Sweet cinnamon, biscuits, it's Christmas! It's the busiest time of year, just like Busy Betty!
This year, Betty is going to get everyone in her whole family the perfect Christmas present. But when Betty looks in her piggy bank, she doesn’t even have two coins to clank together! Then Betty has the most amazing idea: she and Mae will transform their lemonade stand into . . . a Christmas cookie stand!
But getting people to come out in snowy, blowy weather is harder than they thought. Will Betty ever find the perfect Christmas presents for her family? Or will she realize she had the answer all along?
From Academy Award–winning actress, founder of Hello Sunshine, and bestselling author, Reese Witherspoon comes Busy Betty: an exuberant, smart, and larger-than-life character who encourages young readers to tackle each obstacle with enthusiasm, excitement, and big ideas. With fun and vibrant illustrations from Xindi Yan, Busy Betty & the Perfect Christmas Present is the perfectly perfect Christmas time read-aloud!
Check the back of the book for a Christmas cookie recipe!---from the publisher
40 pages 978-0593525159 Ages 4-7
Keywords: Christmas story, entrepreneur, giving, gifts, main character female, overcoming obstacles, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old
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Betty’s mind is always busy, with one thought leading to another and her actions following so that nothing ever gets done, or if it does, it isn’t done well. So, as Christmas approaches and she decides to give her whole family the perfect Christmas gift, it is unlikely to be as straightforward as it seems, particularly when she discovers her piggy bank is empty.
Then she remembers that she and her friend Mae had held a lemonade stand in summer when they needed money so perhaps that is the answer. But who want lemonade on cold, snowy days? Aha! If not lemonade then what about cookies? But if you're going to make money selling something, then you need customers and who is going to come out on such wintery days/ And so it goes on until Betty not only manages to give her family the perfect present but also learns a valuable lesson about gift-giving in the process.
This is one of the few series that has a celebrity's name on the front that is more than that and Betty and her antics have become firm favourites with young children as she not only confronts the problems she faces but finds a way through, learning a lot about herself and life along the way.
A worthwhile addition to the Christmas Countdown particularly in these times when expectations are high but cash is hard to come by. Lots of opportunity to brainstorm solutions for both Betty and the students about how they can still give gifts without having to spend money, as well as considering the joy of giving.
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
