Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick

Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Rating: 5 stars

In May 2007, I held my daughter Lorelei for the first time. My first day as a mother was an idyllic bubble of joy—Lorelei nursed confidently, I capably soothed her cries, and the nurses were a short call away should I have any questions about the many things I didn’t know how to do.

On Lorelei’s second day in this world, my father came to visit. He came, of course, to say hello to Lorelei, to welcome her into this world and our family, to congratulate my husband and me. He sat holding his granddaughter, singing Ranger jodies into her tiny ears. He also came to say good-bye. He deployed for Iraq the next day.

It’s hard for me to imagine how my heart held these two giant, opposing emotions. My blissful hours with Lorelei had an undercurrent of fear as my father bunkered into and worked from the Green Zone. I endured six months of this, of letter writing and baby bathing, of worrying and cooing.

Click HERE to read the rest of the review at Nerdy Book Club...

Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle

Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Rating: 5 stars

Little Blue and I go way back. I mean, waaaaay back.

The original Little Blue Truck was Ben's favorite book as a baby. Because I read it to him daily, I can still recite the words and recall McElmurry's sweet illustrations that correspond with the stanzas. I can still recall having baby Ben (who turns six in two weeks! what?!) sitting in my lap and reading again and again, him flipping the pages, making the animals sounds, laughing at the change in my voice for the different characters.

I also snapped up the sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way when it was released a few years later. Both of these books have all that you want in great children's books: a fun, interesting rhythm and rhyme; sweet illustrations of neat characters; a nice moral to the story. In the first book, Little Blue helps a big, rude truck get out of the muck and, through his kind actions (rather than preachy words), teaches him that it pays to be a nice guy. In the second book, country-boy Little Blue teaches big-city traffic how to slow down, be patient, and take turns.

This third book, Little Blue Truck's Christmas, is just as wonderful as the first two. It is in a board book format, so best for ages four and under. There's some counting, just from one to five and then back down again, which is best for littler readers. Little Blue puts five trees in back to deliver to his friends, who all (wonderfully) say please and thank you as they request specific trees in the truck bed of Little Blue.

Who gets the last tree? I like this part. I think in decades past the last tree would be saved for an elderly person, someone who needs it most--and while that is fine and dandy, I think the fact that Little Truck saves the last tree for himself is an example of the "self love" trend that has been occurring for the past few years: You've got to love yourself and regard your own happiness in this life we've got, and that habit starts when kids are kids...and hopefully lasts until they are old and gray (and hopefully still very happy).

It's good to see you again, Little Blue!

The Smallest Gift of Christmas by Peter H. Reynolds

The Smallest Gift of Christmas by Peter H. Reynolds

Rating: 4 stars

Last fall I went through a Peter H. Reynolds-is-the-bomb-diggity phase.  I read The Dot and Ish and Plant A Kiss and appreciated his artwork in Tess's Tree and Someday and the Judy Moody series (that Lorelei is reading and loving now).  His stuff is pleasing to look at, but the underlying feel-good wonderful messages about creativity and inspiration and being YOU are what really impress me.  His hands and mind create gifts for children; they come in the shape of books.

So, when I saw The Smallest Gift of Christmas, I bought it immediately.  Didn't even read it.  It was by Peter H. Reynolds so it must be amazing and earth-shattering!

And it really is a sweet message, but one for grown-ups more than kids.

"Roland was eager for Christmas Day," writes Reynolds.  On the corresponding page he draws four stockings hung up with care, and we get a glimpse of what Roland cares about.  There are three appropriately-sized stockings and one stocking the size of a twin bed.  It rolls on the ground because it is too long to hang from the fireplace.  Funny!  And telling.

"When I say big, I mean BIG!" he yelled.

When he comes down on Christmas morning to a small gift with his name on the tag, he's disappointed.  So he wishes for a bigger gift. And right there and then, it doubles in size (and is still wrapped).  Wow!  He uses this magic again and again and again to make his gift bigger; yet instead of wonder and appreciation, he is angry and annoyed and grumpy.

Sounds like "I want a bigger gift!" and "That is not big enough!"pollute the air.

He gets into his rocketship and goes to outer space to try and find his now too-large-to-be-found gift.  It's from that rocketship that he peers out and sees Earth, now just a speck in the distance.

Oh.  He suddenly gets sad.  Earth.  So small, but it's what he wants.

So he wishes to be home. With his family.  Because they are the biggest gift.

Of course, I could wax poetic about how right Reynolds is, about how out-of-whack our Christmases have become.  I could reminisce about my Christmases abroad, away from my family, when I missed the laughing and eating together much more than the stuff.

But hopefully you already know these things.  And you've probably heard enough of my stories.  But being reminded about the importance of people over gifts by a sweet book with great illustrations never hurts.

The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke

The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke, illustrated by Nathan Hale

Rating: 5 stars

On the night before Christmas, "[t]he fossils were standing where they always stood / Looking out o'er a now fast asleep neighborhood." Across the street, a small boy looked over at the museum and wished the dinosaurs good night as he turns off his night light.

Then a band of young duckbills, all dressed up in holly,
Invited the boy, with a gesture quite jolly,
To stand upon their heads and reach out way far
And top their tall tree with a bright Christmas star!

Then, to his surprise, the fossils start to sway.  And move.  And come to life!  He is surprised to see that "the dinosaurs' bodies were growing anew-- / Sprouting rainbows of colorful feathers and scales / From the tops of their heads to the tips of their tails!" He jumps out of bed and runs across the street, happy to find the museum unlocked (!!).  He wonders if the dinosaurs will be hungry after being asleep and without food for so long...and find a meaty boy like himself delicious...when a dinosaur comes up behind him and...kisses him!  Because he's standing under mistletoe, of course.

"With a pat on the back and a cup of eggnog, / The boy helped the kind dinosaurs light their yule long. / And together they joyfully danced 'round the fire / Singing holiday songs in melodious choir."  The icing on this magical cake of a night is the appearance of Santa-sauras, pulled by eight dino-deer.

The next morning, the dinosaurs have turned back to fossils, though a sprig of mistletoe in the T-Rex's dinky hand hints at the mischief that was had.

Landing safe in his bed on soft pillows of down,
The boy waved as Santasaur flew over the town.

This is a must-buy for any dino-lover, for sure.  The story and the rhyme alone are fantastic and cute and magical, but the illustrations!  Man, the illustrations are top-notch.  Nathan Hale does a fantastic job of creating dinosaurs that are simultaneously real and sweet--no easy feat.  The book was published five years ago, but...as great as ever.  I doubt any copies have turned into fossils yet!

Santa! by Rufus Butler Seder

Santa! by Rufus Butler Seder

Rating: 4.5 stars

I might be one of the few people who does not own one of Rufus Butler Seder's scanimation books, but I really do think they are neat.  My kids and I have checked them out from the library, examined friends' copies, and sat with them in many bookstores.  He has produced six books with clever illustrations that seem to magically move while the page bends.  Gallop! and Swing! and WaddleI were followed by Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz.  In each of these books, Seder manages to capture decades of his passion and experience in photography and moving art.  

I was curious about this guy Rufus Butler Seder so, as love the bigger picture of a story, I found out a little more about him and how he evolved into creating children's books.  Turns out he's fairly fascinating--as most artists are.  Rufus' father was a journalist/photographer as well as an inventor--Gus Seder liked to tinker with things to figure out how they worked, and then manipulate these same tools and get them do things slightly differently.  Exposed to his father's creativity, Rufus was also encouraged to invent and create and tinker as well.  Photography was a known subject, one that was both familiar and widely open with possibilities, so Rufus experimented with photography.  One of his first little creations was a book involving trick photography: He photographed his sister jumping outside on the trampoline and manipulated the individual pictures such that, when he rearranged the photographs, it looked as if she was flying around the backyard.  

What a delightful trick for a big brother to have!  

Rufus made several small movies, but returned to the idea of moving art when most two dimensional artwork was still.  He had seen several antique and contemporary photographs where part of the image moved--think of the slightly creepy face from the past that winks or smiles as you look away from the image.  This idea is called the "picket fence"--a bar obscuring one phase of movement while reversing another.  With a whole lot of inspiration and experimentation Rufus came up with a flat image that appeared to move in a really cool way.  It's the old idea of flip-art book (didn't you have one of these books as a kid?), but much, much better.  While much of his art is directed at grown ups, a children's book editor pointed out that a collection of his already-existing scanimation images of animals, when collected together into a small book, would be a fun children's book.  He was right: his five scanimation books are wildly popular. 

That's the back story of his sixth book, Santa!  I hope that's moderately interesting to you, but what is certainly interesting to you is the answer to the question: Will my child like this?

The simple answer: yes!  People of all ages really like this stuff, and they're fascinated by how the scanimation pictures work--probably because it seems pretty magical, even in the era of the entertaining and ubiquitous app.  "This is Santa unlike you've seen him before!" it says in the promotional flyer that accompanied this book.  That made me laugh but it is so true!  This is a really great version of behind-the-scenes Santa.  Unlike the normal images of him checking his list, overseeing the craftsmanship of toys, and guiding his sleigh across the night, this is playful Santa: he hula-hoops, unicycles, juggles candy canes, ice skates, and does a back flip.  It is light and fun and sweet; seeing Santa taking the time to be silly and playful is a wonderful reminder to anyone who picks up the book to be a little silly and a little playful themselves.  I think it's just great, and a fantastic book for any age.  Or maybe for a grandparent whose shelves need to include a few children's books that appeal to children of all ages for an extended amount of time. 

I suspect that after a while SantaI will get put on a shelf, but the moment it is pulled off again--whether that's months or years later, the child (or grown up!) will be entertained and fascinated all over again.  And maybe a little bit inspired to create and tinker and make something of their own.

Santa is Coming to Washington, D.C. by Steve Smallman

Santa is Coming to Washington, D.C. by Steve Smallman, illustrated by Robert Dunn

Rating: 3.5 stars

I just told Ben about the whole naughty and nice list.  I'm hoping he kicks it up a notch out of fear of coal.  I'm doubtful...he's in the throes of lack of impulse control and when he gets going...man, he's just a blur of giggles and dimples and glee.

But...  'Tis the season for reminding kids to be good for more than goodness' sake!  And this book does start with a funny line.  Santa asks one elf if children in Washington, D.C., have been good this year.  The elf replies: "Mostly."  Santa: "Mostly?"  Elf: "Yes...but they've all been especially good in the last few days!"

This is a cute book in which Santa goes out to deliver tons of presents to the Washington, D.C., area but, because of a crazy blizzard, he gets hopelessly lost.  Santa's GPS doesn't help him (it's 2013, folks, all these books have Santa holding a GPS), that "old reindeer with the red nose" is helpless (my heart goes out to old Rudolph), but a young reindeer hears a church bell (turns out to be the Washington National Cathedral) and tugs the sleigh thattaway.  The blizzard magically disappears in a nanosecond, and the reindeer and Santa realize they are flying straight into the Capitol building.  They pull with all their might to (successfully) avoid hitting it.

Lots of local places are listed in the book: Capitol Hill, the Mall, Dupont Circle, the National Zoo, Rock Creek Park, Cleveland Park, Chevy Chase, Georgetown. In all these places Santa either zooms over or stops to visit, often taking a bite of a cookie and grabbing a carrot left out for his reindeer.  At the last house, as the sun starts to rise, he gives each reindeer a carrot and they fly home.

It's a cute book if you live here--the illustration of Santa flying over the Capitol building and the White House are fun images for kids to see.  But the story is unoriginal and barely there; it's not some magical tale that you'll get wrapped up in every holiday season.  Instead of that, the author just found a series that would sell well...he's written books about Santa coming to many cities, including: Maryland, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgia, Texas, California, Austin, Albuquerque...


P.S.  When my Dad read this review, he commented: "In this post 9/11 world, it's a good thing Santa didn't get shot down."  Good point, Dad.  Good point.  If the author had included that, it'd be a hard one to talk through with kids...

Cowboy Christmas by Rob Sanders

Cowboy Christmas by Rob Sanders, illustrated by John Manders

Rating: 4 stars

This book came out last year, got noticed by the international NYTimes as well as the local Washington Family Magazine.  It's pretty cute in a perfectly goofy, nicely focussed-on-the-right-things sort of way: 


It’s the day after Thanksgiving, therefore it is time to start getting in the mood for Christmas.  Cowboy Christmas will definitely help get your children to think about all things Christmas, with a cowboy twist.  They will be decoratin’, singin’, hopin’ they get some gifts…all the traditional stuff, without the “G” at the end.

Cowboy Christmas is a fine first book written by teacher-author Rob Sanders.  At first glance it does not look like a best seller, or one that your kid would be excited about unwrapping.  But there’s more to this book than a simple tale of three cowboys out on the range rather than home for the holidays.  

These cowboys are not happy about being stuck with cows rather than their families, and kick around their disappointment in the dirt.  To cheer themselves up, they do what all kids ought to be able to do by kindergarten: they improvise.  They lasso themselves a cactus tree and use what they have to decorate it.  It looks as you might imagine it to look: pretty silly. 

To read the rest of the review, click here.

An Otis Christmas by Loren Long

An Otis Christmas by Loren Long

Rating: 5 stars

We are fans of Otis.  We first met him in 2010 in Otis, then continued to fall in love with him in Otis and the Tornado and Otis and the Puppy.  There is even a board book and a stuffed animal available now!  He is a fantastic character; in fact, he's a character with character: a hard worker on his beloved farm, an enthusiastic player of all types of games, and the type of friend who looks out for the little guy, tries to include everyone, and genuinely cares.

So I was pretty psyched to see An Otis Christmas!

I'll warn you, I'm a little biased because Loren Long is one of my favorite illustrators AND...well...see that little foal on the cover?  I'm a sucker for all things horses.  When I was a horse-obsessed, riding-hours-every-afternoon girl, my cure for the uncurable giggles (in Church or in class) was to think of my horse, sick.  It would sober me up immediately.

Loren Long's beautiful illustrations swept me in immediately.  Otis is excited about his favorite time of year: Christmas!  This year, the excitement is bigger than ever because the mare is going to have a baby foal soon.  And this year, he gets something he's not ever received before...a gift!  It's a brand new horn.

"A special tractor needs a special horn," says his beloved farmer.

On Christmas Eve, a painful cry and troubled voices wake up Otis' putt puff puttedy chuff.  The mare is giving birth, but she's in trouble.  (As I saw the mare lying on her side painfully with the farmer and his son looking concerned over her, tears came to my eyes.  At a book!  Geez.  Yes, I cry at Hallmark commercials, too.)

Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.

"We need Doc Baker out here tonight or we'll lose them both!" whispers the farmer.

But there's a blizzard outside.  One of the farmer's helpers already failed to make it down the hill from the farm because of the snow.  Yet, Otis does what he needs to do.  He goes out in the cold, chugs through the snowdrifts, calms himself when he gets lost, and finds the vet's house.  He uses his new horn to wake up the vet, who knows immediately that something is wrong.  They zoom back through the drifts and the night.

"The farmer prayed for a miracle.  All was quiet, until..."

Otis' horn cracks through the stillness and the sadness, and he brings Doc Baker to the horse and her unborn baby.  As that baby is born, with a star on its forehead, the whole farm stands around in wonder and appreciation.  Of a miracle.

This is a great Christmas book--one of the best from 2013 I think.

I love how Otis doesn't just stand by.  He does something.  This resonates clearly with me, an action-based person.  And he does something courageous, dangerous, and necessary--not because someone tells him to, but because he knows in his heart that it's the right thing to do.

See?  I told you he was a good character.

Bravo, Loren Long!  This is another great one.

Little Santa by Jon Agee

Little Santa by Jon Agee

Rating: 3.5 stars

How did Santa become who he is today?

It's a great, fun question for authors to ponder and write about.  My favorite book that answers this question remains Santa From Cincinnati by Judi Barrett--maybe that book is too front-and-center in my mind to fully appreciate the humor in Little Santa...?

Little Santa is the youngest of seven kids whose family lives in the North Pole.  Everyone grumbles about their cold- and snow-filled days, except Santa: his red little suit and smile stand out amidst his family's gray outfits and mopey demeanors.  Little Santa has Big Santa habits: he likes to crawl up the chimney so he can slide down it, for example.

They dislike the North Pole so much that they decide to move.  To Florida.  Santa is the only one who is sad about the upcoming move.

But then a blizzard strikes, and their house is completely buried in snow--all you can see is the chimney. They can't go anywhere, including Florida.  Little Santa heads up the chimney and goes looking for help.

He finds a reindeer (no ordinary reindeer as it can fly) buried in snow, and a whole colony of elves who build him a sleigh and travel back to his house with him to rescue his family.  The family stays a little longer in the North Pole and finds it a nicer place to live with industrious friends like the elves, but...eventually they move to Florida.

But Little Santa stays behind.  And, well, you know the rest of the story.

The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas by Michael Keane

The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas by Michael Keane, illustrated by Michael Garland

Rating: 5 stars


This is a fun holiday book I reviewed last year for Washington Family magazine.  I just saw it last week at Barnes and Noble and was reminded how much I liked it.  It's definitely not for everyone--Santa rapelling and all!--but for those who think that's a fun image, this book is for YOU.  And your family.  Or...maybe just for you!

Here ya go:

Just as every military group has their own color of ribbon to wear or sticker on their members' cars, every group has their own version of the classic The Night Before Christmas.  As a member of the large and varied defense industry--I'm an Army brat, sister of a soldier, a former defense analyst--I am thrilled that this treasure of a book fell into my lap!

The plot is, like most stories, one that has been told before: It's Christmas Eve, and Santa is on his mission to deliver toys when a massive blizzard knocks him and his reindeer off course.  He is stuck for a while; by the time he gets unstuck he's in a time crunch.  With help from his friends, the toys find the right good boys and girls and everyone wakes up to many gifts and many smiles.

The story, like all recycled stories, has its own twist: Our North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is responsible for tracking airplanes, bombers, Air Force One, and oh! Santa and his reindeer, too.  They see the little "blob" that represents Santa on their screens suddenly disappear.  A small, elite military team fast-ropes out of a helicopter and finds a cold Santa and his equally chilly reindeer buried in heaps of snow.

To read the rest, click here.


P.S.  This is the author's first children's book.  On the back flap is a list of other stuff he's written, including The Dictionary of Modern Strategy and Tactics.  Just sort of a funny thing when you compare it with Santa.  I love it!

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Holly Hobbie

Rating: 5 stars

I love all the versions of The Night Before Christmas.  I keep an eye out for them this time of year; I think it's such a fun example of how you can take a classic text and spin it to make it your own.  (The Three Little Pigs story is another of my favorites to show my kids...) Literature is one big conversation between authors, right?

But first, you've got to have the original, the classic, the one and only poem by Clement C. Moore. The Night Before Christmas.  If your family celebrates Christmas, it's a book you've got to have in the house.

And if you're going to have it in your house, and read it over and over with your kids, year after year, spend the extra dollars to get a beautiful one.  The illustrations by Holly Hobbie are fantastic.  The time she takes to paint each illustration is evident on each page. If you've ever picked up a Toot and Puddle book you will have an idea of what I'm talking about.

There is no artist who can produce warmer illustrations than Holly Hobbie--looking at these pictures is like having a warm cup of tea, toes near a glowing fireplace, all my loved ones nearby.

In the Artist's Note in the back, Hobbie writes that she was at times intimidated by the idea of creating illustrations for such a masterpiece.  She had to "honor the timelessness of the piece while still making it [her] own." It is a slightly more modern version, and one seen through the eyes of an innocent, everything-is-amazing toddler.

I really, really love it.  This is a fantastic book to give--to expecting parents, to your children's grandparents, to your own toddler, to yourself.


P.S.  Here are the versions I've found.  Those with links are, obviously, ones I've reviewed

A Pirate's Night Before Christmas by Philip Yates
The Solider's Night Before Christmas by Trish Holland and Christine Ford
Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke
The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas by Michael Keane
The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story by Terri Hoover Dunham

Please leave a comment if you know of any others!

Winter is for Snow by Robert Neubecker

Winter is for Snow by Robert Neubecker

Rating: 4 stars

Since it might snow tonight here in the Northern Virginia area (!!), I thought I'd let you know about a cute book by Robert Neubecker about two siblings who have very different views on the wonderful-ness of snow.  I am a huge fan of Neubecker's huge, simple, great WOW! books, and I like this new one a lot.

Brother loves winter, Sister hates it.  They argue in color--no words are wasted on "he says" and "she says," which works well.  Together, the siblings' words form a rhyme:

Winter is for fat snowflakes,
swirling as they blow,
glittering like diamond dust!
Winter is for snow.

Winter! I say No.

The illustrations make me pause.  They are fitting, but I cringe at the thought of my kids choosing Sister's act rather than Brother's attitude.  In one picture she's on her i-something.  In another, she is glued to the television.

Kiefer is up too early (5:29 AM!) so he gets to blog with me.

But finally, Brother gets her outside--he is somehow resistant to her poopy pants behavior.  Then Brother really gets on his winter soapbox and starts waxing poetic about all the neat things about Winter in the Arctic, and Sister starts paying attention to the good and forgetting the bad.

And wouldn't you know it?

Winter is for all these things?
Is it really so?
Winter might not be so bad.
Winter is for SNOW!

It's a cute book, a nice reminder to get outside and enjoy Winter rather than complain about it (my husband can assure you that I need a cattle prod every now and then to do this as I was made for flip-flops more than snow boots).

BUT.  There's a small but to this book.

When I first read it, I had Neubecker's Wow! books in mind, where the two characters are a father and his daughter.  So I thought that the two characters in this book were the same: a father and daughter.  It made sense to me (though when I read through it again I realize it's a pretty short father!) because a big brother would probably NOT put up with all that pouting about winter.  Plus I really loved that the father was pulling his daughter out of the house and playing WITH her--I love any book that has that in it.  Maybe in Neubecker's next book...

Santa from Cincinnati by Judi Barrett

 Santa from Cincinnati by Judi Barrett, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

Rating: 5 joyful stars

(I know Christmas is over, but...our lights are still up...so...)

One day, I'd like to write children's books.  You'd think I've read enough to know exactly what it takes, right?  On the one hand, yes.  On the other hand, books like Santa from Cincinnati just completely and totally humble me into a non-writing status.  This book is that creative, that impressive, that good.

Judi Barrett, of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs fame, has created a past for Santa Claus in this gem of a book.  Born in Cincinnati to a less famous Mr. and Mrs. Claus, his parents found his unusual name in an unusual way; "S, A, N, T, A" floated around together in their alphabet soup.  He was "jolly and roly-poly and had rosy cheeks from day one."  His toddler years included all the normal things: first steps (while wearing big, black boots), first words (ho, ho, ho), favorite song ("Jingle Bells") and favorite toys (stuffed reindeer).  To look more like his dad, young Santa started wearing a fake (white) beard and mustache.

My favorite [toy] was a stuffed reindeer.
In fact, since I liked it so much. my mother got me several more.

Young Santa and his father spent hours in their basement building toys together, adding to Santa's already big collection.  The toys were soon the subject of much awe and desire; the children of Cincinnati pressed their faces against the little basement windows to watch the man and boy make these toys.  The kids asked if they could have one, and soon Santa had a list that grew longer and longer every day.  One day before his birthday (December 25th) he realized he had way too many toys, so Santa decided to give them away--one to each child on his list.

He put on his red coat and hat, pulled some toys on his sled, and shoved more toys in a giant pillowcase he carried on his back.  Not surprisingly, the night was a huge success!  Santa decided to make it an annual thing.

After college, meeting and marrying the next Mrs. Claus, enlisting a bunch of people to help, and relocating to a bigger and better facility (with central heating), Santa became more efficient by shortening his list by finding out who was naughty and who was nice.  And his reindeer benefit from modern technology--his sleigh is now jet-propelled and thanks to his GPS, they never get lost.

The story would be great on its own, but Kevin Hawkes' illustrations bump it from awesome to incredible.  Each illustration just adds so much!  This is just a book full of joy--that sounds pretty hokey as I type it out, but there is so much joy in the faces of each picture and so much joy in the story that you can't help but feel a little bit of it as you read it to your little ones.

Even the week after the holidays.

I think the only drawback to this great book is that it explains Christmas without any religion--I can't really add much to that because I'm trying to figure out how and what to teach my trio.  But even with that drawback (because you've probably done a better job than me at explaining Christmas), this is truly one of the best holiday books I've ever read.  Thank you once again to Julia, my friend's daughter, for pointing it out to us.

The Mouse Before Christmas by Michael Garland

The Mouse Before Christmas by Michael Garland

Rating (according to Julia and me): 5 stars

The Mouse Before Christmas by Michael Garland is about a mouse that one Christmas crawled into Santa’s sack. It is based on Twas the Night Before Christmas.  

Julia, writing her review long hand, before typing

(This is Kate interjecting:  See?  There is someone else in the world who is probably interested in reading all the versions of Twas the Night Before Christmas!  Okay, I'm assuming young Julia would be up for reading the stack of these books that I'm beginning to create.  I see a book party coming together for December 2013...  I am officially creating a Twas the Night Before Christmas tag for my blog.  Let me know of ones you know of that I might not know about!) 

The mouse was in the sack, and he found a way to peek out of the sack. He saw the Eiffel Tower, the Sphinx, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Statue of Liberty. At the end, Santa finds the mouse, and takes him back home. The next morning he wakes up and he got a present: It was a mini Santa hat! I would give this book 5 stars.      

By Julia, age 7, grade 1  

Mouse had never imagined a world so wide;
He lost count of the wonders he'd seen on this ride.

(It turns out that this book was on hold for us, and arrived to our local library a few days after Christmas.  Julia is right; it is worthy of five stars.  It really is good writing:

Onto rooftops, down chimneys, old Santa did race.
Mouse marveled the reindeer could keep up the pace.
They soared past high mountains, skimmed low near a river.
The twists, dips, and turns set his tummy aquiver.

Enjoy!)

)

What Am I? Christmas! by Alain Crozon

 What Am I?  Christmas! by Alain Crozon

Rating (according to Julia): 5 stars for kids, 3 stars for parents

I had a little problem, and I asked for a little help.

When my friend's daughter recommended some Christmas books to us, I tried to order all of the books.  But  a few weren't available and, like George, I was curious.  So I asked for help.  I wrote Julia an email asking if she would be interested in writing a review or two for my blog, telling readers about the book and what she thinks about it. 

Here is the bright and clever Julia's review:

What Am I? Christmas by Alain Crozon is not actually a storybook. It is a book that has quizzes, and you ask people the questions, and they have to answer them. 

Author Julia, hard at work on her review

One of questions is: “I become a special tree when you trim and decorate me!” then you lift up a flap and the flap reads:”a Christmas tree.” 

By Julia age 7, grade 1

(Me again.  I just have to add that Julia is as close to a crystal ball--where I can see the future--as I am ever going to have in my life.  She's about 18 months older than Lorelei and just as sweet and earnest and curious and, well, WONDERFUL!  Every time I see her I get a little sneak peek into what Lorelei is going to be doing in a year or two.  Such a gift!)

A Pirate's Night Before Christmas by Philip Yates

 A Pirate's Night Before Christmas by Philip Yates, illustrated by Sebastia Serra

Rating: 4 stars

Second nerdy confession of the day: It amuses me greatly to pick up our "on-hold" books at the library before I get the email notifying me that they are there, ready to be picked up.  But that's what happened yesterday when we went to the library--this book was waiting for us, pre-notification email!  I know, I know...cheap thrills.

If your child is into pirates, this is a great book to buy.  Or, if you just like reading books in a pirate accent ("aaarrgh!"), this is a great book to read.  The words and the illustrations are bright and lively and funny and clever.

But he hopped in his sleigh, to his team gave a roar:
"It's time to return to the briny deep floor!"

Santa is "Sir Peggedy" who lives in the deep water, and comes up from below with the help of eight giant, magic sea horses that pull his sleigh.  He hands out gifts to each buccaneer:

Anchors an' hornpipes an' cackle-fruit eggs,
Pearls an' red sashes for Bonnie an' Meg.
A cauldron for Cook filled with pieces of shank,
And just for the Cap'n a shiny new plank.

We had a lot of fun imagining a plank in our stockings on Christmas morning!  The narrator of the tale gets a special gift: a map to a treasure "where X-mas marks the spot!"

Another great version of the classic tale...  Merry Christmas, me buckos, an' a Happy New Year!

The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas by Trish Holland and Christine Ford

The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas by Trish Holland and Christine Ford, illustrated by John Manders

Rating: 4.5 stars

First nerdy confession of the day: I'd like to see how many versions there are of Twas A Night Before Christmas.  I'd like to check them all out and pile them up high and read them, one by one, all in a row.  I am confident that one exists for every constituency group out there, with inside jokes tucked away inside the familiar verse.  I love it!

I recently reviewed The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas for Washington FAMILY magazine, a local resource for the Northern Virginia area.  (Read my review here.)  I thought I had seen it all when I flipped through and saw a special ops team fast rope down to rescue Santa!  But then, in Barnes & Noble, I saw the cover of this book and picked up two copies.  I didn't need to read them first--I knew I needed one for my sister's family, and one for my (retired Ranger) dad.

This book started out with a row of soldiers asleep, one sleeping with a rifle ("What's a rifle, Mommy?"), in their bunk.  The clatter that awoke them was a Blackhawk ("What's a Blackhawk, Mommy?") and eight Humvees ("What's a Humvee, Mommy?"  Look at this vocabulary building!) decked out with tinsel and lights.  Santa is fierce drill sergeant with a chewed up cigar hanging from his tough lips, and the reindeer are the drivers of said Humvees.

I know this book is not for every family.  Even while I am fine with these new vocabulary words because they are part of my family's lexicon, I know there are a lot of good reasons not to show kids pictures of rifles and cigars.

But as soon as my own chuckle started rolling, the book took a serious turn.  Sergeant McClaus walks in with a big bag of loot, presents for the troops from their families.  My eyes were immediately misty.

Tasty gifts from old friends in the helmets he laid.
There were candies, and cookies, and cakes, all homemade.
Many parents sent phone cards so soldiers could hear
Treasured voices and laughter of those they held dear. 

Loving husbands and wives had mailed photos galore
Of weddings and birthdays and first steps and more.
And for each soldier's boot, like a warm, happy hug,
There was art from the children at home sweet and snug.

Sniff, sniff.  There are many soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines away from home this holiday season, working hard so that our children can remain sweet and snug in their beds, blissfully ignorant of the messy and violent parts of world.  I love that this book allows kids to recognize their service.  This book ends how I'd like this entry to end:

Happy Christmas, brave soldiers!  May peace come to all!

(And thank you. so very much, for your service, brave soldiers.)

A Letter to Santa Claus by Brigitte Weninger

A Letter to Santa Claus by Brigitte Weninger, illustrated by Anne Moller

Rating: 4.5 stars

Oliver and his mom, a seamstress, live up in the woods; they "only have enough money for bare necessities."One of his mother's clients pays her with a few coins and an old calendar, which Oliver is happy to have.  Something new and interesting!  He beams with excitement.

(I've got to pause here.  I hope your kids beam with excitement for a humble gift this year.  I know there'll be some "Where's the next gift?!" around our tree soon, but...hopefully there will be Appreciation, Gratitude, Gratefulness as well.)

Back to the book.

For December there is a picture of "Santa Claus."  Although Oliver is school-age, he's never heard of Santa Claus before, and is in awe when his mother explains who he is.  But then Oliver wonders if he's been too naughty all these years to receive any gifts...?  Soon after, a kind neighbor gives him a bright red balloon, beautifully juxtaposed with the whites and grays of winter, filled with an equally mysterious thing: helium.  Oliver writes a letter to Santa asking for a lamp for his mother and warm mittens for himself and uses the balloon to carry his letter.  Off floats his hope.

Miles away, the balloon lands in the yard of a grumpy old man, battered from a life of disappointment and sadness and loneliness.  His name is Nicholas; his thick, furry beard hides his frown.  Despite his initial disgruntled response at a child wishing for toys, the humbleness of Oliver's request creeps into his heart.

Days later, he puts on his red cloak and heads to the boy's house with packages for Oliver and his mother.  Oliver's beaming smile returns, and all are warmed with love--the kind of love that comes from extending yourself a bit more than feels comfortable, in a way that you've not in a long time or, maybe, ever.  That sort of love.

The boy and his mom move down the mountain to Nicholas' home, and they call him Grandpa.  They fill each other's lives and give each other not material gifts but all that untouchable, more important stuff: companionship, love, laughter, and others to give those things to.

This book makes me appreciate that untouchable, very important "Christmas spirit."

Thanks for the recommendation, Julia!

Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner? by Tomie DePaola

Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner? by Tomie DePaola

Rating: 5 stars

Do you know of anyone who dreads having everyone--I mean everyone--over for dinner?  I know a few...

Tomie DePaola has created a gem of a book about a dinner party at the home of one of the most famous couples around: Mr and Mrs Claus.  Some weeks before Christmas, Santa realizes "it's been a while," so he's going to invite his family over for Christmas.

"Oh, my," Mrs. C said.  "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes," Santa said.  "I'm sure."

"All right, then.  Make a list of who you want me to ask."  (What a team player that Mrs. C is!  My words, not Tomie DePaola's.)

Santa uses his photo album to remember everyone (wow, it's really been a while), and the invitations go out.  The chaos of a huge family get-together starts bubbling much too early, when Aunt Astrid arrives while Mrs. C is still in her pajamas.  With less text and more cartoon-like illustrations, DePaola shows the reader snapshots of a typical huge family gathering.  (Or at least typical in my fun Polish family.)  Here's a bit of what happens...

Kids start misbehaving the moment they walk in the door while their parents happily ignore them from the recliner.  A friendly (or not?) debate breaks out about how to cook a special family treat.  Kids start complaining about what they got or didn't get for Christmas.  Those with good manners stare aghast at those with bad manners.  The family ham tries to keep the spotlight on her at all times.  Some kids are thrilled with a kids' table while others are distraught.

But the best is Cousin Ulla.  ("It's Ulla!  Watch your teeth!" says Aunt Astrid.)  In every picture, Cousin Ulla is stuffing something into her small-but-hey-how'd-it-get-that-big bag.  For example: she swipes a poinsettia from the hallway, kidnaps Joseph from the Nativity Scene, steals umbrellas from the coat closet, and snatches a wreath from the door on her way out.

It's really laugh-out-loud funny!

The best part?  This isn't your family!  You get to sit back and turn the pages and not participate in the madness.  You can simply appreciate the ridiculousness of the interactions and the very happy ending: the get-together has been crazy, but wonderful.

(And hopefully your family get-together--be it big or small--is crazy and wonderful, too.)

Thanks for another great recommendation, Julia!

What Could Be Keeping Santa? by Marilyn Janovitz

What Could Be Keeping Santa? by Marilyn Janovitz

Rating: 4 stars

HUGE NEWS!  I got my first piece of fan mail.

Hmm.  Maybe I should be honest here.  Is it still "fan" when the fan is the daughter of a good college friend and one of the few people who have been reading this blog o' mine from the beginning and did a few posts with me a year or two ago?  And can I say "mail" when really it was a picture of a list of Christmas books that her daughter, Julia, had at her house that she wanted me to know about?

Page two of Julia's (oh so cute!) list

I consulted her mom--moms are always the final word, of course--and Beth said YES!

So here is one of the books her daughter, the bright and clever Julia, suggested I read and blog about.  (If you'd like a little story about Julia that I wrote once upon a time, click here.)

It's a cute story involving several mystified reindeer; each cute illustration involves them looking confused and befuddled in a new way.  They move about the North Pole, trying to figure out what's been keeping Santa.  There's a nice rhythm to the rhyme and Lorelei and Ben definitely got into the little mystery: what has been keeping Santa?

I love a funny ending, and we were all smiling when the reindeer have it wrong: "My dear deer friends, you'll have to wait. / You're one day early--check the date! / On Christmas Eve we won't be late... / Nothing would ever keep Santa!"

Very cute book, very worthy of a check out.

Thanks, Julia!