Shop Speechville Express Holiday Gift Connection Books for Kids & Families

Reading is a window to knowledge and learning. Cultivate the love of reading while celebrating holiday traditions and learning about other cultures with one of the following selections.

Winter

Holiday

Celebrations Around the World

Write and Illustrate Your Own Book

Winter Books

Bear Snores On

Editorial Review

On a cold windy night, an itty-bitty mouse "pitter-pat, tip-toe, creep-crawls" into a sleeping bear's cozy lair, looking for relief from the bitter winter weather. Soon he is joined by a veritable menagerie of woodland animals, and the party begins. Popping corn, brewing tea, tweeting, and chatting, the critters enjoy themselves thoroughly while the bear slumbers through it all. Until, that is, an errant pepper flake from the simmering stew wakes him up with a giant sneeze. As the bear goes from ferocious snarls and rumbles to pitiful whimpers, his uninvited guests realize what the problem is. You've snuck in my lair!

 
Winter's Tale : An Original Pop-up Journey

Customer Review

Everytime I see a Sabuda Pop-up book I am constantly amazed at the skill and intricate detail that goes into creating these masterpieces. A beautiful winter landscape filled with wildlife is the subject of Winter's Tale, a beautiful and serene book. There's a wonderful snow owl flying off the pages, bear catching fish with a waterfall in the background, a Family of deer, and my favorite, a house or cabin, neslted in the snow covered woods with a little snowman standing in front of the house.

Winter Days in the Big Woods (My First Little House Books)

Winter Days" is one of my favorite books in the "My First Little House Books" series, and one of my favorite books about autumn. The Ingalls family prepares for winter with time for the harvest and food storage. Mary and Laura participate in daily chores and entertain themselves with their rag dolls, paper dolls, and by using a thimble to draw on the frosted window. Beautiful illustrations bring Laura's log cabin world to life, and are an excellent starting point for discussing how life is different then it used to be, and how some things never change.

Sugar Snow (My First Little House)

Book Description
Laura is delighted when a soft, thick snow falls in late spring in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. A late snow helps the trees make more sap for maple syrup, and maple syrup means sweet sugar cakes and sticky fingers for Laura! Doris Ettlinger's enchanting full-color illustrations, inspired by Garth Williams's artwork, perfectly capture Laura and her family in this My First Little House Book, adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods.

The Snowy Day Board Book

Editorial Review

The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats's illustrations, using cut-outs, watercolors, and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats's gentle tribute.

Holiday Books

P. Bear's New Year's Party!

Customer Review
This is a book to teach counting, but it is more than that, in just being plain fun! Numbers are displayed in quantities, in a clock, in words and their varieties. The characters are terrific!

The Hanukkah Mice

Book Description
In the tradition of the best-selling The Christmas Surprise and The Golden Egg comes this sweet story of the Hanukkah mice. With flaps hiding shiny foil suprises, readers will find a different Hanukkah tradition on each page, until the very end when they finally discover the beautiful menorah, with all eight candles burning bright.

The Chanukkah Guest

Editorial Review

Old Bubba Brayna, 97, still makes the best potato latkes in the village. So each year at Chanukkah, her friends and the rabbi come through the snow to share her cooking and hospitality. The first to arrive this year, however, is a grumpy old bear aroused from his cave by the delicious smells of cooking. The nearly blind Bubba mistakes him for the rabbi, welcomes him in and lets him keep his fur coat on against the chill. She carries on with enough chatter for two as the bear growls through the blessing, eats a huge platter of latkes, and bestows a lick on Old Bubba in thanks. When the rabbi and the villagers arrive, they and Bubba figure out who she has been entertaining, have a good laugh, and retire to the kitchen where Bubba begins to cook all over again. Brown and rose tones predominate in Carmi's woodland and interiors. While the blocky and long-nosed people are unattractively rendered, their love of Bubba is clear. Children will enjoy this silly story of mistaken identity, and the dialogue Bubba keeps up with the bear will have them giggling happily.

The Crippled Lamb
by Max Lucado

This book has become a favorite Christmas tradition at our house. The story of the birth of Christ is told through the eyes of Joshua, a lamb that has a leg that doesn't work well. In addition to portraying the true meaning of Christmas, this wonderful story teaches a simple and very important lesson about life. Everyone can make a contribution to life, regardles of a ability/disability. You will love this book! -- Tricia Morin

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Amazon.com
What are the poor villagers to do? The holiday-hating, hill-dwelling hobgoblins are bound and determined to ruin yet another Hanukkah for them. Every year the beasties snuff out the menorah candles, destroy the dreidels, and pitch the potato latkes on the floor. But these wicked wet blankets never counted on someone as clever as Hershel of Ostropol showing up. Using his wits and a few props--pickles, eggs, and a dreidel (a square-shaped top with Hebrew letters on each side)--Hershel manages to outwit all the creepy critters and break the spell. This fabulously creative adaptation of the ancient Hanukkah story in which the Syrians forbade the Jews to worship as they wanted, keeps the spirit of the original while adding a spine-tingling twist. Warmth and humor prevail, even in the midst of hopeless-looking circumstances.

Zigazak! A Magical Hanukkah Night

From Publishers Weekly
In the most imaginative Hanukkah book this season, Kimmel (Gershon's Monster) peoples an old-world town with mischievous demons, easily alarmed villagers and a wise and crafty rabbi. The brio of the storytelling doesn't shy from a moral: "Sparks of goodness exist in all things, even in devils' tricks." Goodell (Mice Are Nice) portrays the demons as ugly monsters, the goofy gleam in their eyes only partially dampening their scariness, and his humans are mildly grotesque. A dark palette adds to the shiver-inducing effect. Ages 4-8.

  
The Trees of the Dancing Goats (Aladdin Picture Books)

Amazon.com
Polacco has a warm, colorful illustrative style that has enriched her numerous other works such as Babushka Baba Yaga and I Can Hear the Sun. Here she applies it to what at first seems the simple story of a Jewish girl, Trisha, and her Christian neighbors, whose bout with scarlet fever at Christmas threatens to ruin Trisha's Hanukkah. Trisha and her family respond with a loving gesture that is rewarded in kind.

Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah (Sammy Spider's First Books)ches longingly as Josh Shapiro lights another candle and receives a brightly-colored dreidel each night of Hanukkah. "Spiders don't spin dreidels, sp

Book Description
Sammy watches longingly as Josh Shapiro lights another candle and receives a brightly-colored dreidel each night of Hanukkah. "Spiders don't spin dreidels, spiders spin webs!" Sammy's mother reminds him. Then on the last night, Sammy gets his own spinning surprise. Full color. mmy gets his own spinning surprise. Full color.

From Publishers Weekly

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The Chanukkah Tree mischievous demons, easily alarmed villagers and a wise and crafty rabbi. The brio of the

Customer Reviewstorytelling doesn't shy fro

I love this book, and read it every holiday season to my own kids. The story of the Chanukkah tree is about traditions and attitudes. The foolish people of Chelm have been sold a "Chanukkah Tree" by a clever vendor, who persuaded them that "Chanukkah Trees" are all the rage in America. And, of course, who in Chelm wouldn't want something so American and trendy as a Chanukkah tree? When they later find out they've been duped, humiliation is transformed to joy and delight when perspectives are changed by a simple turn of events.

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Runaway Dreidel!

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From Publishers Weekly
Set to the cadences of "The Night Before Christmas" ("Twas the first night of Chanukah and on the fifth floor/ There was holiday bustling and bustling galore"), Newman's (Matzo Ball Moon) verse narrative describes a runaway dreidel that finds a home in the night sky. The chief virtue of this forgettable tale may be its having occasioned more of Brooker's (Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street) idiosyncratic mixed-media art, oil paintings into which she seamlessly applies cut-paper photo elements. Everything in these illustrations is affectionately skewed, from the slightly oversize heads of the characters to the Brooklynesque street scenes occasioned by the boy narrator's pursuit of the toy. The dynamically dizzy world happily challenges readers to stay on their toes. Ages 4-8.

The Runaway Latkes

Editorial Review

In a joyful Hanukkah version of "The Gingerbread Man," Kimmelman tells of three big, round latkes, crisp and brown, that jump out of the pan and roll off to see the town. Children will enjoy the mischievous cumulative tale: the young cook, Rebecca, chases the singing latkes; then the rabbi chases the latkes and Rebecca chases the rabbi, who chases the cantor, who chases the mayor, who chases the police . . . The ending, in which the crisp latkes jump into an applesauce river, is certainly contrived, but the singing latkes' defiant rhyme will have kids joining in. Yalowitz's energetic illustrations, with simple shapes and dancing rhythm, capture the slapstick of the chase story. And, of course, there's a recipe on the last page.

The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes all

Customer Reviewsto

Our children love this book, especially our 5 year old: its one of his favorite holiday books. It's a sweet story that will keep younger children interested; as much as its about Hanukkah, its mainly about giving. Highly recommended for non-Jewish families who want to expose their children to Hanukkah as well; its about coming together at a holiday and doesn't focus on the weightier aspects of religion.

Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah

Editorial Review

Although it's the first night of Hanukkah, Rachel's parents tell her there won't be any latkes until the relatives come to visit next week. Undeterred, the child goes over to the exceedingly tidy house of her neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg (whom readers might remember from The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes [Albert Whitman, 1997]), where she convinces the woman to make latkes with her. Rachel proceeds to spill the grated potatoes, drop the egg, and more, resulting in a terrible mess. Her parents arrive home in time to help clean up, and they all celebrate the first night of Hanukkah together. The energetic, cheerful illustrations and the simple and satisfying story make this a good book for holiday sharing.

Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat

From Publishers Weekly
Like most of this season's Hanukkah offerings, Howland's (ABCDrive!) uses the holiday as flavoring rather than the principal ingredient. Her agreeable outing combines a classic fairy tale plot with a shtetl setting and a touch of the Sorcerer's Apprentice. A girl does a kind deed for an old woman, who gives her a magic pan that will fry up latkes. Her brothers overhear the secret words that will start the pan cooking, but not those that will stop it (the words are "A great miracle happened there," to which dreidels also refer). Howland serves up friendly, folk-ish art, containing the excesses of the plot with down-to-earth depictions of people and village. Ages 5-8.

Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah

Editorial Review

Written from a child's perspective, and illustrated with friendly pictures by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, Michael J. Rosen's story of one family's festivities shows young readers that acceptance and love are tremendously important elements of Hanukkah. While celebrating the seventh night with close Christian friends, the child narrator says "Did I tell you that our Hanukkah is also about people of different religions living alongside one another?" Warm, cozy, and instructive in the gentlest way, this book is a treasure to be shared.

How I Saved Hanukkah

Editorial Review

Hanukkah is fast approaching, but to fourth-grader Marla Feinstein, it doesn't seem like a very big deal. While all of her neighbors are festooning their houses with Christmas lights and decorations, Marla has to make do with a plain menorah, a plastic dreidel that won't spin, a mom who doesn't even wrap her Hanukkah presents, and a dad who is out of town on a business trip. With her friend Lucy, Maria embarks on a mission to make Hanukkah fun, and soon has her mother making latkes, her little brother winning at dreidel, and the whole neighborhood dancing the hora. The fun and breezy tone and affectionately drawn characters will appeal to readers who will find themselves learning a bit about the meaning of Hanukkah in the bargain.

Light The Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah And Christmas

From Booklist
Interfaith families and families that aren't religious crave materials that validate the observance of holidays from the traditions of different faiths. In one of a very few such picture books, Moorman focuses on a household's joyous celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas, two festivals that frequently occur close together on the wintertime calendar. The book's title reflects a motif common to both: candles in a menorah glow brightly in Emma's house during the eight days of the Jewish holiday; later, lights shimmer beautifully from her family's Christmas tree. The family's celebrations are purely secular, and Emma's response to everything--be it getting presents or playing dreidel--is sheer delight, which Moorman captures nicely in her bright, unpretentious paintings. The story, however, is very slight, and there's no sense of the origins of the holidays, which are very different. Had Moorman supplied some background--perhaps in an afterword--her book would have been richer.

Blintzes for Blitzen

From Publishers Weekly
When one of Santa's reindeer gets a whiff of the aroma from Bernie's blintz shop, he takes a break from delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. Bernie and his family teach Blitzen about Hanukkah, chiefly through the consumption of blintzes; Blitzen, assuming an ambassadorial role, remarks, "That sounds a lot like our Christmas celebration, except we remember a different kind of miracle." The two-color art is inept and the storytelling often brittle, with the magic and awe left out of the holidays?it's as if a good nosh is the essence of Hanukkah and Santa represents the true spirit of Christmas. Ages 3-up.

My Two Grandmothers

Editorial Review

Lily has two grandmothers, Bubbe Silver and Grammy Lane. They both pass on their family traditions to Lily, so she gets to enjoy golfing, gefilte fish, and Hanukkah with Bubbe and snowshoeing, red flannel hash, and Christmas with Grammy. Then Lily invites both women to her house for the "first traditional grandmothers' party." Children are sure to enjoy this warm, gentle story. Its humorous tone is perfectly matched by the watercolor and Prismacolor-pencil illustrations that show Bubbe's big red glasses and Grammy's no-nonsense plaid coat.

The Magic Menorah : A Modern Chanukah Tale

From Publishers Weekly
Zalben (Pearl's Eight Days of Chanukah) serves up a middling holiday story, packaged in chapter-book format with atmospheric line drawings. Stanley rubs a long-neglected menorah to a nice shine and releases Fishel the genie, who grants Stanley three wishes. What ensues teaches Stanley the unsurprising lesson that he already has everything he needs for happiness. To borrow from Fishel's sitcom Yiddish ("So? Nu already? What's it going to be?"), the major ingredient here is schmaltz. Ages 7-10.

Snowmen at Christmas

Book Description
Snowmen at Night shared with us the magical, slip-sliding adventures of snowmen after dark . . . but have you ever wondered what snowmen do for Christmas? Well, now’s your chance to find out! The snowmen are back, and this time they’re celebrating Christmas—the snowman way!

The Polar Express

Amazon.com Review

One couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. And one couldn't ask for a more talented artist and writer to tell the story than Chris Van Allsburg. Allsburg, a sculptor who entered the genre nonchalantly when he created a children's book as a diversion from his sculpting, won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for this book, one of several award winners he's produced. The Polar Express rings with vitality and wonder.

The Polar Express Gift Set

Amazon.com Audiobook Review
The Polar Express book and CD gift set is a charming collage of enchanting sounds, lyrical words, and climatic storytelling. Read by Academy Award-winning actor William Hurt, author Chris Van Allsburg's children's classic--a winner of the Caldecott Medal--is accompanied by a handsome melody and the sweet sounds of sleigh bells, train whistles, and spirited cheers from hundreds of Santa's elves. The composition stirs the listener's imagination, bringing to life the magic of Christmas. Coupled with a hardcover book (and a special gift from Santa's sleigh), listeners can read along and gaze at luminescent drawings page after page. The Polar Express touches the imagination of those "who truly believe." (Running time: 11 minutes, one cassette)

Can You See What I See? The Night Before Christmas (Can You See What I See?)

Book Description
The first photograph, "The Night Before Christmas," features a gingerbread house, Christmas cookies, candles, bulbs, and more. "Visions of Sugarplums" is an abstract composition of Christmas confections; and "Such a Clatter!" is a dynamic explosion of objects. In "It Must Be Saint Nick," Santa is shown in shadow; and in "A Bundle of Toys," the presents in Santa's sack are revealed as a magnificent jumble. The final photograph, "Happy Christmas to All" is a beautiful, pastoral landscape, lustrous under new-fallen snow. The original poem is printed on the endpapers. Can You See What I see.

Dream Snow

Customer Review

In a world filled with commercial holiday books based on popular kids' movies or cartoon characters, it's nice to have a simple story about kindness, hope and the magic of the season. I bought this book for my older son when he was 4. Now both my sons, 6 and 2 love to read it year-round.

12 Dogs of Christmas

Book Description
This delightful take on the traditional song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is the funniest, furriest, freshest way to laugh through the holidays. Each day in the song reflects a different breed of dog, with original photography of snoring sheepdogs, chomping chihuahuas, and even dancing dalamatians.

Corduroy's Christmas (Lift-the-Flap)

From Publishers Weekly
A host of board books helps usher in the holiday fun. Shaped like a pumpkin, Corduroy's Trick-or-Treat, illus. by Lisa McCue, features the titular teddy (based on Don Freeman's series hero) as he enjoys a holiday bash. McCue's Corduroy's Merry Christmas has the cast trimming a tree, singing carols, etc.

I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles

Customer Review

This book is most remarkable for wonderful photographs filled with Christmas treasures. Traditions fill the pages in the form of antique bears, ornaments, craft & decorating mess, and cookies. The vibrant colors on some pages are contrasted with muted tones on others. And the fun of each page is to find the rhyming objects, play your own I Spy game or just rev up the Xmas spirit!

Welcome Comfort

From Publishers Weekly
Like Where Does Joe Go? (reviewed above), this warm blend of fantasy and reality delivers a satisfying surprise ending. Ostracized at school, an overweight foster child named Welcome Comfort is befriended by the equally rotund school custodian, who heads out of town with his wife every Christmas Eve ("It's just something we always do"). Plucked from his bed for a sleigh ride with Santa, Welcome wonders for years if the trip was just a dream, and finds the answer only after Mr. Hamp retires and chooses him as his successor. Polacco's artwork is even more vibrant than usual, and her Santa scenes are sure-fire crowd-pleasers. Ages 4-8.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Customer Review

I loved this book so much I bought it for my nephew also. This is a wonderful book to read during the holidays, because it puts the entire season in perspective. It shows children at their best and worst and also being reflective. I think my children will learn how to be thankful for our own family and to be more understanding of others' families. We simply do not know what their lives are like!

The Christmas Shoes

Customer Review

I fell in love with the song that goes with this book but I decided to purchase the book and give it as a gift. When I received it, I had to read it. When I was done....it was MINE! It touches the heart and makes you believe there are truly Christmas miracles! I recommend this book to all who still believe in miracles at Christmas!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Book Description
The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, hates Who-ville's holiday celebrations, and plans to steal all the presents to prevent Christmas from coming. To his amazement, Christmas comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday.

The Night Before Christmas Pop-up

From Publishers Weekly
Those wishing to give the holiday some gleeful pop need look no further than Sabuda's (The 12 Days of Christmas; The Christmas Alphabet) latest marvel of intricate paper engineering. In a slight twist, a tiny mouse family, tucked in and dreaming of shimmering sweets, wakens to sleigh-and-reindeer clatter. In Sabuda's signature style, a rainbow of solid-colored panels comprises the backgrounds, giving contrast to the white (save for St. Nick's suit) three-dimensional constructions. The pop-up of Santa's reindeer dramatically leaping toward readers is a stunner. All ages.

The Twelve Days of Christmas : A Pop-Up Celebration

From Publishers Weekly

Those wishing to give the holiday some gleeful pop need look no further than Sabuda's (The 12 Days of Christmas; The Christmas Alphabet) latest marvel of intricate paper engineering. In a slight twist, a tiny mouse family, tucked in and dreaming of shimmering sweets, wakens to sleigh-and-reindeer clatter. In Sabuda's signature style, a rainbow of solid-colored panels comprises the backgrounds, giving contrast to the white (save for St. Nick's suit) three-dimensional constructions. The pop-up of Santa's reindeer dramatically leaping toward readers is a stunner. All ages.

Bear Stays Up for Christmas

Editorial Review

PreSchool-Grade 2–It's the day before Christmas, and Bear's friends have gathered in his lair to wake him up to celebrate the holiday. They get a tree, pop corn and bake fruitcake, and hang stockings and hum songs. The others doze off, but Bear keeps busy wrapping presents, baking cookies, and decorating, unaware that a certain plump, red-suited gentleman is watching from outside the cave. The rhyming text sings, shouts, whispers, and crows, and the appealing acrylic illustrations are dear. This is an exuberant tale of friendship and perseverance, and holiday storytimes will be the brighter for it.

Celebrations Around the World

Josefina's Surprise: A Christmas Story (American Girls Collection)

Customer Review

Josefina Montoya is a nine-year-old girl growing up on her family's rancho near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824. Mama died last year, and since then, life for Josefina, her father, and her older sisters, Ana, Clara, and Francisca. Even though things have been better since Mama's sister, Tia Dolores, came to help out, the Montoyas still grieve. Josefina feels that celebrating the Christmas traditions will make her miss Mama more - but they bring her peace and happiness. And one special night gives Josefina courage and hope for the future, and brings Josefina an unexpected gift. This book was very good and I learned a lot about the traditions of Mexican families living on the Southwest frontier in the 1820s.

The Night of Las Posadas

From Publishers Weekly
Hispanic holiday customs take center stage in this exquisitely wrought story. Lupe and Roberto are to play Mary and Joseph in the Christmas pageant in their village outside Santa Fe, but their truck gives out in a snowstorm. A mysterious couple steps in at the last minute to take their places. DePaola's talent for crafting folktales is honed to near-perfection, and his pages glow with the soft sun-washed hues of the Southwest. Ages 4-8.

The Farolitos of Christmas

From Booklist

Richly colored full-page paintings show a lovingly individualized Chicano family that is part of a New Mexico community in the open landscape under the starlit winter sky. Anaya's upbeat story, first published in a magazine in 1987, focuses on Luz, a young girl whose father, wounded in World War II, hasn't come home yet. Her sick grandfather is not strong enough to cut the logs for the traditional luminarias (small bonfires), so Luz and her Indian friend Reina from a nearby pueblo find a way to make farolitos (lighted candles in paper bags weighted with sand) to light the way for the Christmas pilgrims. The Spanish words are a natural part of the narrative (they're explained in a glossary at the back), and if the plot's contrived (Dad returns home just in time), the image of the path of light is touching and beautiful.

Farolitos for Abuelo

Editorial Review

Grade 1-4-Readers again meet Luz and her grandfather, introduced in The Farolitos of Christmas (Hyperion, 1995), shortly before he passes away. Through the seasons, Luz mourns the loss of Abuelo and keeps his memory alive by working in their garden in the summer and harvesting it in the fall. When Christmas comes, the girl places farolitos around his grave, and when the other townspeople see the warm, festive sight, they follow suit and a tradition is born. The figures in the oil paintings are again modeled after Gonzales's friends and family and the lanterns give the illustrations a luminous glow. The vibrant colors further enliven the narrative. Spanish words are incorporated throughout. A touching story that works best for sharing one-on-one.

Carlos, Light the Farolito

Customer Review

I have been teaching Spanish to preschoolers for the last year. When I read this book, not only did I enjoy the story, I loved the way it was written. Ms. Ciavonne uses Spanish terms throughout the book. She allows the children to figure out what they mean from the context of the story. It also teaches about a tradition from a culture my students were not familiar with. Education through story is great for children. It is a creative, educational, enjoyable book. I would highly recommend it for older preschool children and elementary school children and adults.

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Customer Review

I used this book as a unit last Christmas on traditions and folklore around the world. Everyone loved it, parents and children alike. Many asked where they could purchase the book to make it permanent part of their Christmas library.

Lights of Winter:Winter Celebrations Around the World

Book Description
Children's picture book about winter celebrations around the world: Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Teng Chieh, Diwali, Soyal, Las Posadas, Zagmuk, Saturnalia. For ages 3-9. Thirteen color illustrations.

Celebrations Of Light : A Year of Holidays Around the World

Editorial Review

Luenn examines 12 celebrations around the world and throughout a year that emphasize light. She includes well-known observances, such as New Year's Day (in Brazil and China), Hanukkah (Israel), Christmas (the U.S. and Mexico), and Kwanza (U.S.), as well as lesser-known festivities such as Lichtmesday or Candlemas (Luxembourg), Buddha's Birthday (Korea), Lanterns (Sierra Leone), and Luciadagen (Sweden). Each observance is presented on a double-page spread, with Mark Bender's stylized airbrush paintings on the left and a brief description of the festival customs on the right. Although there's not enough information here for report writers and some of the illustrations may be confusing to young readers (Saint Lucia, wearing a candle-lit crown, appears to be sleeping amid cups of hot coffee and pastries), this will be useful for introducing the concept that winter holidays (10 of the 12) encompass more than Christmas.

Teaching About Winter Holidays With Favorite Picture Books

Customer Review

This book is a must-have for teachers and home-schoolers of 1st through 3rd Graders. Popular fiction and non-fiction books, including Runaway Deridel, Santa Who?, and Seven Candles for Kwanzaa are used as springboards for exploring a range of winter celebrations. Book summaries, recipes, and a wide range of cross-curricular activities are only a part of this super resource for teachers and home-schoolers alike. Check it out!

Celebrate with Blue! : A Book of Winter Holidays (Blue's Clues)

Book Description

This the season for holidays -- and Blue's friends are celebrating in their own special ways! Young readers can join Blue and Joe as they discover and share in the traditions of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa. The festive foil decorations and 45 flaps to lift will make learning about the different winter holidays even more enjoyable!

The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays & Everydays

Customer Review

This is the perfect book for a new family or the perfect and a very unique gift for baby showers and weddings. Traditions are so important in molding our family identities. The author knows that its more than just the 10 big holidays - Meg Cox encourages all of us to celebrate Everyday by adding traditions and rituals to our lives!

Write and Illustrate Your Own Book

IlluStory Book Kit

Manufacturer Description

Photostory Junior Book Kit

Manufacturer Description

PhotoStory like Illustory, allows you to write and illustrate your own book that we typeset and bind for you. PhotoStory, however, allows you to also have photographs appear in your book! This kit includes all the materials you need for making your book, including markers, tape for adhering photos, and a postpaid envelope for returning your materials to us. The standard book includes 15 pages, but you have options for making almost any type of book up to 50 pages (two sided) in length. We can type more words than the 300 included, or you can type or hand write them yourself. To create your own keepsake book follow these 3 easy steps: 1.Layout your pages using your favorite photos... 2. Write your photo captions or story... and 3. Mail them to the manufacturer in the pre-paid envelope and receive back an archival-quality published book professionally typecast, reproduced and hardbound! Photo Story Jr. now offers an Internet production option that includes online drawing tools that include backgrounds and stickers, photo downloading capability, allows for more words per page, a choice of font styles and colors and faster production times at no extra cost.

My Story Book

Customer Review

This is great for the imagination of young children. They can write the story and then sit down and read it to you. It stimulates their brains, gets them away from the TV too. I bought several for my grandchildren for Christmas-ages 5-6-7 and they loved it. The 5 year old loves play acting so she wrote her first book the night I gave it to her-it was a really neat story too! She is on her 3rd "My Story Book" now. My Grandson is writing his "life story"-he's 6. Can't wait to hear what he thinks about life. Some day what treasures those stories will be. I highly recommend this-I have re-ordered again today.