Skip to main content

Five New Christmas Picture Books of 2016

Tis the season to snuggle up in a warm house with hot apple cider or hot chocolate while reading books. And here are five new Christmas books to read to little ones to get them excited for one of the biggest holidays of the year.


The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

This is a fun new addition for the holidays. In this story a woman named Hannah finds a boot in the snow. She works hard out in the weather and her feet are cold…so she puts the boot on. It turns out that this boot has magic. Hannah discovers that when she wishes for things those wishes come true. Of course a man with a red suit and a white beard (and who tends to be associated with descriptions like “jolly”) comes looking for his lost boot. Such a fun story that can get kids thinking about what would happen if they had found some of Santa’s magic themselves.




A Night of Great Joy by Mary Engelbreit

With the classic style of Mary Engelbreit this book tells the story of the nativity—as told by children acting it out at a school production. Youngsters who often hear the nativity or are part of a nativity drama themselves will enjoy seeing kids with fake beards and stuffed animals and dolls to tell this tale. And with rich layers of details on the clothing and background, children will be entranced by the illustrations as well as the story they depict.




Stowaway in a Sleigh by C. Roger Mader

This is one of my favorite new holiday books this year. Basically on Christmas Eve a cat named Slipper hears something moving around the house. Slipper names the newcomer Mr. Furry Boots (for the white fur on top of the black boots). While watching Mr. Furry Boots Slipper’s curiosity got the better of her and she crept into a big red sack that was on the floor. Of course little ones will know just what will happen as Mr. Furry Boots heads back up the chimney. The question is, what will Slipper think about her journey.




Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Anna Dewdney

The text of this book was originally copyright in 1952. The illustrations, however, are all new (and done by the late Anna Dewdney of Llama Llama fame). The animals who live in a barn are surprised when a couple come to spend the night with them since “there was no room in the inn.” And of course, in this nativity story the animals meet a newborn babe that others (shepherds and wise men) also wish to visit. This is a sweet rendition of the nativity from the perspective of those who live in a barn.



The Lost Gift: A Christmas Story by Kallie George and Stephanie Graegin

Four animals sit on a hill watching the night sky (and Santa for this particular night he is flying by to deliver gifts). Unfortunately one of the gifts on Santa’s sleigh falls from the sky. The deer, rabbit, squirrel, and bird go to the gift and discover that it is for the new baby that lives somewhat close. The animals decide that they should help Santa by delivering the gift themselves (though it is quite the feet for these four animals to do). This book is one that will help little ones remember that the feeling you get when giving and being generous is truly what the holiday is all about.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: The Bletchley Riddle

  The Bletchley Riddle By Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Fiction. 392 pages. It's spring of 1940, Hitler has swept through most of Europe, and people believe England will be next. Half Polish-Jewish, half American Jakob has been recruited from Cambridge to Bletchley Park where they are working on deciphering the enigma machine. Jakob's sister Lizzie, meanwhile, is being forced to move from London to Cleveland to live with her grandmother after her mother disappeared in a 1939 attack in Poland. Lizzie manages to escape the keeper her grandmother sent for her to bring her to America and makes her way to Bletchley, where she's eventually given the task of delivering messages between departments. When secret messages begin appearing with Lizzie's belongings, she must decipher them to find the truth about her mother's past and location, while keeping the secrets away from the MI5 agent that seems a little t...