Winter's Gift

Author/Illustrator: Jane Monroe Donovan
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

This is a beautiful story about a Christmas miracle. When a horse gets lost in a snowstorm, an old man finds her collapsed in the woods and barely manages to lead her into the shelter of his barn. When he goes to check on her in the morning, he discovers that during the night she gave birth to a little colt with a perfect star on his forehead.

I used to recommend this to almost everyone who came into the store when I was at Barnes and Noble because it is such a sweet story. I think the underlying lesson that it is always good to help those in need and that you never know what additional good will come of it is a great lesson for kids of all ages.   

The Advent Storybook

Author: Antonie Schneider
Illustrator: Maja Dusikova
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 64
Recommended Age: 3+

Here is another great book to incorporate into your holiday traditions! It is a collection of short stories to go with the days of advent. The primary story is about a mother bear helping her cub to deal with his impatience for Christmas to come by telling him a story each day when he opens a door on his advent calendar. The stories are about another little bear journeying toward Bethlehem for the nativity. This is an endearing book with sweet illustrations and children will quickly identify with the young cub who is so excited for Christmas he just doesn't want to wait anymore.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Author: Clement Moore
Illustrator: Jon Goodell
Format: Board Book
Pages: 26
Recommended Age: 2+

Loyal fans of Clement Moore's classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas poem are in for a treat with this book!

If you are familiar with scanimation books such as Gallop and Swing, then you know exactly what to expect from this one. Scanimation, for those to whom this is a new term, is a method of making the content of given pictures appear to move. A scanimation picture has black lines evenly spaced through it, with movable paper underneath, so that as you open the book at a given page the black lines move across the screen to create the illusion that the picture is moving. Scanimation books are incredibly entertaining and popular for toddlers and kids of all ages.

Jon Goodell's work for this book is a fantastic example of scanimation. The clever incorporation of this illustrative concept into the story is exceptionally well done, with everything from dancing sugarplums to Santa's belly "That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly". The overall illustration is stunning and fits well with the classic feel of the poem.

The Gift of the Magi

Author: O. Henry
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 40
Recommended Age: 5+

This stunning tale of love and generosity is an absolute Christmas classic. It is the story of Della and Jim, who have very little wealth but want desperately to obtain the perfect Christmas presents for each other. In order to buy a beautiful chain for Jim's prized pocket watch, Della cuts and sells her luxurious long hair. When they exchange gifts, it turns out the Jim sold the watch so he could buy a lovely comb for Della's hair.

There are many versions of this touching story on the market, but I personally think this is the best one. The backdrop of early 1900s New York is beautifully portrayed in P.J. Lynch's sepia-toned watercolor illustrations, giving the book that old-timey, classic feel that can be so difficult to obtain. This particular version of the story is unabridged, and might be a little wordy for children under 5, but what a great read-aloud for Christmas Eve! This book could easily be a yearly Christmas tradition right alongside as Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Santa Paws

Illustrator: Rachel Hale
Author: Jane Gerver
Format: Board Book
Pages: 20
Recommended Age: 6mo+

This has got to be the single most outright adorable Chirstmas book I have ever seen. As the cover indicates, Rachel Hale's illustrations are all cutsie photographs of dressed up baby animals. The text is a fun, witty Christmas poem with passages like, "Puppies chase kittens, kittens chase mice. Have you been naughty, or have you been nice?" This is a great Christmas read-aloud for kids of just about any age.

Light the Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas

Author/Illustrator: Margaret Moorman
Format: Paperback Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 3+

This is probably one of the best books out there for interfaith families celebrating the holidays. When I was at Barnes and Noble, I had a number of families come to me during the holidays looking for books about families celebrating both holidays. They a few and far between, but so important for interfaith families struggling to balance the two holidays. Using the common ground of the lights utilized by both holidays, it tells the story of a young girl named Emma who celebrates the holidays by lighting the menorah wit her father and decorating the Christmas tree with her mother. She gets to experience the fun of playing dreidel at Hanukkah and the joy of opening presents on Christmas morning. You really get the sense that, while the history and stories of each holiday is very different, the spirit is the same and the two holidays are very capable of living in harmony in the same household.

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story

Author: Fran Manushkin
Illustrator: Robin Spowart
Format: Paperback Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 4+

This is a really great book to read with children as part of the Hanukkah celebration. It tells the story of a family overcoming hardships and creating a special Hanukkah for themselves. It is a sweet story for kids of any age(though it is wordy enough that kids under for may have attention span issues). It also includes a recipe for latkes and rules for playing dreidel.