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 animal counting tale, every turn of the page shows artfully drawn woodland creatures gathering in greater numbers, encouraging the child to look for and count each animal as the guest list grows day by day. "On the second day of winter the Good Earth gives the sun two 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 bit earlier on the last day of the party (January 1st) and reaches far, far into the future with its many rays to bring back a dozen very special presents for the Earth in return—”12 months of days awaiting”. A fun read-aloud counting tale about the joy of giving and receiving gifts, this book offers a grateful and hopeful start to the New Year. Stories spring to life with the included Audio Soundtrack Our TIMBER! Talking Book audio soundtrack included with the book creates an immersive experience with a lively reading of the story accompanied by music, sound effects and the sounds of nature. To turn on TIMBER! simply scan the QR code at the beginning of the book with a smartphone or tablet with a 3G or WiFi connection. When the webpage loads, press play to hear the soundtrack. A gentle tone tells the child when to turn the page to sync the words with the action and have the scene spring to life in their imagination. An important first step to becoming an independent reader, this soundtrack lets the child listen to the book over and over and over again.