It's time to make merry with a few of our favorite selections.
12 Days of Christmas
by Rachel Isadora (Putnam/Penguin, $16.99, 9780399250736/0399250735, 32 pp.,
ages 3-5, October 2010)
Incorporating the fabrics, sights and sounds of Africa into stunning collage artwork, Isadora ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) once again uses a holiday favorite to transport us to another continent. An endnote says she took her inspiration for "nine ladies dancing" from the women of Swaziland, and the drums of the 12 drummers from Ghana and Nigeria. A map of the continent orients readers, and a small rebus that runs across the top and bottom margins of each spread keeps track of the previous gifts. Children will want to get on their feet and dance to the beat.
Captain Sky Blue
by Richard Egielski (Michael di Capua/Scholastic, $17.95, 9780545213424/0545213428,
32 pp., ages 5-7, September 2010)
Here's a Yuletide tale of high adventure--literally! Jack finds Captain Sky Blue under the tree on Christmas morning, pieces together the toy plane, and the wild ride begins. Much of the fun derives from the contrast Egielski (Hey, Al! ) creates between the toy plane and its actual-size surroundings. Boys and girls who pine for action will learn a plethora of pilot-style vocabulary ("We've hit the goo!") and cheer for Sky as he helps Santa guide his sleigh.
The Child in the
Manger by Liesbet Slegers (Clavis [IPG, dist.], $15.95, 9781605370842/
1605370843, 32 pp., ages 3-6, October 2010)
This Nativity story's spare text and bold colors invite even youngest children into the central story of Christmas. Mary and Joseph come across as any loving parents with a newborn child would: "They hugged and kissed their little baby. And they covered him with straw to keep him warm." Slegers makes this Holy child seem just like every cherished child.
The Christmas Eve
Ghost by Shirley Hughes (Candlewick, $15.99, 9780763644727/0763644722,
32 pp., ages 4-8, September 2010)
In a heartwarming story just right for reading aloud, Hughes (Don't Want to Go! ) takes as inspiration an episode from her own childhood as she describes a Christmas Eve scare for young Bronwen and Dylan. Lovingly rendered illustrations show the siblings' modest yet comfortable home in 1930s Liverpool, where they've recently moved with their newly widowed mother. While their mother is out, the children hear a "ghostie" in their washroom. They seek help from their neighbor Mrs. O'Riley, and smooth the way for a friendship between the two families.
The Christmas Giant
by Steve Light (Candlewick, $15.99, 9780763646929/076364692X, 32 pp., ages 3-6,
September 2010)
Every year, the giant Humphrey and tiny elf Leetree make the wrapping paper for Santa's gifts. But this year Santa also asks them to grow his Christmas tree. Light's (Trucks Go) pen-and-ink and pastel illustrations depict with affection and humor the pair's dedication to their cause: "Leetree plants the small seed. Humphrey carries the big can of water." When events take an unexpected turn, the two come up with a clever solution. This gentle lesson in opposites proves that differences can make a friendship (and teamwork) stronger.
Christmas Is Here
by Lauren Castillo (S&S, $12.99, 9781442408227/1442408227, 32 pp., ages
4-8, October 2010)
This nearly wordless picture book (with just a few lines from the King James Bible) brilliantly connects a present-day child's discovery of a Christmas pageant in progress with the very first Christmas under a star in Bethlehem. Through her ink and watercolor illustrations, Castillo creates a glow that seems to emanate from the child in the manger. Her subtle connection between the modern baby dressed in white and the long-ago baby wrapped in swaddling clothes speaks to the way a new life feels miraculous to every family.
The Elves' First
Christmas by Atsuko Morozumi (Matthew Price [Consortium, dist.], $16.95,
9780984436668/0984436669, 32 pp., ages 3-6, November 2010)
With gauzy illustrations that suggest Christmas magic, Morozumi (One Gorilla) imagines how Santa's elves came to the North Pole. Driven from their treetop home by humans seeking lumber, the elves travel to the far North. A blizzard forces them into a barn--which belongs to a certain Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Santa helps the elves build a village of their own, and when he falls ill, they fill his workshop with handmade toys. Cozy scenes of the industrious elves make this ideal fireside reading.
It's Christmas, David!
by David Shannon (Blue Sky/Scholastic, $16.99, 32 pp., ages 2-6, 9780545143110/054514311X,
September 2010)
The star of the Caldecott Honor Book No, David! can't wait for Christmas. But his naughtiness takes on a whole other connotation when his mother dangles the threat of Santa plunking a lump of coal in his stocking. The usual holiday rituals (making a list, waiting in line for Santa) become the source of high comedy in Shannon's hands.
Nonna Tell Me a Story:
Lidia's Christmas Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich, illus. by Laura Logan
(Running Press Kids, $15.95, 9780762436927/0762436921, 56 pp., ages 4-8,
October 2010)
Lidia Bastianich, chef extraordinaire and cooking show host, here tells a story from her own childhood in Italy to her five grandchildren, with warmly painted portraits by Logan. As the woman describes making homemade cookies and handmade crafts for the Christmas tree, she inspires the children to try their hand. Recipes for 16 holiday treats and decorations are included (and require adult supervision).
Odetta: The Queen of
Folk by Stephen Alcorn (Scholastic, $17.99, 9780439928182/ 0439928184,
40pp., ages 9-12, December 2010)
For years, Odetta led the moving conclusion to the annual World Peace Concert on New Year's Eve at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Her lone voice and candle ("This little light of mine...") began a chorus and string of interconnected lights that filled the massive church and flowed out into the streets of Manhattan. Her final album (she died in 2008) was Gonna Let It Shine: A Concert for the Holidays. Alcorn's picture-book biography similarly illuminates Odetta's legacy, and the way her music inspired the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. With a rap-like lilt to the text and glorious illustrations that capture Odetta as both iconic and earthbound, he depicts her as a woman who preached equality through her music.
The Toymaker's
Christmas: Paper Toys You Can Make Yourself by Marilyn Scott-Waters
(Sterling, $7.95 paper, 9781402768521/1402768524, 48 pp., ages 8-11, October
2010)
Sumptuous nostalgic illustrations printed on sturdy cardboard pages allow older children to punch out and assemble useful and attractive crafts, such as a "treat box" for Santa, to leave near the stockings, and a "Secret Christmas Box" to tuck under the tree. The best, though, is an Advent wheel that shows eager children how many days remain until Christmas.--Jennifer M. Brown