Closing the darkest part of the year with the brilliance of
fine writing and painstaking paintings, to illustrate the season of Light, are
this small collection of enticing picture books. Not just for the youngest,
these titles bring the pleasure of a well-told tale to everyone gathered
together. Celebrate!
All-of-a-Kind Family
Based on the classic books by Sydney Taylor
by Emily Jenkins
illustrated
by Paul O. Zelinsky
It’s
snowing on the first night of Hanukkah in 1912 New York’s Lower East Side as
two sisters walk home to their family. Gertie, the youngest of five (all girls
is what “all-of-a-kind” describes), is excited about dinner preparations,
especially the latkes, to be fried in schmaltz – “to remember the oil that
burned for eight days and eight nights in Jerusalem.” Gertie wants to help peel
or grate the potatoes, chop the onions, or fry the latkes in the hot schmaltz,
but Mama will not allow. For Gertie, this is too much -- to miss out on the
once-a-year treat preparation – her disappointment sparks an angry tantrum. Mama
marches her to the bedroom with quiet, firm instructions to remain there until
time for the blessings. It’s Papa’s arrival and wisdom about how to include
Gertie that helps to bring the entire family and a visitor together for
lighting the Hanukkah candles and sharing a delicious meal.
Award
winning illustrator Zelinsky’s digital artwork captures the texture and movement
of the snowy city, the active preparations in the snugly cheerful kitchen, and
the loving relationships narrated so skillfully in the text. Jenkins, who
writes with authority and the support of the Sydney Taylor Foundation, has
nailed the essence of these classic stories in this mindfully crafted tale for
the twenty-first century. Included at the back are: glossary, author’s note,
illustrator’s note, an online link for a latke recipe, and sources.
Penguin Random House,
$17.99
Interest Level: Pre-School
– Grade 2
The Smallest Gift of
Christmas
by Peter H. Reynolds
In a clever
whimsical recasting of an old folktale about more and bigger and better, Reynolds
introduces Roland, who is unimpressed with his Christmas present - which is
“the smallest gift he had ever seen.” When he wishes for a bigger gift and his
wish comes true, Roland is still disappointed that it’s not “MUCH bigger.” He
throws a tantrum, and stomps off after each wish still doesn’t get him what he
thinks is “big enough.”
Determined, Roland sets off in a
rocket ship “to search the universe.” Like the astronauts who viewed the
thumb-sized earth from outer space, Roland realizes his home, his family are
very far away. This time when he wishes, it’s for that “tiny speck – the
smallest gift.”
Brilliant reds and greens make the
digital illustrations pop off the page. And Reynolds’ characteristic hand
lettering highlights the text as Roland, still wearing his polka dot PJ’s and
back home on the sofa with his family, discovers that sometimes the best gifts
are the ones you already have.
Candlewick, $14
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 5
Just Right for
Christmas
by Birdie Black
illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
At the
market on Christmas Eve, the king buys a huge roll of beautiful bright-red cloth,
”so red and soft and Christmassy!” It’s perfect for his daughter. The sewing
maids in the castle “snipped and sewed” until they completed a lovely long
cloak for the Princess. Then, a kitchen maid sees the leftover fabric on the
back doorstep, and turns it into a jacket for her mother. She leaves a bundle
of scraps which catch the attention of Bertie Badger, whose small pile of scraps
are discovered by Samuel Squirrel, and ultimately, the last tiny bit, by Milly
Mouse. Each one uses the left behind pieces to create a gift for their own
special someone.
Colorful,
textured, mixed-media illustrations are busily active and brightly snow-filled.
This sprightly story is a charming holiday version of an older folktale,
patterned with a rhythm of repetitive lines that builds to a happy holiday
conclusion.
Candlewick, $15.99
(hardcover)
$6.99 (board book)
Interest Level: Pre-School
- Kindergarten
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