Three Short Essays Meant for December + Picture Books I’ve Been Reading With My 5 yo

Three Short Essays Meant for December + Picture Books I’ve Been Reading With My 5 yo

The Nutcracker

My five-year-old daughter recently went to see The Nutcracker as part of a kindergarten field trip – a one-hour version for children.

Her teacher recruited six parent volunteers to help guide the children during transit that day. Apparently it was highly competitive, and I was completely too late to sign up. Still, my cough hasn’t fully gone away, so I told myself it was probably for the best that I sat this one out.

When I was in kindergarten, The Nutcracker was the theme of our Christmas recital. I still remember fragments of it. For the record, my role was one of the little mice that attack the Nutcracker – a henchman of sorts. I wore a costume with a long tail, tied with a red ribbon at the end. Now that I’m a mother myself, I feel nothing but gratitude toward my own mother, who sewed that costume for me.

This ballet by Tchaikovsky is often called a Christmas classic. It is visually dazzling, yet filled with melodies so memorable that even children can hum along. There is something deeply beautiful about that.

While the music was still fresh in her memory, I searched for it and happened to find a video of pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii performing selections from The Nutcracker. It was my first time hearing him play. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about classical music, but I have always loved the sound of the piano for as long as I can remember.

His performance felt gentle, enveloping – full of love. It was so comforting that I felt truly grateful to have found that video.

I’ve seen several videos where musicians play instruments in front of elephants or cows, and the animals gather around, standing quietly as if listening with full attention.

There must be something in the sound of music that captivates not only humans, but animals as well.

My daughter has a particular talent: whenever music starts playing, her body begins to move on its own. As if some instinct within her – something purely animal – cannot help but respond.

The Tissue Box

My runny nose and cough have been relentless, so I decided to carry an entire box of tissues around the house with me.

I wrote my name on it, drew a small dog beside it, and added the words: “Bless you!”

When my daughter saw it, she immediately said she wanted one too – even though she barely uses tissues. I brought over a box for her. She wrote her own name on it, and drew what looked like a Miffy-style bunny beside it.

Perhaps it’s something between mother and daughter, but she’s currently in a phase where she loves to copy me.

When I put on my short boots, she says, “Me too!” When I apply lip balm in front of the mirror, she says, “Me too!” If someone gives me a present, she insists she wanted one as well.

And yet, when I eat green peppers, she shows absolutely no interest. When I read a book, she doesn’t say, “Me too.” There was a time when she used to help me fold laundry with enthusiasm, but that phase seems to have passed.

Her trends come and go — far more quickly than the brief season between cherry blossoms blooming and falling.

Snowman

When my daughter was younger, she used to call a snowman yukidaruman — a charming mix of yukidaruma (japanese) and “snowman.” I loved it. But now she pronounces it correctly, and somehow that feels a little less fun.

Vancouver has been nothing but rain. There isn’t even a hint of snow in the forecast. It hasn’t been cold enough, and I find myself glancing at the weather report, wondering what Christmas will be like this year.

Whenever it does snow, I eagerly make several snowmen. But they never turn out as perfectly round as I imagine. They end up looking like low-resolution pixels – rough-edged and uneven. If I shave them down too much, they suddenly crack, and I tend to give up with a “That’s enough for today.”

One winter, when my daughter attended an outdoor preschool, we found carrots and mini cabbages scattered across a field after the snow had melted.

Everyone wondered why they were there.

Then one child said, “Maybe they were used for snowmen?”

Snow eventually melts and disappears. But the snowmen once made there —perhaps they always leave behind some trace of having existed.

🐦‍⬛Picture Books I’ve Recently Been Reading With My 5 Yo

1. We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

One from the Elephant & Piggie series that my daughter often borrows from school.

Gerald the elephant and Piggie suddenly realize that they themselves are inside a book. From there, they begin speaking directly to the reader, drawing them into the story. Because the narrative unfolds through dialogue, it’s simple and easy to read, with plenty of wit and humor.

Both my daughter and I adore this series.

2. Isadora Moon Goes to a Wedding by Harriet Muncaster

Part vampire, part fairy – the Isadora Moon series.

Recently, my daughter has started bringing these home from school as her very first chapter books.

In this story, Isadora is invited to her Aunt Crystal’s wedding, where she and her cousin Mirabelle end up causing quite a bit of mischievous chaos… It’s the third book my daughter borrowed and every installment has such an engaging storyline that I find myself completely absorbed as I read along with her.

That should be all for today.

I hope you have a cozy day🌱

See you in the next one!