Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico (Picture Puffins)

Replete with illustrations that bloom with an understated yet bold use of color, this story shows how Christmas is made personal to a young girl in a beautiful Mexican town, via a very special pinata.

I've never seen a book quite like it. Originally published in 1959, and winner of the 1960 Caldecott medal, "Nine Days to Christmas" is the tale of Ceci and her piñata. Ceci is five years old, and at long last her mother has consented to hold a posada (Christmas party) that Ceci may attend. Ceci is delighted, and when choosing a piñata for the posada she grows horribly attached to one in the shape of a beautiful star. When the time comes to break the piñata into pieces, however, Ceci is understandably distraught. Fortunately, the very nature of piñatas rectifies the situation and Ceci finds comfort in the season.Both visually and textually this book is an original. Ets's Ceci is definitely five years of age. Her every move and thought confirms her youth and excitement at finally getting to participate in the first of nine Christmas parties. What's nice about the story is the amount of time and attention the author pays to the day-to-day living of a wealthy Mexican family like Ceci's. She displays the world around Ceci without ever ignoring the poor or impoverished. Though Ceci is too young to make any judgments about the way the world is, she knows enough to observe a man too poor to own shoes or village women selling flowers. The book never trivializes the situation of the people, and it grants servants the same respect as their employers. I was especially taken with the section in which the servant girls mix and mingle while waiting for the garbage truck to arrive. It's nice to see someone besides the rich having lives of their own in a picture book. My only objection is the author's dedication at the front. She writes, "To all the little Mexican friends and relatives who helped us make this book". I'm going to assume that by "little" she is referring to the children.The story is rather original for its publication date. I can't imagine that too many kids books with South American plots were making their way into mainstream America in the late 1950s. Above and beyond the storyline, however, are Aurora Labastida's amazing illustrations. Here is an illustrator that matches Ets's well-paced story and dialogue with a true knowledge of Mexican culture. It's such a relief to see Ceci staring transfixed at a Christmastime market that looks so doggone realistic. And when Ceci and her mother stand on the street, the stores and marquees they pass are all written in Spanish (with the possible exception of the transposed Dairy Queen). Labastida's style is particularly original as well. Most faces of characters are realistic to the point where I began to wonder if Labastida was drawing from photographs. These characters are drawn with pencil, as are the backgrounds and settings. Yet minute carefully selected portions of each picture are colored in beautifully. Ceci's clothing is always colorful and easy to spot. Using this technique, the artist is able to draw the viewer's eye to the parts of the illustration she wants you to pay t

This children's book is about a five-year-old Mexican girl and her first posada (a Christmas festival in Mexico) and her first Christmas piñata. Children have always loved the story and also have used the book to learn more about the culture and life of another country. "Nine Days to Christmas" is highly recommended. Aurora Labastida was the librarian for children's books in Mexico City and she cowrote this story with Marie Ets who was the illustrator. The book won the 1960 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a children's book.

As a child, this book open the world to me. Nine Days to Christmas lets children learn about and explore the traditions of Christmas in Mexico while capturing the thrill and confusion of early childhood. Thirty years after reading this book, I look forward to sharing the magic of Nine Days to Christmas with my own children.