RIFFS ON HOLIDAY SONGS

​The holidays are almost upon us! What better way to get in the holiday spirit than by singing holiday songs and reading holiday-themed picture books? Better yet, why not combine the two?

If you’re a children’s author who enjoys writing rhyming and lyrical picture books, holiday songs can provide great inspiration. Using a holiday song as the scaffolding for a picture book provides a built-in rhyme scheme and meter to follow. (I make a similar point about writing bedtime books in this post.)

​The tried-and-true structure of a holiday song can be your starting point, but you’ll need to take your story in a new and fresh direction. As Rhyme Doctor Patricia Toht, author of several holiday books including Pick a Pine Tree will tell you, “While publishers are often looking for new holiday books, they only take on a few each year. Your holiday book has stiff competition and must stand out from what's already out there.”

​Need some inspiration? Let’s look at a few stand out picture books based on holiday songs.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a favorite holiday tune. But admit it. After singing about geese-a-laying, fatigue starts to set in, and the song’s only halfway finished! Cumulative songs and stories can get redundant after a while.

Two picture books based on “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that solve this redundancy problem in creative ways are Twelve Dinging Doorbells, by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, and The Twelve Hours of Christmas, by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Bea Jackson.

*Side note: both of these books tell the story of a large family gathering for the holidays. However, each book has a different voice and perspective, making them both unique. This goes to show that there is room for more than one book on a topic!

In Twelve Dinging Doorbells, the story unfolds from the perspective of a child who lets in a new slew of relatives with each ding of the doorbell. From “toddlers squealing” to “brothers repping” to “selfie queens,” the house quickly fills with joy and excitement. One of the elements that makes this book a fun read aloud is Tameka’s use of alliteration. Notice the repetition of “d”, “p” and “s” sounds in this spread to mimic the boisterous activity in the house:
 
At the fourth dinging doorbell
this holiday I see,
four pounds of chitlins,
three posh sibs,
two selfie queens
and a sweet potato pie just for me.

​In the traditional song, the gift on the fifth day of Christmas is “five golden rings.” Tameka’s clever riff on this is “baked macaroni and cheese.”

​​Still golden, right? But much tastier! To break up the potential redundancy of a cumulative list, Tameka varies how she presents this line. The toddlers start by squealing, “baked macaroni and cheese,” followed by “more macaroni and cheese,” then “lots of macaroni and cheese”, “where’s my macaroni and cheese?” and finally “Who needs macaroni and cheese?”

In The Twelve Hours of Christmas, Jenn Bailey adds layers to her book with a kitten who goes missing and the gift of “jokey books” from Uncle Lee. (Speech bubbles on several pages share jokes from the books.)

​Jenn also successfully avoids the redundancy of a cumulative list. She does this with clever end rhymes and repetition that varies. On each spread, the text starts the same: “In the X hour of Christmas…” From there the statements vary, each ending with a different word that rhymes with “tree.” The first spread sets up the pattern…

Jenn uses several creative rhymes for “tree” to help the story progress through the course of the day, from “the twins dress up to be…” to “It’s breakfast! Finally!”, “a snowman-making spree!” and eventually “there goes the family.”

​While “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star” is not technically a holiday song, Megan Litwin gives this traditional lullaby a winter twist in Twinkle Twinkle, Winter Night, illustrated by Nneka Myers. Megan really plays up the sensory details in this book, from the flicker of candles in a neighbor’s window, to the crisp, cool night sky.

One of the elements that makes this book a great mentor text is Megan’s use of poetic devices that enhance sound. Notice how she combines onomatopoeia (hushing, twinkle), alliteration (snowflakes, soundless and show, peaceful and perfect,​ dusting and dressing) and assonance (hushing and dusting, silent and white) to create the soft sounds of a winter night.

What’s your favorite holiday song? Perhaps you can riff on it in a fun, new way to create the next favorite holiday picture book!

-by Rhyme Doctor Michelle Schaub