Star Bright

STAR BRIGHT by Angela McGhee with illustrations by Peter Reynolds. Atheneum, 2014.

What can she give him?
She is small and he is great.
Perhaps some star light?

Christmas Books: A Gift of Reading

WHERE IS BABY'S CHRISTMAS PRESENT by Karen Katz. Little Simon, 2014.

SNOWFLAKE DAY by Becky Friedman. Simon Spotlight.

UNCLES AND ANTLERS by Lisa Wheeler with illustrations by Brian Floca. Atheneum, 2014.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW by Rebecca Patterson. Simon & Schuster, 2014.


Books make good presents
From the youngest to oldest
A gift of reading.

More holiday books

THE EIGHTH MENORAH by Lauren Wohl. Albert Whitman, 2013.

Are 8 menorahs
Too many? Or just the right
Number that Sam needs?

WHEN CHRISTMAS FEELS LIKE HOME by Gretchen Griffith with illustrations by Carolina Farias. Albert Whitman, 2013.

Futbol or football?
Can this new house feel like home?
Perhaps at Christmas.

Merry Days

SANTA CLAUS AND THE THREE BEARS by Maria Modugno with illustrations by Jane and Brooke Dyer. Harper, 2013.

This variation of Goldilocks has the bears head out of the house while their pudding cools. Enter Santa who spies the pudding. In quick succession, you have the eating of the pudding, the breaking of the chair, and the snoozing in the bed. Kids will enjoy this whether they know the story of Goldilocks or not. (Hint: if they do not, remedy that).

DEAR SANTASAURUS by Stacy McNulty with illustrations by Jeff Kaminsky. Boyds Mills Press, 2013.

Ernest begins a year long correspondence with Santasaurus, assuring the jolly dino that he (Ernest) is being a good boy. Of course, the illustrations and asides prove that Ernest might just be omitting some details. All's well by Christmas Eve, though.

ZOOMER'S OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD CHRISTMAS by Ned Young. Harper, 2013.

Zoomer and his brother pups are using their telescope to keep an eagle eye out for Santa. When a flying saucer touches down in Zoomer's back yard, he and his siblings enjoy some fun with the extraterrestrials. And Zoomer even lends a hand in helping repair their ship. Of course, he is rewarded for his good deed by Santa.

Happy Holidays

Celebrate Christmas with some old favorites (Olivia) and some new characters (Fuddles).

rushing the season

CHRISTMAS A B C by Florence Johnson with illustrations by Eloise Wilkin. Little Golden Books, 1962.

More than half a century later, this Little Golden Book still appeals to children because of its universal themes surrounding the holiday. It might prove interesting to locate and share books from each decade since the publication of this holiday book. Ask kids to compare and contrast them.

DINOSAUR CHRISTMAS by Jerry Pallotta with illustration by Howard McWilliam. Scholastic, 2013.

Santa remembers back when, instead of reindeer, dinosaurs pulled his sleigh. Sometimes the dinosaurs were a good match, and sometimes the results were less than laudatory.

First book of the Christmas season

TEH TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Susan Jeffers. Harper, 2013.



Twelve days of Christmas
From Emma's point of view. A
Visit to St. Nick.

Holiday fare

Christmas in August, Hanukkah as well. Get some early book shopping done with these books that celebrate holidays.

MY PEN PAL, SANTA by Melissa Stanton with illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell. Random House, 2013. A girl and Satan maintain a year long correspondence between Christmases.

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Jane Cabrera. Holiday House, 2013. Four magic mice, 8 elves baking, and other new characters are part of this version of the traditional Christmas classic.

HANUKKAH BEAR by Eric Kimmel with illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka. Holiday House, 2013. Bubba Brayna is a little nearsighted. When Bear enters her home, she mistakes him for the Rabbi and prepares a plentiful Hanukkah meal for him.

THE SMALLEST GIFT OF CHRISTMAS by Peter Reynolds. Candlewick Press, 2013. Sometimes the smallest package can hold the greatest treasure.

HANUKKAH IN ALASKA by Barbara Brown with illustrations by Stacey Schuett. Holt, October 2013. Northern Lights, a menorah, and an obstinate moose team up to make for a memorable Hanukkah.

SANTA CLAUS AND THE THREE BEARS by Maria Modugno with illustrations by Jane and Brooke Dyer. Harper, 2013. This version of Goldilocks will be perfect for holiday reading aloud.

THE CHRISTMAS WISH by Lori Evert with illustrations (photographs) by Per Breieagen. Random House, 2013. Anja's desire to help oput Santa involves an arduous journey accompanied by many Arctic animals.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

CHARLIE AND THE CHRISTMAS KITTY by Ree Drummond with illustrations by Diane deGroat. Harper, 2012.

Charlie, the best dog ranch hand around, is supervising the preparations for Christmas from the coziness of his bed. When he awakens on Christmas morning, he is greeted by what he first thinks in a rabbit but soon learns is a new kitty. At first, Charlie ignores the rambunctious kitten. Later, of course, the two become inseparable. <532>

THE BERENSTAIN BEARS' OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS by Jan and Mike Berenstain. Harper, 2012.

Grandpa declares that this Christmas will be an old-fashioned one: no watching TV. There will be singing of carols (many of them with lyrics included in the book) and cutting down of trees and other preparations. The kids join in the festivities and declare that an old-fashioned Christmas is wonderful. <533>

PETE THE CAT SAVES CHRISTMAS by Eric Litwin with illustrations by James Dean. Harper, 2012.

Pete the Cat is back, and thank heavens for that. It seems as though Santa is down for the count with an awful cold. It will be up to Pete the Cat to deliver all the toys in time for Christmas. Though he is small, Pete is determined to succeed. A downloadable song about Pete's heroics is here: www.harpercollinschildrens.com/petethecat

<534>

How many shopping days til Christmas?

I might be rushing the season a bit, but here are some Christmas books for the kids you love.

DINOSAUR VS. SANTA by Bob Shea. Disney/Hyperion, 2012.

A little dinosaur prepares for Christmas with a letter to Santa, gifts for his parents, and decorations for the tree. With lots of ROARing, this is sure to be a hot as a read aloud or read along. <530>

SANTA ON THE LOOSE by Bruce Hale with illustrations by Dave Garbot. Harper, 2012.

Someone at the North Pole has stolen Santa's toys. He has suspects, but it is up to the reader to solve the mystery. The inside pages, all double page spreads look a little like WHERE'S WALDO? in format. However, even young readers should be able to spot Santa and the clues he is holding. Match the clues to the suspects' photos, and the mystery will be solved. <531>

And here is a look at one of the double page spreads.

Getting ready for the holidays

THE CHRISTMAS WOMBAT by Jackie French with illustrations by Bruce Whatley. Clarion Books, 2012.

I know I might be rushing the season a tad, but it is never too early to begin thinking about books to share during the holidays, right? Meet Christmas Wombat. He loves carrots and doscivers quite by accident that there are some creatures who have a nose for finding them (reindeer). Womabt has a lovely side courtesy of Santa's sleigh, and returns home safely and full of carrots. <511>

The Christmas Wombat

THE CHRISTMAS WOMBAT by Jackie French with illustrations by Bruce Whatley. Clarion Books, 2012.

Wombat loves carrots. One winter, his sensitive nose (and powerful hunger) leads him in search of carrots only to discover some other strange animal (reindeer, in this case) eating them. Wombat manages to get his fill of carrots and then curls up in the rungs of Santa's sleigh. He is delighted to discover that there are plenty of carrots to be had when he teams up with Santa and the reindeer. <412>

Christmas Gift

THE CARPENTER'S GIFT: A CHRISTMAS TALE ABOUT THE ROCKEFELLER CENTER TREE by David Rubel with illustrations by Jim LaMarche (Random House 2011) is a perfect gift for the holidays. Near Christmas of 1931, Henry and his father take a load of trees into the city to sell. The family has been hard hit by the Depression; the money from the tree sale will certainly help. On Christmas morning Henry and his family awaken to a wonderful surprise: a group of workmen to whom Henry's father had donated his leftover trees come to the farm to help build a proper home for the family. The spirit of generosity is alive and well in this story. <687>

special edition of Picture Book Monday

Here is a reissue of a Christmas poem about giving of yourself and giving back to others. A young boy in tatters spends his few pennies on a Charlie Brown sort of Christmas tree. Because of the boy's love and faith, the Tree grows into the most lustrous, lovely tree the village has ever seen. People respond to this act of faith by remembering others whose Christmas might not be as merry as theirs. Simple poetry and illustrations convey one of the true meanings of the holiday season. A little sentimental" You bet, but what would the holidays be without some schmaltz? <551>