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Joys of the season come to life in holiday picture books
REVIEWS BY ALICE CARY Christmas is coming, and what better way to mark the holiday than to read a Christmas story to a young child. Here are a few of our favorite new Christmas books for little ones, featuring some brand-new authors along with a few familiar faces.
What could be better, right? Actually, it's bor-r-r-ring! That's what little Noelle has discovered in Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss, illustrated by David Catrow. Noelle and her family live in Christmas City, Texmas, where Christmas is celebrated 364 days a year. Every morning it's time once again to open the presents, kiss the relatives and eat a huge dinner. And little Noelle has a garage full of new bikes and a whole backyard full of ponies. Thankfully, the family looks forward to that one day of the year when it's not Christmas—Un-Christmas. On that day, the decorations finally come down and the kids get to go to school! This is a delightfully clever story with right-on text and fabulous illustrations by the always hilarious David Catrow, whose wide-eyed Noelle reminds me of Dr. Seuss' Cindy-Lou Who. Merry Un-Christmas is definitely the new holiday favorite at our house.
By Mike Reiss HarperCollins, $15.99 32 pages ISBN 0060591269
Friends in need
Clark writes a simple but sweet story that young children will enjoy. Her lovely and lively illustrations radiate the subdued simplicity of a gentler time. Clark's text and tale are just right to help calm excited little revelers and remind them of the true meaning of Christmas: sharing with friends and family.
By Emma Chichester Clark Walker, $16.95 32 pages ISBN 0802795978
Culture clash
Yoon remains determined to throw herself into the holiday of her new culture, however, and is so desperate to celebrate that she pins her red mitten to her blanket and hopes that Santa will fill it during the night. The issue is resolved beautifully, and when Yoon receives a candy cane, she thinks she has a piece of the North Pole. Helen Recorvits has fashioned an extremely well-crafted tale about an immigrant child's experience in a new country. Gabi Swiatkowska's rich artwork swirls with images of a family immersed in both American and Korean cultures. Vivid splashes of red appear throughout, grounding the holiday brightness amid a backdrop of pastels and more fleeting images that fill Yoon's thoughts and hours.
By Helen Recorvits Farrar, Straus, $16 32 pages ISBN 0374386889
In the stable
The text is simple, a sentence for each spread that tells the famous story. Wormell shows animals responding to Christ's coming, including rabbits, a Syrian brown bear and an Egyptian Mau. A fascinating appendix gives a few details about each animal and explains their presence during Biblical times.
By Christopher Wormell Running Press, $18.95 64 pages ISBN 0762426691
Christmas dreams
Raschka does the poem proud, presenting his own tale based on it. His version begins, "The little tree had a little dream. The little tree dreamed of being a Christmas tree, a beautiful Christmas tree in a city, far, far away in a place he'd never seen but only dreamed of, with his own little family in his own little house." Raschka's illustrations are always enormously popular, and they're just right in Little Tree. His almost childlike artwork is colorful, cheerful, modern and energetic, and will no doubt inspire young artists. One final word: This little board book is not just for babies and toddlers—it's also perfect for beginning readers.
By Chris Raschka Hyperion, $6.99 18 pages ISBN 1423103351
Alice Cary always loves to find books under the family Christmas tree.
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Imagine a place where it's Christmas every day.
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Two lonely souls find each other during the holidays—that's the age-old premise of Emma Chichester Clark's Melrose and Croc: A Christmas to Remember. Croc has come to the big city in search of Santa Claus, but he arrives at the department store too late to see the big man in red. Meanwhile, Melrose, a yellow dog, has just moved into town and feels so alone that he hardly wants to celebrate. These two characters run into each other—literally—while ice skating around a giant Christmas tree. They decide to spend Christmas at Melrose's new place, and all of their problems are solved.
On a more serious note, the touching Yoon and the Christmas Mitten focuses on a family that has just arrived in America from Korea. Young Yoon comes home from school full of excitement about "Mr. Santa Claus" and his presents. She is ready to join the fun, but her parents admonish her that "We are not a Christmas family. Our holiday is New Year's Day."
If you're looking for a lovely children's book to display, put Through the Animal's Eyes: The Story of the First Christmas on your coffee table. Author-illustrator Christopher Wormell has created absolutely stunning woodcuts that tell the story of Jesus' birth. Wormell's deep blue, purple and black tones contrast vividly with oranges and yellows, showing Mary and Joseph's search for warmth and shelter on a dark night.
We'll close with a sweet new board book edition of a 2001 picture book: Little Tree, by Caldecott-winning illustrator Chris Raschka. The book starts with the e.e. cummings poem that inspired Raschka's text. The poem is a poignant look at a tree from its days in a forest to its new holiday home with a family. With lines like, "you are so little/you are more like a flower," it's short and simple enough that even the youngest children can appreciate the warmth and wonder that cummings expresses.