This week’s reading list explores how people celebrate during this season. Dive into these books with your little ones and gain insight into celebrations worldwide and how we can respect those traditions.
The Little Toymaker
Min, Cat
We all know about the guy in the red suit at the North Pole. But what if the world’s toymaker was a little boy?
From the author and illustrator of Shy Willow comes the adorable little Toymaker, who makes wonderful toys… not for children, but for their grandparents and other older folk. (People often forget that they, too, like toys!) But it isn’t always easy.
One morning, an old woman brings the little Toymaker a candy tin she played with as a girl.
The little Toymaker takes the tin and TA-DA! comes back with a sparkling new toy for the old lady. But it seems that what she truly wants was lost a long time ago. And it will take all the Toymaker’s skill, magic, and empathy to bring it back for her.
Get it here!
Lonely Planet Kids; A Time To Celebrate
Baker, Kate
A follow-up to A Place Called Home, this beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book explores and celebrates different people, places, cultures and traditions from across the world. Featuring eight festivals – at least one from each of the inhabited continents – this title provides a glimpse into diverse traditions, customs and beliefs. By lifting the flaps and reading the gentle, educational text, readers can find out about New Year in China, Christmas in Germany, Carnival in Rio, the Day of the Dead in Mexico and much more.Â
Celebrations include:
- The Garma Festival, Arnhem Land region, Australia
- Chinese New Year, Beijing, China
- Rio Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilÂ
- Ramadan in Morocco, Africa
- Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Diwali, Mumbai or Jaipur, India
- Tu Bi’Shivat Festival, New York, USAÂ
- Christmas in Frankfurt, Germany
Get it here!
Happy All-idays
Jin, Cindy and Sayegh, Rob
All Season’s Greetings and Happy ALL-idays! Learn how different families celebrate the winter season with this holiday card-inspired board book that captures the meaning of Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and more!
The time has come
to send holiday cheer
to family and friends
far and near.
We all celebrate the season
in our own special way.
Let’s look at how families
prepare for each holiday!
Whether it’s putting up the Christmas tree, lighting the menorah, or getting ready for Kwanzaa, this story proves that the holiday season is a special time for everyone and a great way to learn about different winter holidays and send cheer to everyone you know!
Get it here!
The Shortest Day
Cooper, Susan and Ellis, Carson
So the shortest day came,
and the year died . . .
As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again. Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper’s poem “The Shortest Day” captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before — and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illustrated by Carson Ellis with a universality that spans the centuries, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!
Get it here!
A Coyote Solstice
King, Thomas and Clement, Gary
Trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a festive solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the party-goers through the snowy woods to a shopping mall — a place they have never seen before.
Coyote gleefully shops with abandon, only to discover that filling your shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods — somewhat subdued — though nothing can keep Coyote down for long.
Get it here!
The Lights That Dance In The Night
Zommer, Yuval
From tiny specks of dust to gleaming rays in the dark, the northern lights travel across the Arctic, uniting every creature in a celebration over land and sea.
In this wonderfully festive picture book, Yuval Zommer imagines the northern lights’ fleeting journey from space to Earth and how they weave a special magic for the animals and people living in the frozen lands below.
With its heartfelt themes of kinship, curiosity, and the wonders of nature, it’s a perfectly cozy story for families to read together.
Get it here!
Green Is For Christmas
Daywalt, Drew and Jeffers, Oliver
In this Christmas story starring the crayons from the #1 New York Times bestseller The Day The Crayons Quit, Green Crayon is certain that he is the only Christmas color in the box. Of course, Red, White, Silver and even Tan have something to say about that…
When Green Crayon claims that green is the only color for Christmas, other crayons let him know that there would be no Christmas without them either. No candy canes or Santa without Red, no snow without White, no bells or stars without Silver, and no cookies or reindeer without Tan! The crayons agree that they all need to come together to make Christmas special.
This humorous, small hardcover Christmas story is the perfect stocking stuffer and a great gift for fans of The Day The Crayons Quit–and all kids who like to color.
Get it here!
Our recommended reading is made possible by our partnership with McNally Robinson Booksellers. Visit your nearest McNally Robinson Bookstore in person or online to secure a copy of the titles listed above.
