Christmas Books

Last year, I remember sighing when the new Christmas books came out, because I didn't see anything that struck me as unusually cool. This year, I'm sighing because there are sooo many cool titles...

Books Based on Seasonal Songs:

One of my new all-time favorites is The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Illustrator Jane  Ray cleverly creates a complementary modern story to the traditional song, imagined with detailed pictures of pipers piping, french hens, and turtle doves.  Don't miss this one!   Michael Hague's Treasury of Christmas Carols invites the reader in with a red velvet cover. Inside, whimsical watercolors introduce friendly critters getting ready for Christmas.  Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be by John Harris and illustrated by Adam Gustavson, tells the story of a Unitarian pastor, John Lord Pierpont, who was homesick for New England, and purportedly composed Jingle Bells to introduce snow to his southern congregation.

Books of the Traditional Christmas Story:

If you are looking for a Christmas book that younger children can enjoy, too, try Listen to the Silent Night by Dandi Daley Mackall with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.  This book tells the familiar story of Mary and Joseph, while asking readers to consider the sounds of the night:  the "flip, flap, flap" of Joseph's sandals and the "rap, tap, tap" of a knock on the door.  Another poetic look at the story is One Starry Night by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Jonathan Bean, with its repeated assurances of love from parent to child, whether animal or human.  Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones features beautiful metaphor ("the waves...roared it to the great white whales") and repeated phrases, ("It's time! It's time!"), while Alison Jay's signature crackle-look paintings of earth animals are outstanding.  Pamela Dalton creates a feel of illuminated manuscripts with The Story of Christmas.  Watercolor paintings are superimposed on black backgrounds holding the text of the Christmas story from the King James Bible.  Similarly, Jan Pienkowski harnesses the power of illuminated manuscripts with The First Christmas.  Black cut paper silhouettes complement the story.

And a few more Great Books:

While Tomie DePaola's The Night Before Christmas will always be one of my favorites, Charles Santore's new edition by Applesauce Press is a gorgeous alternative with full-page watercolor spreads and the well-known text.   Finally, Lighthouse Christmas, written by Toni Buzzeo, with pictures by Nancy Carpenter, shares an unusual story based on the Flying Santa Service of New England.   -Elaine B.