Category: holiday

Author & Illustrator: Linda Franklin
Publisher: Schiffer Books
Genre: Children / Halloween
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4183-0
Pages: 48
Price: $16.99

Schiffer Books
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Whoever you are, no matter what age, don’t be afraid to turn the next page… For when you do, you’ll encounter ghosts, skeletons, witches and jack-o-lanterns having a wonderful party.

In this delightful rhyming book, Linda Franklin shows us the usual Halloween characters, busy getting ready for their evening plans. And when darkness rolls in, the merriment begins. Charming watercolor illustrations shrouded in mist display these eerie Halloween scenes.

Halloween lovers of all ages will enjoy Into the Pumpkin as they make their own ghoulish plans for the holiday.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Amy Meadows
Illustrator: Soon Kwong Teo
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Genre: Children
ISBN:978-1-427-8694-6
Pages: 32
Price: $12.95

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Emma is Chinese, adopted by an American couple. But although she lives in the USA, she still wants to celebrate a holiday important to her native country. Visiting the cultural center with her parents, she enjoys Chinese New Year with other Chinese and American people.

Told in rhyme, Emma’s American Chinese New Year describes the sights, sounds and tastes of the Chinese New Year, told from the perspective of a young girl. Delighting in watching the dragon and the lion, feasting on dumplings, spring rolls and fish, and watching the dancers, Emma enjoys her festive new year celebration.

Chinese New Year is a fun holiday tradition for families to enjoy. Kids like to read about other cultures, and this book provides great information on how the new year is celebrated in China.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Kirsten Hall
Illustrator: Simon Mendez
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7075-3
Pages: 20
Price: $14.95

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As Christmas approaches, the family is busy getting ready. The outside is decorated with lights and wreath, the children are eagerly baking goodies, a snowman adorns the lawn, and the Nutcracker is performed. And off in the North Pole, Santa and his elves are busy building toys and loading the sleigh for delivery.

In Christmas Magic, the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations is presented in rhyming verse. Each beautiful illustration is a changing picture – with the pull of the tab, it transforms from “before” to “after.” Excited children will experience their own joys of the anticipation of Christmas as they read this book.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Joy N. Hulme
Illustrator: Dan Andreasen
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-14027-9764-4
Pages: 22
Price: $6.95

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A stable in Bethlehem is the location of the very first Christmas, as the holy family receives the baby, Jesus, into the world. Children can experience this gift through Stable in Bethlehem. In this board book, the author counts down those present at the birth, from twelve doves down to two parents and one baby. All of these animals, people and angels come to worship Jesus, born to Mary and Joseph.

Christmas is a magical time of year for children, but they often forget the meaning of the season behind the glitter and gift-giving. This sweet and simple story reminds them of the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Kim Norman
Illustrator: Jannie Ho
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8632-7
Pages: 26
Price: $14.95

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Christmas will be here any day, and Santa suddenly realizes he has a crisis. The elves are bickering, toys aren’t being made, and he’s seriously behind schedule. The unusually frantic pace has everyone tired and frazzled, so Santa needs to come up with a solution.

After trying to spend some time in relaxing and sharing holiday cheer with his crew of elves, Santa realizes that what he really needs is more time. After mulling this over, he comes up with an ingenious plan that will ensure the stress-free manufacturing of Christmas gifts, right on schedule.

The Great Christmas Crisis is a funny look at the pitfalls of mass production, from a North Pole perspective. Unlike in business, Santa’s magic can cure any problem. Kids will enjoy this lighthearted story, told in rhyme, with cheerful illustrations.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Philip Yates
Illustrator: Sebastià Serra
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9225-0
Pages: 32
Price: $14.95

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Ahoy there, buckos! It’s time to celebrate Christmas, pirate-style. As one of the pirate crew is left behind while the rest go ashore, he suddenly realizes, “On the first day of Christmas, a gift was sent to me – a parrot in a palm tree!” The following days include jolly rogers, black cats, dolphins swimming, and mermaids singing.

As the song gets more complicated, adding the next day it celebrates to a growing list, so too do these adorable illustrations. Each day’s gifts are added to the previous days’, for a collection of colorful characters aboard this pirate ship. And the lonely crewman finds out his shipmates haven’t really deserted him for Christmas after all.

Although this looks like a picture book for children, anyone with a love of pirate lore will enjoy A Pirate’s Twelve Days of Christmas. In fact, your family may even find themselves singing a new Christmas song.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Michael Keane
Illustrator: Michael Garland
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-59698-810-1
Pages: 28
Price: $14.95

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“Twas the night before Christmas at NORAD’s home base,
Not an airman was stirring, each one was in place,
Ready and waiting for the very first sight,
Of good old St. Nick on his Christmas Eve flight.”

So begins this magical tale of Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve, 21st century style. In this delightfully written poem, Santa runs into trouble due to a nasty storm, and NORAD personnel must rush in to save the day. Delivering presents is a simple matter, as these highly trained men are used to helping on a moment’s notice.

Those who have tracked Santa every Christmas Eve at the NORAD Santa website will be delighted to read of how this organization steps in to save Christmas. Children of military families will cheer as they speculate if mom or dad was called in to help. (Of course this is classified information, so they will never know!) And fans of the classic Christmas TV programs will enjoy the illustrations done in this traaditional style.

The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas is one of those unique books that I believe will become a treasured Christmas classic. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Robert L. Welsh
Illustrator: Kalpart
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-1-61204-367-8
Pages: 46
Price: $16.00

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Many years ago, when Holly was seven years old, she made a visit to Everdream. When she got there, she found out that Santa’s sister, Jellis Claus, put a terrible spell on the place, permanently shutting the door to the North Pole. But Holly has an idea, and when everyone tries it, they are able to save Christmas.

Jellis really isn’t a mean person – she’s just unhappy with the job Santa gave her to do. So when Santa gives her a new job – one she really loves – there’s peace once again in Everdream.

Bright and cheery illustrations bring this magical holiday tale to life. Children will enjoy reading about Santa and the North Pole, as they eagerly await the coming of Christmas.

Reviewer: Alice Berger