As the holidays approach, we note
the longer nights and shorter days.
The season of the celebration of light can be a time to remember and
reflect on family customs. It can
also be an opportunity to create new traditions. Reading holiday books together can become more than a
routine. Especially is this true when
these kinds of rituals are combined with terrific stories and wonderful
memories. Take time during this busy season to enjoy each others company
reading out loud together.
Night Tree by Eve
Bunting
Illustrated by Ted Rand
Harcourt Brace & Company, $7.00 (paperback)
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 2
(This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.)
A
young boy and his family decorate their favorite tree in the quiet moonlit
forest. They have prepared popcorn
strings, sunflower seed balls, apples, and tangerines to hang from the
branches. They scatter nuts and
breadcrumbs underneath.
Lovely
watercolor paintings are accented with chalk and grease pencil. This emphasis on the shadowy night
contrasts with the lantern’s light, and a dusky sky filled with star
shine. A deer is caught in
the flashlight’s beam. An owl’s voice and face deepen the sense of secrets in
the forest darkness.
Together, the family sings songs and
drinks hot chocolate. As this picture book unfolds, an annual tradition emerges
as an important way to share. It’s
become an occasion to give each other a gift. But it’s also an event created for the forest
creatures. Perhaps after reading
this enchanting story, your family will decide to adopt this or another similar
yearly tradition.
Manger selected
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrations by Helen Cann
Eerdmans, $16.00 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 3
(This book may be purchased from local and online
booksellers.)
An ancient legend describes how, at
midnight on Christmas Eve, animals are able to speak. In this cheerful collection, featuring 15 talented poets,
readers hear from rooster, sheep, horse, cat, mouse, dog, cow, wren, owl, fish,
spider, llama and goat.
Hopkins sets the scene in his
introductory poem. The concluding
rhyme is a verse from the traditional carol, “The Friendly Beasts,” describing
the donkey. Poems from Joan Bransfield Graham, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater,
X.J.Kennedy, Jude Mandell, Marilyn Nelson, Jane Yolen, Ann Whitford Paul,
Prince Redcloud, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Michele Krueger, Alma Flor Ada and Alice
Schertle are included.
Watercolor and collage beautifully
illustrate each poem in glowing colors.
The moonlit starry pages flash with movement and luster. Expressive animal faces populate the
pages and endpapers. A blazing comet appears on several pages, highlighting the
not-so-silent night.
This is the Stable
by Cynthia Cotton
Illustrated by Delana Bettoli
Henry Holt, $6.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten –
Grade1
(This book may be purchased from
local and online booksellers.)
This beautiful picture book,
combined with gradually building text, tells the Nativity story. Added to the familiar rhythm of “This
is the house that Jack built” is a refrain, “the quiet stable, dusty and brown.”
Pairing these two produces a gentle, musical rhyme pattern.
Mixed media paintings of animals,
angels, shepherds, wise men, the newborn baby, parents, and the star also
feature bright patterned borders.
Bettoli’s earth tones establish a sense of the desert. Primary colors give life to expressive
animal faces. And skillful use of
pastels reveals ethnic variety in the people.
This version of the visitors to the
stable can also be sung to the melody of “The Friendly Beasts,” a traditional
carol. Simply told and well paced,
this tale is a favorite of both children and the adults who enjoy it with them.
MORE HOLIDAY BOOKS
‘Twas Nochebuena: A
Christmas Story in English and Spanish
By Roseanne Greenfield Thong
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
Viking, $16.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
(This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.)
Christmas Wish for
Corduroy based on the characters created by Don Freeman
Story by B. G.
Hennessy
Pictures by Jody Wheeler
Viking, $16.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten
– Grade 2
(This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.)
The Legend of Saint
Nicholas by Anselm Grun
Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri
Eerdmans, $16.00 (hardcover)
Interest
Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
(This book may be purchased from local and online
booksellers.)
And Then Comes
Christmas by Tom Brenner
Illustrations by Jana Christy
Candlewick Press,
$15.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
(This book may
be purchased from local and online booksellers.)
No comments:
Post a Comment