Be Book Wise - Creative Vision Blog

Posted on January 27th, 2008 by Leisa
Filed under: Christmas Mouse, Literary Mascot, Literary Traditions

Put some fun in reading and create lasting memories by adopting a literary mascot.

What’s a literary mascot? To be honest, I thought it was perhaps a term I just coined. But it does appear to have been used before. You see, a mascot is a symbolic figure. And a quick Google search showed that schools has been known to adopt authors as a literary mascot. Why even the Baltimore Ravens football team was named after Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven. But at our house it something much more fun. It is a symbol that something fun is about to happen, and it revolves around books.

For several decades now the Christmas Mouse has been delivering a fun literary tradition to our family. It began when I was a child, and a tradition I have continued with my own children. Despite our cats best efforts our house now is being overrun with mice. The Christmas Mouse’s siblings have decided to get in on the action and are adopting holiday’s throughout the year. And even Grandma Mouse is available to deliver fun.

Here’s how you can start a tradition at your house:

1. View the post that tells what the Christmas Mouse is.
2. View a sample activity so you can get an idea of the types of activities you can do. See The Christmas Mouse Goes to the Movies, and The Christmas Mouse Delivers Letters to Santa
3. Subscribe to the Literary Tradions eZine. It’s free. Each issue of the Literary Traditions eZine will include the titles of several books and a suggested activity or two to go along with the book. Not only will holiday ideas be included, but also ideas on everyday fun, and special occasions.
4. Select and purchase a mascot. We suggest something only a couple of inches high. That way he can sit on the bookshelf until he makes his delivery. The kids may even sneak him a bite or two. You can select one mascot and use it throughout the year for every event. Since our mouse was named the Christmas Mouse and has a stocking cap, we opted for mice for the different holidays. It turns out that carrying the tradition to other holiday’s will be easy for as as there are plenty of mouse related figurines available for lots of different occasions. We even have a generic Grandma Mouse, who is reading a book, to deliver fun anytime we want.
5. Next select a new picture book for your literary mascot to deliver. Look for a book that you can coordinates with a fun activity, and doesn’t take too long to read.
6. Purchase any supplies that are needed.
7. Now wait for a time when the kids aren’t looking and place the book and supplies where the kids can see it. Set the mouse of top and wait for them to discover the fun. We suggest writing a note of introduction the first time. Something like:

Hi Kids,

As you can plainly see - I am a mouse.
And I’ve been living right here in your house.

I’m feeling a little left out and want to play too.
So here is what I want your to do.

Open this book and read it all the way through.
The book will provide a you a clue of something fun for us to do.

Once you’re done you will plainly see.
You’re going to have fun with me.

Signed,

Pierre
The House Mouse

Don’t have kids? Don’t let that stop you. After all it’s free and you’ll learn how to deliver literary fun to your grandkids, or perhaps an adopted family in the neighborhood. Don’t let age stop you. Even teens love a good picture book.I recommend periodically selecting new books, but your mascot can use some of he same books year after year to deliver the same activities, thereby developing traditions that revolve around the same books. The kids will look forward, with anticipation, to the same activities the following year.

Check back shortly to see how you can win your own literary mascot, a book, and an activity to go with the book here by subscribing to your eZine.

Posted by: Leisa on Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Under Christmas Mouse, Literary Mascot, Literary Traditions |