This wonderful season is officially here and I have some great books for families to read and enjoy. They are all picture books or board books. The picture books are geared for ages three through eight unless otherwise indicated. The board books are best for ages one through five.
Red & Green, by Lois Ehlert, is an elongated book rich in color and full of the author’s signature die-cuts. Each open page shows glorious color and most pages have die-cuts to move this quick story along. And this rhyming story is a twist from The Night Before Christmas. This book is a delight!
The Story of Christmas: A Celebration of the Birth of Jesus (Little Bible Stories), by Pia Imperial and brightly illustrated by Carly Gledhill, is a simple retelling of the Christmas Story. This board book celebrates Christ’s birth.
Cookies for Santa: 52 Kid-Friendly Holiday Baking Recipes, by Pia Imperial and illustrated with drawings of baked items by Rita Rodil, includes ideas to help youngsters along with their parents to prepare and bake some delicious goodies for Christmas. There are also details in this smallish size book recommending the baking tools to use. Some of these delicious recipes include gingerbread cookies and Christmas crunch popcorn. This book is best suited for ages eight and up.
On the First Day of Christmas, by Roald Dahl and illustrated with humor by Quentin Blake, is a board book that actually begins with the twelfth day of Christmas and proceeds to count down until you get to the first day which has a funny surprise.
North Pole Village, by Sabrina Makhsimova and colorfully illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova, is a uniquely packaged case that opens into three little sections showcasing three little board books. These books feature Mr. Klau’s House, Polar Bear’s Nook and Toymaker’s Workshop.
Merry Christmas Peter! (Peter Rabbit), by Beatrix Potter, is an adorable board book which features flaps to lift on every page. There’s a pop-up at the end of the book making this delightful story with sweet pictures; a must for youngsters at this time of year.
Santa’s Gotta Go!, by Derrick Barnes and brightly illustrated digitally using Photoshop by Courtney Lovett, is a hilarious book about Santa when he ends up becoming a house guest to young Mabel and Monte. When Santa’s sleigh won’t take off after delivering his gifts to their house, he ends up staying for a few days until the needed sleigh part arrives. The mishaps and encounters happening at that home will bring smiles to all. But as Santa said in the end: kindness and patience are what the Christmas spirit is all about.
Santa Yeti, by Matthew Luhn and brightly illustrated by Luke Flowers, is a rhyming tale about a cute yeti who is disgruntled with the cold. What happens when he sneaks onto Santa’s sleigh will have youngsters giggling to the end.
The Christmas Doll, by Amy Sparkes and beautifully painted with mixed media by Katie Hickey, is based on real events that happened in England during WWII. A little girl must leave her parents and board a train in order to escape the bombings in London. Her parents had arranged for her to meet a couple who were strangers to the young girl and live with them until it was safe to return. This kind couple gave her a special doll on Christmas which she has treasured for years. Check out the back of the book that gives more information about this time in history.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!, by Mo Willems, is another great read from Caldecott Honoree about this hilarious pigeon! This persuasive pigeon desperately wants to drive Santa’s sleigh but encounters some problems. The layout of the illustrations and the storyline makes for a very fun and funny read aloud! Be sure to check out the humorous end-pages. Other books in this series include Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the the Bus! and is celebrating the 20th anniversary with a new publishing which also includes a delightful board game.
Elves are the Worst!,by Alex Willan, has Gilbert the Goblin attempting to prove that goblins are much better and deserve the spotlight instead of Elves. He is about to prove once and for all that Elves are awful at building toys in the North Pole. But Gilbert eventually learns to get along and work with them. There are many laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story that will have kids and adults enjoying this fun storyline! The illustrations, done digitally, are vibrant and practically jump off the page.
Our Italian Christmas Eve, by Danielle & Francesco Sedita and brightly illustrated digitally using Procreate, is a wonderful celebration of family gatherings during Christmas. This authentic retelling of the happenings on Christmas Eve reflects an American-Italian celebration written by a sister and brother and their memories of their Christmas Eves. The main theme of this delightful story is the importance of family! Check out the author’s note found at the back describing some of the Italian delicacies as well as a recipe from something that saves the dinner in the story.
You Choose Christmas, by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart, is filled with vibrant illustrations that seem to pop off each open page, you get to choose the desires of your heart with the turn of each page. There are elf jobs to decide on, a variety of delicious feasts and treats to eat and even toys for gifts. You can choose all you desire. This could help give ideas for your own family Christmas gatherings.
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?, by Mac Barnett and the wonderful illustrations done in graphite and ink and finished digitally by Jon Klassen, takes on this eternal question from youngsters. Some of the possible answers posed include cinch up his belt or shrink himself down. What if there is no chimney? Here are a few other possibilities: flatten himself and slide under your door or slip through the pipes. This dynamite award winning duo has done it again. The pictures go perfectly with the highly imaginative yet simplistic text.
