where else? Frantz is nestled into our bookshelves where he has been browsing all night.

Activity:

With your child, look through your books and choose one that your child has outgrown, or that just hasn’t been a particular favorite. Then, take a walk or ride to your nearest Little Free Library and leave it for some lucky child to find.

Rationale:

We have done lots of donations already through this project, but this one is something your child is choosing on their own. It gives them the opportunity to have some control over the generosity, to get the rush from sharing their wealth and treasure with another, and to see that this is not something that only adults can direct. Because they may be able to get a new book of their own at the library, too, this gives them a chance to inhabit another child’s perspective quite directly. Both your child and the person who chooses their book will feel the same joy of plucking it from the tiny shelves, tucking it under their arm, and reading it cozily at home.

Book Recommendation:

Read the book your child chooses to donate one last time, and then, if they choose one to replace it at the library, read that one, too.