Obviously, any list of my favorite things will contain books. I’m a firm believer in Santa Claus, the resilience of the human spirit, chocolate as a cure, and that teaching your children to love reading is one of the best gifts you will ever bestow upon them. We’re happy to continue our tradition of reviewing inexpensive but lovely books for the holiday season. Here are five of our favorites to make your holidays merry and bright:
Where is Baby’s Christmas Present? – Karen Katz is a new powerhouse in the arena of board books, with the durable construction useful for children under 4 years old. Her oversized, simple people with their gentle, expressive faces are displayed against colorful patterned backgrounds worthy of Matisse. This new offering for Christmas 2010 adds shiny foil to the cover and lift-the-flap items on every page, as the baby – clad in red “feetie” pajamas with white snowflakes – searches everywhere for a present. Suggested retail price: $7.99
The Little Drummer Boy – a beautiful board book for the youngest child, Ezra Jack Keats’ rendition of this story comes right from the words of the beloved hymn. Readers will recognize Keats’ award-winning illustration style, a blend of collage and gouache, from longtime favorites such as A Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, or Peter’s Chair. Keats was the first author and illustrator to bring books concerning people of color to the mainstream in American children’s literature. This fits well with his illustrations for The Little Drummer Boy, with the three kings and the drummer boy himself, of course, being people from the Middle East, the Far East, and/or Northern Africa. Suggested retail price: $6.99
Our favorite discovery in children’s books this past year is the Usborne “touchy-feely” book series, “That’s not my …”. With over twenty selections in the series, children and their families are sure to find at least one that appeals to what excites them. From tractors to frogs to teddy bears, each book goes through the litany of “that’s not my dinosaur, his tummy is too scaly” or “that’s not my pony, his mane is too fluffy” before arriving at the one the reader has been searching for all along. For more fun, each book in the series features a little mouse, who shows up on every page, following the varieties of penguins, dragons, fairies and the like, whether underwater or in the air, on the farm or at the North Pole. Searching for the mouse in every picture is another great part of the books in this series. For Christmas, we recommend That’s Not My Penguin or That’s Not My Reindeer. Suggested retail price: $8.99
Another fantastic new theme for a kids’ series is “The Night Before….” books by Natasha Wing, originally inspired by the classic Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore. These books encourage children anticipating the night before kindergarten, first grade, a visit from the tooth fairy, as well as most of the holidays of the calendar year. Each book follows the rhyme scheme and rhythm of the “Night Before Christmas” poem, taking the kids through whimsical, humorous scenes, usually with family or classroom holiday parties. Perhaps the funniest one is the one for Christmas, cleverly entitled The Night BEFORE the Night Before Christmas. Suggested retail price: ONLY $3.99!!
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we can’t forget the classic: no matter what your religious preference, every family needs a copy of The Night Before Christmas with the Clement Moore poem, accompanied by whatever illustrations make your reindeer fly. While some of these renditions can be quite fancy and expensive, our favorites in paperback include the copy illustrated by the celebrated Tasha Tudor, for $6.99; the version with the 1912 illustrations by Jessie Wilcox Smith, also for $6.99; and the edition from the sweet “Please Read to Me” series of children’s books (recognizable by the two reading bunnies in the corner of each cover), illustrated by Douglas Gorsline, for only $3.99.
Tune in next week for more of the best books that won’t break your bank, to celebrate the holidays and to give as gifts, or check out Hobo’s new youtube channel any time! Hobo would like to “paws” for a small commercial break for his children’s book, “Hobo Finds A Home,” available locally for under $10. Find the suggestions of Christmases past at Hobo’s book blog, http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com.
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