holidays

2 New Holiday Picture Books Worth Celebrating

| Tasha

The 13th Day of Christmas by Adam Rex

Publisher: Neal Porter Books

Publication Date: September 9, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9780823456536

On a lonely Christmas without his true love, the main character suddenly receives a partridge in a pear tree. Then the next day, you know what happens and soon it spirals out of control. When he tries to ask his true love why she would do this to him, she hangs up on him. So he heads out with the menagerie and all the people to see his mother. She wasn’t much help either. On their way home, they accidentally start a parade. That happens when you have leaping lords, dancers, cows, pipers and a band. A young boy gets the narrator thinking about things in a more positive way and soon they are making a difference all over town. The next morning, they have a bake sale from all of the eggs and milk they have. But what about his true love?

I must admit I’m not a huge fan of Christmas books. There are just so many mid-level releases each year. But this one is delightful! I love the premise of what happens with the presents after the 12th day, since so many of them repeat and multiply. This creates just the right sort of holiday wackiness that we need without ever becoming too sweet, despite the cakes. 

A new classic for those who like silliness with their celebration. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Leanne Hatch 

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9780063278141

Sharing the story of a busy, modern Jewish family and the eight nights of Hanukkah, this picture book celebrates each night with a poem. From the first candle emerging from the darkness and lighting faces.The second night, the candles in the window are noticed by a man walking past. The third night is a rush to get home and the candle lit before pizza is served. The fourth night is Sabbath filled with light. The fifth night has darkness as the candles go out. The sixth night is spent with family and the youngest is finally old enough to light the candles themselves. The seventh night is messed up with a flat tire and the family has to improvise. The final night the light lingers longer than expected as the family gathers one last time. 

Snyder’s poetry is perfectly balanced between being accessible for children but also profoundly speaking to the meaning of Hanukkah and the importance of family. She has created a book of short poems that reads aloud beautifully, one that families can use year after year or librarians creating programs. The illustrations glow on the page with candles, moonlight, playing with light and dark and showing the beauty of traditions. 

A shining picture book that is a must-buy for Hanukkah collections. Appropriate for ages 4-8.

2 Worthy New Wintry Picture Books

| Tasha

The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey 

Publisher: Norton Young Readers

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Reviewed from Netgalley e-galley

ISBN: 9781324054122

Caldecott Honorees return with the third in a series that started with The Old Truck and The Old Boat. This time the story is set in the winter with a holiday nod. A child and father load their sleigh with firewood and distribute it throughout the nearby homes. The sleigh gave warmth and light to those who used the wood. The town started to grow and grow and the sleigh struggled to carry the wood and gradually fell apart. While the father repaired the sleigh, the child used their skills to create something new, helpful and fun with the broken wood. It all still brings neighbors warmth and light. 

This cozy picture book emphasizes the connectivity between neighbors. It has a strong sense of nostalgia as the sleigh is horsedrawn. There is a lovely simplicity and quietness to the book that is ideal for a busy holiday season. The illustrations are strong, playing with color against white backgrounds. 

A lovely addition to the series, just right read near the fire. Appropriate for ages 2-5.

The Snowball Fight by Beth Ferry & Tom Lichtenheld

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9780063327078

After a big snow, two neighbors head out for an epic snowball fight. They build their forts and try to hit one another but it’s harder than it looks. Soon they have cold noses, frozen hands and sore arms. A lucky dodge of falling snow offers them a new option: sledding! The two come into the warmth for cookies and cocoa but soon are reminded that they forgot one great snow day tradition. Told in the approachable and funny style that we have come to expect from this duo, this picture book is a blizzard of snowy fun just right for your own snowy storytime. 

Appropriate for ages 3-6.

So Many Years by Anne Wynter – Book Review

| Tasha

So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey (9780063081147)

This joyous and lyrical picture book celebrates the Juneteenth holiday by looking back at the enslavement of the Black-American people and the expression that came afterwards. What would you wear if you’d only been able to wear rags? How would you sing if you had only been able to sing in code? How would you eat if you’d only had scraps? The questions show the devastation and deprivation of those enslaved, the lasting impact of that on the generations that followed. And somehow, out of that came fashion and music and feasts and more. That transformative spirit is what is embraced here in such simple words.

So many Juneteenth books are for older children and cannot be shared aloud easily. This picture book calls to be read aloud to celebrate the holiday, inviting joy in what has been overcome and delighting in the new expression that came out of it. Wynter does an incredible job of taking complex issues and transforming them into something that children can understand and talk more about. She doesn’t oversimplify and lose the darkness either. It’s an incredibly difficult line to walk and she does it with such confidence and skill. The illustrations are done in acrylic on boards and Photoshop, hearkening to the past with black and white pieces that contrast with bright colors in other parts of the page.

A great Juneteenth read that belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess – Book Review

| Tasha

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien (9780063216723)

It’s a hot July day in the city as two siblings head outside. The fire hydrant offers some splashes of water along the way. They give the musician in the park some coins. There is watermelon to feast on and music that comes through the open windows to dance to. The two climb way up to the top of the building where they wait… for fireworks!

From the anticipation through their entire day to the marvelous display at the end of the book, this picture book truly captures the joy of fireworks, their mesmerizing qualities, and the fizz that stays with you afterwards.

A great summer read. Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.

Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi

| Tasha
Cover image

Amira’s Picture Day by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Fahmida Azim (9780823440191)

It is Eid tomorrow, and Amira is thrilled. She gets her hands decorated by mehndi designs that she has to let dry from green to a rich brown. They also get to miss school tomorrow! Amira is happily helping her family make goody bags for the children at the masjid, when she sees the notice about tomorrow also being Picture Day at school. The class was going to be photographed all together and now Amira would miss it. The next morning, Amira got ready for Eid but still longed to wear the dress she had picked out for Picture Day. Once they were at the masjid, Amira was swept up in the celebration of Eid with lots of food, hugs and sharing of goody bags. But when the celebration ended, she once again thought about Picture Day. On their way home, Amira had a big idea that involved the leftover goody bags and maybe going to Picture Day after all.

Faruqi shows the push and pull of being Muslim in a country like the United States where children must miss school to celebrate holidays like Eid. When Eid which is based on the lunar calendar, falls on an important day at school, it can be very difficult for children. That’s what happens with Amira in the story and her navigation of it shows the tension between loving her family and her faith but also wanting to be part of her school community too. The book shows various parts of Eid without minimizing Amira’s wishing to be at school too.

Azim’s illustrations are bright and colorful. She shows the diversity in both the Muslim community as well as at Amira’s school. She creates great facial expressions as Amira navigates having to go to Eid and potentially miss out on Picture Day. Readers will clearly understand her happiness, wistfulness and pleasure at being able to find a solution.

A strong addition for school and public libraries that celebrates the diversity of children in our communities. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy provided by Holiday House.

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali

| Tasha

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (9781481485630)

When Musa started kindergarten, his teacher explained that the other children around him would become his new friends. Musa wasn’t sure about that, they were strangers! His teacher also said that her favorite day of the year was the first day of school and that show-and-tell that year would center around each child’s favorite day of the year. Musa was thrilled, he knew that everyone would pick Eid along with him! Musa soon found out that the other children celebrated different holidays. A few weeks later, Musa and his mother brought in food and told the class about Eid. On Mo’s turn, he talked about celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Moises explained that his family celebrated Los Posadas on Christmas. Kevin’s family of scientists enjoyed celebrating Pi Day with plenty of pie. Each child had their own celebrations and all the children got to learn about one another’s cultures in a very celebratory way.

Ali’s story is focused on inclusion and demonstrates how that can look in a classroom filled with children from various cultures, countries and faiths. The story is straight forward and powerful, clearly showing that not all children celebrate Christmas and even when they do, it may not look the same. Readers will enjoy seeing not only the celebrations shared in the story, but others shown on the class calendar.

Bell’s illustrations are done digitally but also incorporate handmade textures, giving them a marvelous organic quality that warms them. The children and families here are diverse with multiracial families, grandparents raising children, and gay parents represented in the story.

A beautiful look at diversity and inclusion through family celebrations and holidays. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Salaam Reads.

 

Review: Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins

| Tasha

Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins

Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins (9780062894878)

Thomas lost his basket of dried fruit for his wintercake that he had planned to make for Winter’s Eve. His friend, Lucy, the cardinal heads off into the growing snowstorm and takes shelter at a tea house. There she sees another animal with Thomas’ basket of dried fruit. She just knows that he has stolen it to keep for himself! So when he leaves the restaurant, Lucy follows him, all the way to Thomas’ door, where he returns the fruit and the basket. Realizing how wrong she was, Lucy and Thomas decide to make a wintercake for the stranger. They follow his footprints in the snow to an empty hollow where he sits alone in front of a small fire. The two friends approach, accidentally scaring everyone and drop the cake. But there is still cake to be shared and new friends to meet.

Perkins creates her own solstice-like celebration with animals in a forest setting that will work equally well for other winter holidays. She tells a detailed story, showing how assumptions about strangers can be very wrong and also showing how to make up for thinking that way about someone. The sharing, giving and friendship shown here are rich and detailed. It is a picture book that celebrates new friends and new traditions built upon old friends and long-standing traditions.

Perkins’ art is interesting. There is no real clarity of what sort of animal Thomas is, rather like a bear or a groundhog type of creature. The stranger is more of a weasel, which works well with the story. That lack of clarity is part of the charm of the book. Perkins has also created a warm neighborhood of tea houses and cozy homes in trees. The bare hollow is shown in real contrast to those other spaces, making it all the more cold and lonely.

A lovely addition to holiday books. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins

| Tasha

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (9780399554193)

Based on the series by Sydney Taylor, this new picture book gives a warm look at a beloved family celebrating Hanukkah. Set in New York City in 1912, both fans and new readers alike will find themselves immersed in this family of five girls, all of a kind. Gertie, the youngest of the five girls, knows about latkes but can’t remember what they taste like since Mama only makes them on Hanukkah. All of the girls help Mama make the meal except for Gertie who is too little to help. The potato peeler is too sharp, the onions make you cry, the shredder is even sharper than the peeler, and the grease in the pan could burn. When Gertie discovers there isn’t a job she can do, she throws a tantrum and is sent to her room. It isn’t until Papa comes home that Gertie gets her own special job, lighting the menorah’s first candle.

I adored this series as a child, loving the depiction of an immigrant family. I’m so pleased to see it return in a new format that brings the stories to a new generation in need of positive immigrant tales. As always, this family is filled with warmth and the picture book just like the series focuses on small moments in a family’s life that speak to their values, their deep love for one another, and their customs. The writing here is deft and focused just right for the picture book format without losing any of that special “All-of-a-Kind” feeling.

Zelinsky’s illustrations carry that same warm feeling. Done in rich colors, the pages are full of the bustling family working together in the kitchen. Even Gertie’s time alone in the bedroom under the bed has warm wood tones. The final pages of the book are all the more rich and warm as the family comes together for the meal with the lit menorah.

Exactly what our world needs right now, a celebration of immigrants and faith. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub

| Tasha

The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub

The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub, illustratead by Scott Magoon (InfoSoup)

Three knights are guarding the castle when suddenly out on the drawbridge there arose a clatter! Outside there is a red-and-white knight with his eight dragons who is trying to get inside the castle. He asks where the chimney is, but castles don’t have a chimney, so Santa has to go to extreme measures to get gifts to these three knights. Meanwhile the knights try to defend the castle but take the instructions a bit too literally. Santa does not give up, deciding to launch the presents at the castle using a flexible pine tree. The knights successfully defend the castle from this barrage of cookies, candy and gifts. Then they merrily bring it all indoors and set up their holiday celebration. Santa has won too!

This is such a clever play on Twas a Night Before Christmas. At first I wondered if it would work, but the author manages to pay homage to the traditional story but also strike out on her own and make a very enjoyable holiday tale. The rhythm and feel of the original story is still here, but this new version does not feel bound by it. Rather it launches the story forward and gives the author room to play. Children will love these three confused knights and their battle against the holiday.

Magoon’s art is digitally done, offering a feeling of plenty of texture and even collage. The three knights are unique from one another and Santa himself is unmistakable in his red and white costume. Each image is filled with humor. Make sure to take time to read the asides too as they add to the merriment.

A modern twist on a traditional poem, this is a welcome new version for fans of knights and castles. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Company.