A charming Christmas story in the mode of the Griffin and Sabine books. You read the text within the text to put together the story of a long-lost Chr...moreA charming Christmas story in the mode of the Griffin and Sabine books. You read the text within the text to put together the story of a long-lost Christmas present.(less)
Hilarious new Christmas book about a very naughty, very rich little boy who spends an entire year creating a trap for Santa Claus, which includes trai...moreHilarious new Christmas book about a very naughty, very rich little boy who spends an entire year creating a trap for Santa Claus, which includes training tigers and eventually forces his parents to move out.(less)
A charming favorite of Marion Chesney's Regency romances. Two sheltered young girls with Puritan parents find themselves the guests of a warm, Christm...moreA charming favorite of Marion Chesney's Regency romances. Two sheltered young girls with Puritan parents find themselves the guests of a warm, Christmas-loving family as well as courted by two handsome lords. The book is a bit heavy with info dumps about the origins of Christmas traditions in England, but the book is a delight all the same. I reread this every Christmas.(less)
A fun book, but almost like a picture book that had been padded with descriptions instead of pictures. I did enjoy it, though, and the kids and I are...moreA fun book, but almost like a picture book that had been padded with descriptions instead of pictures. I did enjoy it, though, and the kids and I are excited to read the other books in the series.(less)
Dewdney perfectly captures a child's overstimulation at waiting for Christmas. Llama Llama falls into a swoon (which makes me and the kids laugh so ha...moreDewdney perfectly captures a child's overstimulation at waiting for Christmas. Llama Llama falls into a swoon (which makes me and the kids laugh so hard) because he can't stand waiting any longer amid the confusion of presents, games, bells, music, and sugar. Fabulous Christmas book about stopping to take a moment!(less)
A follow up to the charming Snowmen At Night, in which the secret Christmas celebrations of the neighborhood snowmen are revealed! Look for hidden ima...moreA follow up to the charming Snowmen At Night, in which the secret Christmas celebrations of the neighborhood snowmen are revealed! Look for hidden images in each picture, and watch kids' eyes pop at the glowing color palette!(less)
This beautifully illustrated Christmas story is one of my favorites! An exciting adventure to the North Pole to help out Santa turns into a poignant (...moreThis beautifully illustrated Christmas story is one of my favorites! An exciting adventure to the North Pole to help out Santa turns into a poignant (but not saccharine) message about the importance of family. The pictures have a sort of 1940's "Vision of the Future!" feel, if that makes sense, and the final pages feature two letters that you open and read to discover the secret behind why Santa called!(less)
A beautiful edition of this classic story. I remember finding it depressing when I was in high school, but now as an adult, I can see the grace and wo...moreA beautiful edition of this classic story. I remember finding it depressing when I was in high school, but now as an adult, I can see the grace and wonder of it. Also, I am the hugest fan of P. J. Lynch, and I love how the illustrations enhance the prose.(less)
This beautiful book about Santa Claus getting ready to make his big journey is just a delight for all ages. The lovely water color illustrations, mixe...moreThis beautiful book about Santa Claus getting ready to make his big journey is just a delight for all ages. The lovely water color illustrations, mixed withe gentle humor of the words, are the perfect match. I love Santa's blue coat, and the doglike reindeer that follows him around. I love the little details about combing his beard and trimming his mustache, waiting for the magic to arrive. So beautiful!(less)
Allow me to describe this book as one would a fine wine: Dry yet fruity, with not-too-subtle sarcastic notes.
What I had hoped would be a straightforwa...moreAllow me to describe this book as one would a fine wine: Dry yet fruity, with not-too-subtle sarcastic notes.
What I had hoped would be a straightforward history of Santa Claus, his origins as a Turkish bishop and Christian saint, leading up to the current world-wide icon, is instead a chance for Jeremy Seal to show off. The man doesn't so much write about Saint Nicholas as tap dance around and over him. Each paragraph is a dizzying spiral that requires careful reading to discern any point. And often there isn't one, except that Seal traveled a really long way and saw some stuff. What stuff? Well, a lot of dust. A lot of dim images. He met some old people. Very few facts about Saint Nicholas are presented here, and the final chapters about the sudden transformation from "saint to Santa" are so rushed that I had to go back over them to pull out the few points of interest.
Oddly enough, Seal is more cynical about the saint than the Christmas icon, making cracks about how Nicholas cleverly "made his move" from Orthodox to traditional Christianity, or adapted to this or that culture, as though the man widely worshipped as a pious and charitable figure was angling from the day of his birth for sainthood. Not that Seal is clear about that birth, or anything else. He doesn't make much effort to find any hard facts about the man. He appears to have wandered around the Middle East talking to random people on the street and hotel maids about what they knew, and writing it down in no particular order.
He doesn't make it clear why he's doing this (there is a framing story about his own daughters discovering Santa Claus that is supposedly the reason for his quest, yet he'd already bought a plane ticket to Turkey BEFORE his oldest had a disappointing experience with a "phony Santa"), or what he really hoped to find. He comes to no conclusion, he just ends his narrative. I never thought I would say this, but I was hoping for something more . . . textbookish. A timeline. Maybe some maps. And certainly more pictures. What images there are are few, and so badly reproduced that they could be paintings of the author's grandmother for all I can tell. I would have liked some opinions, even, on why the popularity of the saint through the years, and the myths and legends of the modern Santa. Basically, I was looking for something, but instead found 200+ pages of nothing, wrapped in such convoluted prose that the most elaborate Christmas bow would be easier to unwind.(less)
Wow. I almost passed over this book when the ARC was offered to me at ALA. The cover didn't grab me, and the PR person's description (a boy trying to...moreWow. I almost passed over this book when the ARC was offered to me at ALA. The cover didn't grab me, and the PR person's description (a boy trying to reconnect with his childhood friend) didn't exactly make me say, Wow!
Boy. Was I wrong.
This book could actually be called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Told not only through Emond's taut prose, but also through illustrations and comic strips, the book takes place over the course of a cold, snowy Christmas break as budding artist Evan discovers that his childhood friend Lucy has drastically changed and is clearly troubled . . . but will not talk to him about it. They have only two weeks a year to be together, since Lucy's parents divorced when they were in middle school, and now Evan feels the pressure to make those two weeks count: he has to fix Lucy, fix their relationship, finish his history report, and decide what he wants to do with his life as the pile of college applications in his room continue to haunt him.
A wonderful, wonderful book that will (appropriately) be out in December.(less)
The only bad thing about this book is that I can't read it aloud to my kids. Two pages in and I'm bawling my eyes out, anticipating the ending. There...moreThe only bad thing about this book is that I can't read it aloud to my kids. Two pages in and I'm bawling my eyes out, anticipating the ending. There is no more perfect compliment to this tale than Polacco's signature artwork.(less)
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this book before! We love this book! It's such a fun addition to the Christmas library, with amazingly accurate din...moreI can't believe I haven't reviewed this book before! We love this book! It's such a fun addition to the Christmas library, with amazingly accurate dinosaurs frolicking in a museum on Christmas eve! Our son, three at the time we got the book, five now, loves it even though dinosaurs aren't normally his "thing." But what's truly awesome is that my two nieces (ages 5 and 3), love this book and play the CD of Dino-Carols over and over again!(less)
Bringing together two of my great picture book loves: Christmas and Nathan Hale! This is a hilarious twist on the Twelve Days of Christmas, starring a...moreBringing together two of my great picture book loves: Christmas and Nathan Hale! This is a hilarious twist on the Twelve Days of Christmas, starring a cast of truly inventive robots and brought to you by Robo-Santa! The pictures are intricate and jewel bright, the text hits all the right notes (literally, you could sing this!), and it's great for kids and adults. My husband and I have pored over our copy, and so has our five-year-old son. Guaranteed to be a Christmas classic!(less)
Huh. So. This is the story of . . . a kid named Kringle . . . who lived in England in the time when the Romans were leaving. Also, this boy's parents...moreHuh. So. This is the story of . . . a kid named Kringle . . . who lived in England in the time when the Romans were leaving. Also, this boy's parents have been killed by goblins. And his guardian, Merwen, and all the children in England with the exception of Kringle have been kidnapped by goblins. Also, Kringle meets a Christian priest having doubts. And some vikings. And there are elves who repair shoes in the night. And Kringle wants to rescue Merwen, and the children, and help the elves find a better life, or something. . .
Yes, this book was totally baffling! There were fifty thousand subplots! It has nothing to do with Christmas until the last twenty pages! The reindeer are possessed by the spirits of the dead! I figured since this book was a) called Kringle and b) written by the author of the Secrets of Droon books, it would be a cute Christmas book to read aloud to the kids during December.
Well, aside from the last twenty pages, this was a sort of Christian fantasy novel for kids of probably ten and up, leaving my five-year-old totally mystified by most of it, and scared during others. I actually wanted to stop reading it to him, but he wanted to know what happened (to make sure Kringle didn't die). I would have enjoyed it much more if I'd just read it myself, rather than parceling it out a chapter at a time and having to skip some of the wordier passages and gloss over the scarier bits.(less)
So darling! Not a murder, but just a cute, cute Christmas story with our favorite Highland detective. Of course, there is a mystery here: who has stol...moreSo darling! Not a murder, but just a cute, cute Christmas story with our favorite Highland detective. Of course, there is a mystery here: who has stolen the Cnothan city Christmas lights? And there's the matter of a missing cat, a bitter old biddy, and a flirtatious new schoolteacher.
Reread, 2012: Love it when Hamish loses his temper with the Andersons! So great!(less)
The essays used as the basis for A CHRISTMAS STORY, as howlingly funny as anything in the film. A great little Christmas read, for fans of the film or...moreThe essays used as the basis for A CHRISTMAS STORY, as howlingly funny as anything in the film. A great little Christmas read, for fans of the film or simply for fans of great comic writing.(less)
Tom Plummer loves Christmas, and he loves playing Santa Claus. This fun little book is chock full of his observations on both. He's had people both na...moreTom Plummer loves Christmas, and he loves playing Santa Claus. This fun little book is chock full of his observations on both. He's had people both naughty and nice sit on his knee, and the season has brought out the naughtiness and niceness in himself as well. In between the essays are letters to Santa from various people of all ages. A sweet and jolly Christmas read!(less)
Three of today's top YA authors have written intertwining novellas set on Christmas in a small town in North Carolina. A Waffle House figures big, and...moreThree of today's top YA authors have written intertwining novellas set on Christmas in a small town in North Carolina. A Waffle House figures big, and so does Starbucks, a train, a blizzard, and a teacup pig. I can't say any more without ruining things, but this book is a Christmas gift in itself: funny and well-written, not to mention romantic, all three are equally strong!
Reread, Christmas 2012: Love this book every time! I think The Jubilee Express might be my favorite, by a narrow margin.(less)
Possibly the best Christmas book EVER. Not only the greatest story since the original (you know, the one in the New Testament), but combined with P.J....morePossibly the best Christmas book EVER. Not only the greatest story since the original (you know, the one in the New Testament), but combined with P.J. Lynch's magnificent illustrations, this book is a gift you can open year after year!
Reread 2012: I had a sudden revelation this morning as I finished this book. It's not just the greatest Christmas book ever, but I have realized that it is probably in my Top Ten of All Time. Such a beautiful work! If anything can be a favorite part, it's the Fezziwig Christmas party, and the description of the dancing.(less)
Have now read this aloud to my kids two years in a row. One year I hope to be able to make it through the end without sobbing.
2012 reread: It's just n...moreHave now read this aloud to my kids two years in a row. One year I hope to be able to make it through the end without sobbing.
2012 reread: It's just not Christmas until you've cried over this book!(less)
A light holiday read, this book actually makes me tear up at the end. (Ignore the horrifying movie, Christmas with the Kranks, which was loosely based...moreA light holiday read, this book actually makes me tear up at the end. (Ignore the horrifying movie, Christmas with the Kranks, which was loosely based on it.) This is the story of a rather unlikeable guy who, with his only daughter away for Christmas, convinces his wife that they will actually save money and enjoy the holiday more if they "skip" Christmas and go on a cruise instead. No donations, no decorations, no gifts, just a cruise. Of course, forces conspire against him, sometimes too over-the-top, often hilarious, as he learns his lesson. The main problem with this book is that Luther is almost too unlikeable. He's fairly mean to his wife, is rude in the way he turns away people trying to get him to participate, and doesn't entirely change at the end. But the story is very engaging, and again, the ending is fun and touching.(less)
A delightful story with a real Victorian feel, this is the tale of Santa Claus' daughter, Holly. Gifted, kind, intelligent and spunky, Holly has never...moreA delightful story with a real Victorian feel, this is the tale of Santa Claus' daughter, Holly. Gifted, kind, intelligent and spunky, Holly has never been able to leave her home before, because she must be cold all the time or her heart will break (literally). But one December she sets out, and finds work in a toyshop with the help of a wolf, some street urchins, and a cloud of magical snow to keep her nicely chilled. A wondrous tale!(less)
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