A fresh twist on the lyrics from The 12 Days of Christmas this brightly illustrated picture book is a woodland animal counting tale that celebrates the return of the sun's light on the Winter Solstice with a 12-day party. "On the first day of winter the Good Earth gives the sun a cardinal in a fir tree."That cardinal's name is Carl, who begins the tale with a letter he writes to the reader, along with an invitation he hangs on a tree branch to welcome the woodland animals to the upcoming Solstice Party. An imaginative read-aloud counting tale, every turn of the page shows artfully drawn woodland creatures gathering in greater numbers, encouraging children to look for and count each one. "On the second day of winter the Good Earth gives the sun 2 polar bears and a cardinal in a fir tree. On the third day of winter the Good Earth gives the sun 3 caribou, 2 polar bears and a cardinal in a fir tree."Every turn of the page brings in more characters--jolly snowmen, a 5-pointed star, rabbits romping, salmon streaming, foxes napping, field mice nibbling, birch trees dreaming and barn owls swooping. In the surprise ending the sun rises a little bit earlier on the last day of the party (January 1st) and reaches its rays far into the future to bring back 12 very special presents for the Earth-- "12 months of days awaiting.

" A delightful read-aloud tale about the joy of giving, this book offers a grateful and hopeful start to the New Year. Included with the book is an innovative TIMBER! Talking audio soundtrack that is activated by scanning the QR code in the beginning of the book with a smartphone or tablet. Wonderfully narrated with a lively reading of the story, it includes music, sound effects, and the sounds of nature to make the book come alive. A first step to becoming an independent reader, this soundtrack lets the child hear the book over and over again.