Holiday Pictures Books. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Solstice

By Susan J. Berger
I interviewed USA today best selling author RaeAnne Thayne on my other blog and asked her about her Christmas Traditions.
My favorite answer?
We have many. When my kids were young, I would wrap up twenty-four of our favorite children's Christmas books and they would get to unwrap a different one each night of December leading up to Christmas Eve, then we would read it together. It was always so fun trying to guess which one they would open. 

I LOVE this tradition. I'm starting a collection for my grandchildren.
Some are obvious. Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman. But there are so many more. And since I consider December Light, Miracles, Joy, Peace and All the Good Stuff Season, I want to include other holiday books.
Should you be moved to collect, here a few suggestions.  Please add to my list and leave a favorite in your comments.  And however you celebrate love, hope, joy and miracles, I wish you all of the above.

The first two we had at Reading to Kids on Saturday and I adored them.

Turkey Claus

Turkey needs Santa’s help so he won’t be eaten for Christmas dinner.
Turkey is in trouble. Again. He made it through Thanksgiving without becoming a turkey dinner, but now it’s almost Christmas, and guess what’s on the menu? Turkey decides the only thing to do is to ask Santa for help. He sets off for the North Pole, but getting in to see Santa at Christmastime isn’t as easy as Turkey expected. It’s going to take all his ideas—and his clever disguises—to find a way into Santa’s house. After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise, and Santa has the perfect solution! In this holiday treat, a companion to Turkey Trouble, Wendi Silvano’s story is once again matched with the watercolor artwork of Lee Harper.

 

“OLIVE THE OTHER REINDEER” BY VIVIAN WALSH

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Sweet little doggie Olive is confused — she thinks she’s one of Santa’s reindeer and so decides to help him with Christmas. This book is so bright and sweet and brilliantly illustrated, and though I also love the DVD version, the book is nothing like it, with so scariness or negativity. So cute!

“HOW SANTA GOT HIS JOB” BY STEPHEN KRENSKY

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Haven’t you ever wondered how Santa got the many skills required to do his job? This book explains it all, going over Santa’s past jobs (working in a zoo, at the post office, and at an all-night diner) that got him where he is today. It’s cute, and geared towards kids younger than 5.

 “AUNTIE CLAUS” BY ELISE PRIMAVERA

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Spoiled little Sophie has an Auntie who disappears every winter, and she always wonders where she goes, so one year, she stows away in Auntie’s luggage to find out. Gradually, little Sophie figures out her Auntie’s secrets and learns that, as Auntie puts it, "It is far better to give than to receive!"

THE MAGIC VIOLIN BY MAYRA CALVANI ILLUSTRATED BY K.C. SNIDER
Eight-year old Melina wants to become a good violinist. When she loses confidence, her Rumanian teacher Andrea decides it's time for a magic dose of self esteem. A mysterious old woman in rags gives Melina some curious advice; a violinist Russian hamster, who happens to live under the old woman's hat, offers her a virtuoso performance; a shooting star fills her with hope on Christmas Eve. Is Melina actually playing better, or has her violin become magic? Who is the old woman in the town square, and why does she wear the same emerald ring as her teacher Andrea?
Price 10.36 at Amazon

 “LITTLE MISS SPIDER: A CHRISTMAS WISH” BY DAVID KIRK

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Any little one who loves Miss Spider will love seeing her as a young spider, and will love reading this Christmas-spirit poem. Lonely Little Miss Spider wants a friend to play with, and when she finds a friend in the snowy woods on Christmas Eve, she’s delighted. But where will her new friend go? Where does he live?

 “OLIVIA HELPS WITH CHRISTMAS” BY IAN FALCONER

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Olivia is a very precocious, very smart five-year-old piglet, and she’s determined to make this Christmas beautiful. She helps decorate the table, prevents her father from building a fire in the fireplace (to save Santa), and bursts into #song when appropriate. I love Olivia, and I love this book!

. “JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER: JINGLE BELLS, BATMAN SMELLS!” BY BARBARA PARK

Price: $4.99 at amazon.com 
Junie B. is a first grader now, not a kindergarten #baby, and she’s excited to be celebrating Christmas as a big kid. This book is just as funny and sweet as the other Junie B. chapter books, only with a holiday theme.

The Story of Holly & Ivy

The Story of Holly & Ivy begins the way many classic holiday stories do: with an orphan. Ivy falls hard for a doll glimpsed through a store window, and Christmas magic commences. This is a tender story about finding a sense of peace and belonging.

Jingle Bells

Musically inclined tots will adore Jingle Bells, a fun songbook about holiday customs and traditions from around the world.

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou was first shared at the 2005 White House tree-lighting ceremony. This moving testament to the promise of peace and the joy of diversity is a must read for the whole family.

My Wonderful Christmas Tree

My Wonderful Christmas Tree isn't a traditional Christmas book in that there's no mention of Santa, reindeer, or presents. Instead, it's a lovely rhyming counting book that introduces lil readers to the wonderful animals living in the fields and forests of New England.

Hanukkah Haiku

Hanukkah Haiku is the joyous story of one family's Hanukkah celebration, with one haiku for each night of Hanukkah.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats

The Trees of the Dancing Goats is a wonderful story of togetherness. When a Christian family is struck with scarlet fever, leaving them unable to get their Christmas tree, their Hanukkah-celebrating neighbors surprise them with a tree.

It's Christmas, David!

Fans of the naughty David will love and relate to his antics in It's Christmas, David!, where the mischievous tot tries to sneak a peek at hidden gift packages and struggles to behave at formal holiday parties.

K Is For Kwanzaa

A classic alphabet book with Kwanzaa as the theme, K Is For Kwanzaa is a fun choice for younger or older kids; lil ones will be captivated by the colorful images, and older ones will appreciate the fun way the text teaches them about the symbols and activities that make up the holiday.

A Very Babymouse Christmas

A Very Babymouse Christmas tells a story many of today's tots will understand: Babymouse feels she simply cannot live without the latest electronic marvel, a Whiz Bangtm. This is a graphic novel for older tots and shows Babymouse's sentimental realization that her all-consuming obsession isn't what Christmas is really about.

Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap

Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap, a Hanukkah train ride set in Israel, will delight train-loving lil ones.

 
 
Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Elisabeth Schlossberg (Chronicle, $16.99, ages 4 to 8): From lighting the menorah and telling the story of Judah Maccabee to spinning the Dreidel and eating latkes with applesauce, a family celebrates Hanukkah in this warm book with pencil and pastel illustrations.

 The Christmas Eve Ghost by Shirley Hughes (Candlewick, $15.99, ages 6 to 10): A single mother in 1930s Liverpool struggles to feed and clothe her two children while keeping her distance from her Irish Catholic neighbors. A Christmas Eve emergency brings the families together in this beautifully illustrated and understated story of getting along.

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The Christmas Giant by Steve Light (Candlewick, $15.99, ages 5 to 9): While delivering a Christmas tree, Santa and his elf encounter disaster; and the two must devise an alternative plan involving imaginatively designed wrapping paper. As Light draws him, Santa is a tall fellow resembling a lumber jack accompanied by a miniature, white-robed elf. The illustrations are as distinctive as the story.

The Winter Solstice

by Ellen Jackson 

Presents facts and folklore about the shortest day of the year, a day that has been filled with magic since ancient times.

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter SolsticePaperback – November 14, 2005

by Carolyn McVickar Edwards  

(The winter solstice, the day the "sun stands still," marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year, and it comes either on December 20th or 21st. Celebrations honoring the winter solstice as a moment of transition and renewal date back thousands of years and occur among many peoples on every continent. The Return of the Light makes an ideal companion for everyone who carries on this tradition, no matter what their faith. Storyteller Carolyn McVickar Edwards retells twelve traditional tales—from North America, China, Scandinavia, India, Africa, South America, Europe, and Polynesia—that honor this magical moment. These are stories that will renew our wonder of the miracle of rebirth and the power of transition from darkness into light.

My First Kwanzaa (My First Holiday)

by Karen Katz  

A simple way to get acquainted with Kwanzaa.

"Hooray! Hooray!
It's time to get ready for Kwanzaa."

During the seven days of Kwanzaa, we celebrate the importance of family, friends, and community. This warm and lively introduction to a very special holiday will help even the youngest children join in!

Author and illustrator Karen Katz's wonderful series of picture books for the very young offer a simple and fun way to get familiar with the traditions of holiday celebrations from different cultures.

Happy Reading.