The weather’s cooling and it’s time to snuggle up and share holiday stories! Here are new books selected for family enjoyment.
The Nativity: From the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Ruth Sanderson (Eerdman’s, ages 6 and up)
Lavish details, glorious boarders and blue and golden hues predominate in illustrations that perfectly matched for telling the story of the first Christmas.
Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book, Laura Krauss Melmed (Chronicle, ages 4-8)
Linking poems celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, hinting at, or explaining the many traditions, the closeness of extended family and the warmth of the season. An appendix gives further explanations.
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus, Chris Plehal (HarperCollins, ages 7-9)
A tale wraps around Virginia’s famous NY Sun letter questioning the reality of Santa, fiction and fact combining to give context to the actual letter which appears at book’s end.
The Night Before Christmas, Clement Moore (Sterling, all ages)
Illustrations by Robert Ingpen show a jolly, expressive Santa and a setting that give a strong sense of Moore’s mid-19th century era.
The Christmas Eve Ghost, Shirley Hughes (Candlewick, ages 7-10)
A single mother in 1930’s Liverpool, England cleans, washes and tries to keep her children safe when she must leave them alone. A mysterious knocking on Christmas Eve sends the children to the forbidden home of their neighbors. Is it a ghost? All is easily sorted out for the children and discerning readers will see that Mam lets go of her religious prejudices because of the neighbor’s kindness.
The Spider’s Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story retold by Eric Kimmel (Holiday House, ages 6-9)
A poor harvest threatens Katrusya’s Christmas until she finds a gorgeous tree, turns buttons and paper into ornaments, inspires music and baking and it looks as if there might be a Christmas until Mother discovers spiders in the tree…and yet, they too contribute to the glory of the day. Eastern European setting and elements add to a story of a situation that speaks to hardships today’s families face.
Jackie’s Gift, Sharon Robinson (Viking, ages 7-9)
Jackie Robinson, ready to celebrate the season in his first home in Brooklyn, learns his young neighbor Steve has no Christmas tree, so he provides one. With the best of intentions, Jackie has assumed that that poverty, not religion is behind Steve’s lack. Jackie’s daughter shows another side of her famous father and EB Lewis’ lifelike illustrations bring alive the spirit of the season and the man.
L’il Rabbit’s Kwanzaa, Donna Washington (HarperCollins, ages 4-8)
L’il Rabbit upset that his Granna is too ill to provide her typical big feast, worries about how the holiday will be celebrated. By remembering Granna’s wise words, L’il Rabbit brings together community in a way that captures the spirit and meaning of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story, Antonia Sacre (Abrams, ages 5-8)
A young girl is disappointed that she must spend Christmas with her Cuban grandmother in Florida. Soon, however, she’s caught up in learning new traditions as her Spanish-speaking grandmother involves her in preparations for Noche Buena. When her family gathers to share stories, great food and dancing, the young girl decides she wants to celebrate La Noche Buena again.
It’s Christmas, David by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press, ages 3-7)
Out-of-control David continually hears “No, David” from his frustrated parents as he peeks at presents, snitches cookies, takes his overlong list to Santa, writes his name in yellow in the snow and more. Humor and bad behavior abound.
Llama Llama Holiday Drama, Anna Dewdney (Viking, ages 2-5)
Christmas is hard on the anxious Llama, especially the waiting part! Illustrations and rhymes are totally on-target in their expression of the seemingly endless time between the time clued-in children start seeing trappings of the holiday and when the big day finally arrives. And that’s not to mention the small moments of having to wait for cookies to cool, keeping secrets, and being overwhelmed with everything. Lucky for him, Llama’s wise Mama knows how a snug, kiss and hug can make the holiday brighter.