Christmas

The Nutcracker

| Tasha

the nutcracker

The Nutcracker by Alison Jay

A lovely holiday confection, this book is based on The Nutcracker ballet.  The story is told in a very readable and accessible way that will invite children who don’t know the ballet story to hear it for the first time.  It also welcomes those who know the ballet to return to the story in a new format.  The book follows Clara as she moves through her Christmas Eve and receives a nutcracker toy for a present.  Her brother works the mechanism too hard and the nutcracker’s jaw is broken.  In the evening Clara returns to her toy, curling up with it under the Christmas tree.  She awakens to find the tree and her nutcracker growing bigger and bigger.  Her adventure continues as the nutcracker fights the mouse king and then becomes a prince.  The prince takes Clara to his castle in the land of sweets where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

Jay remains true to the story of the ballet, her skillful writing making the story  a pleasure to share aloud.  It is her illustrations that really make this a special book.  As with her other picture books, the illustrations are done with a crackled finish that creates a sense of timelessness that is perfect for this story.  She uses deep colors that evoke the holidays, the warmth of the fireside, and the delight of candy. 

If you have a young ballerina in your life, this would make a wonderful holiday gift.  It is a great choice for libraries looking for a holiday picture book that is an instant classic.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial.

Jake: A Small Present Filled with Christmas Joy

| Tasha

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Jake by Audrey Couloumbis

Only a few days before Christmas, Jake’s mother falls and breaks her leg.  With his mother in the hospital awaiting surgery, Jake has to get to know a grandfather that he has only talked with on the phone.  When Jake’s grandfather arrives, he is nothing like Jack had imagined him.  Though gruff and rather military, his grandfather also has friendly crinkly eyes and a voice that is deep and friendly.  He does have a nightmare dog that Jake is definitely wary of.  Luckily, Jake also has a next door neighbor who takes care of him occasionally and is an adult to ask the important questions of the hospital, handle the car that was left in the parking lot, and also gives Jake a place to feel at home.  As Jake gets to know his grandfather, he realizes that memories he thought were of his father are actually memories of his grandfather.  The holidays arrive, and Jake, his mother and their family of friends create a warm and happy holiday for one another.

This is a small book with a huge heart.  Jake is a protagonist who is bright, funny and optimistic.  The depiction of a single mother is well done, especially with her fascinating group of friends and the neighbor.  This is a child who has been surrounded by loving adults his entire life and it shows.  His bonding with his grandfather is shown clearly and is given plenty of time to mature naturally.  The depiction of the older characters in the book is very well done with plenty of flirting and personality.  These are multi-dimensional people who are a pleasure to spend time with.

A joyful holiday read, the book has plenty of warm moments and great characters.  It is a celebration of family, no matter what that family may look like.  

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

12 Days of Christmas

| Tasha

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12 Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora

I have been a fan of Isadora’s retellings of classic European fairy tales with an African flair and this is no exception.  Isadora takes the Christmas carol and turns it into a celebration of both the holiday and Africa.  While the words remain the same as the traditional carol, Isadora interprets them in a new way.   The five gold rings are around a woman’s neck like women in South Africa.  Eight maids a-milking are milking goats rather than cows.  9 ladies dancing was inspired by women from Swaziland.  Isadora builds in the repeating section of the carol with a rebus that refers back to previous illustrations with clear numbers.  You can see the images used for the rebus on the cover of the book.  This adds an ease to the book that could have been overwhelmed with all of the text otherwise.  Isadora has created a global celebration with this book.

Isadora’s illustrations are really what makes this book unique.  Her African interpretations of the carol are engaging and refreshing.  Isadora uses collage to create her images.  Her use of painting effects on the paper she uses to make her collages add a definite texture and line to the illustrations.  She has created a book that has the hot sun and the glowing colors of Africa.

A very nice addition to library Christmas collections, this book will offer a glimpse of another part of the world through a familiar lens.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Little Tree: Christmas by Cummings

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little-tree

Little Tree by e.e. cummings, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

This reissue has been out of print for sixteen years.  It is a joy to see it returning in time for this year’s Christmas.  A story of two children finding a tiny tree and taking it home will remind all readers what the holidays are truly about.  The care of the children is clear in both the poem and the illustrations.  They stand the tree, decorate it with ornaments from a shelf high in the closet where the decorations have been waiting to be on display again.  The tree stands splendid in the window, facing the street below, and the children sing around it.

The soft illustrations by Ray have a delicacy about them that is perfect for the poem which dances and skims.  Done in colored pencil, the colors are rich but also gentle and quiet.  The poem remains resolutely a poem, never becoming words on a picture book page, making this book even more unique and special.  

Fans of cummings will find his poem lifted by the illustrations rather than obscured in this quiet holiday book.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Dragonfly Books.

Holiday Picks with Lots of Kid Appeal

| Tasha

Two Christmas books and one Hanukkah title are my first picks for holiday titles this year.

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Duck & Goose: It’s Time for Christmas by Tad Hills

Another winner from Duck & Goose, this board book takes a quietly funny approach to the holidays.  Duck is in a hurry to get somewhere, but Goose wants to linger a bit.  Goose wants to catch snowflakes, slide down hills, build a snow fort, and much more.  It isn’t until the very end of the book that readers learn where Duck was headed in such a hurry.  The illustrations are clever and very inviting, especially to fans of other Duck and Goose books.  The gentle humor and great friendship is exactly what we have come to expect from Hills.  With its short text and board pages, this book will appeal most to children aged 1-3.

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It’s Christmas David! by David Shannon

Around Christmas time, everyone always said, “No David!” whenever he tried to do anything!  No peeking at presents, no stealing cookies, no playing with ornaments, no opening presents early.  And then he also had to be patient in lines, be polite at the dinner table, and go to sleep on time.  Of course, David does get into some funny trouble in the book with a reprise of one of the most popular scenes from an earlier David book that is sure to delight young readers.  A grand and very funny look at the holidays that children are sure to relate to.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

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Hanukkah: a Counting Book by Emily Sper

This was a favorite picture book of mine a few years ago, and it is a real joy to see it released as a board book.  The thick board pages work beautifully with the cut outs of the candles.  Turning each page leads to another candle being added to the menorah.  Each page features text in English, Yiddish and Hebrew.  Children can count the candles and also another object related to the holiday.  Young listeners will enjoy the bright colors and simplicity of the book.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

All books are reviewed from books received from the publishers.

Christmas Magic

| Tasha

The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Santa can feel the magic coming. His whiskers tingle.  So he gathers the reindeer from the fields and feeds them and curries them.  He gets out the sleigh and shines it.  The bells are polished.  He oils his boots and darns his warmest socks.  Then he heads upstairs to the toy room with his thick book of children and fills an enormous bag with toys.  The sleigh is filled, the reindeer harnessed and all is still and waiting.  Then the magic comes, the magic that makes reindeer fly.

This Christmas book is a special one.  It captures the light, the magic, the simple joy of the Christmas holiday.  There is a lovely grace and poetic feel to Thompson’s words.  They convey a holiday of busyness but a more gentle and deliberate pace.  Muth’s illustrations are done in watercolors and pastels.  They have a shimmer and shine to them, a warmth and a coziness that really speaks to the holidays and their essence.  His Santa is not potbellied and has a more European feel to him, lending a very universal feel to the book.

Beautifully written and illustrated this is a holiday book to treasure.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Check out this lovely book trailer that captures the feel of the book very nicely.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by 4IQREAD, The Hungry Readers, Where the Best Books Are!, and The Children’s Book Review.  Also featured on 7-Imp.

Who Would Like a Christmas Tree?

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Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by Anne Hunter

Take a look at a Christmas tree standing in the forest.  One wonders who needs a Christmas tree in months other than December, and the answer is surprising!  Chickadees, deer, robins, butterflies, turkeys and more need the tree for all sorts of different reasons.  Some need it for food, others for shelter, and others for a place to raise their young.  This gentle picture book is about far more than the Christmas holiday.  It leads children through an understanding of the role of all trees in the natural world. 

Obed’s prose has a sweetness to it that suits the natural themes.  She writes with a quietness and simple frankness that works well with the more scientific content.  Each animal is given several paragraphs, allowing readers to really understand why they need these trees.  Hunter’s illustrations are large, simple and friendly as well. 

This book will work well for holiday story times, but should also be considered for Arbor Day or tree-themed units.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading.

What’s Coming for Christmas

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What’s Coming for Christmas? by Kate Banks, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben

Something was coming, but what could it be?  Images of a farm family on the wintry days before a holiday are filled with snow, icicles, sleds and snowmen.  The home is filled with cinnamon, wrapping paper, and pine.  Even the animals out in the fields know that something is coming.  With lots of foreshadowing and wonderful suspense, this book has a great twist in the end that will delight everyone.

Christmas books can often leave one feeling jaded and distant from the holidays.  Santa in a swimsuit, elves bowling, and the emphasis on piles and piles of presents.  This book does a great job of being about the season itself with its scents, sounds, tastes and activities.  Banks starts each page with a refrain: “Something is coming.”  From there she uses poetry to take readers on a holiday visit to the farm with all of its wonders.  Hallensleben’s illustrations are done in lush, thick colors that reflect the warmth, spice and chill of the season. 

The best holiday book I have seen this year.  Find a spot for it on library shelves and share it for holiday story times.  Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Stick Man

| Tasha

 

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Stick Man lives in his family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their three stick children.  One morning when out for an early morning jog, he is seized by a dog and used to play fetch.  Then a girl finds him and uses him for a game of Pooh Sticks.  On his misadventures go as he is woven into a swan’s nest, used as a mast for a flag on a sand castle, and many more things.  The seasons change and he becomes the arm of a snowman until finally he is laid in the fireplace as a perfect piece of kindling.  But never fear, someone approaches with a Ho-ho-ho who will make sure that Stick Man gets back to his family.

Donaldson’s words are a delight to read aloud.  She has refrains that repeat as Stick Man is captured by the next person.  She uses rhythm throughout the book to create a brisk pace and jauntiness.  With her style, there is no fear that the repetition in the storyline will become stale.  Scheffler’s illustrations reflect that same jaunty, energetic quality.  They are funny and clever.  I found myself charmed by small details like the Stick Lady’s hair and skirt.  His illustrations gently mark the change in seasons from spring through to Christmas. 

While this is a Christmas book in the end, it is also just a delightful read that could work for talk about the seasons.  It would also make a great inspiration story for children to build their own characters from sticks, twigs, leaves and pipe cleaners.  What fun!  A brilliant read-aloud, this book deserves a spot on the crowded Christmas shelves.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.