The Winter Solstice

Why do the days get shorter in winter and longer in the summer time? This text heavy kids picture book explains it in both scientific and folkloric terms. Children will learn about the ways the ancient Romans, Celts, Scandinavians and other groups marked the changing of the seasons. Younger kids will need it read out loud to them, but a third or fourth grader could not only enjoy it on his/her own, but also use it as a resource for a school report on the solstice. The kids book is a "Children's Choice" selection of the International Reading Association/Children's Book Council. This children's book is for kids reading levels ages 6-10. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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 The Winter Solstice

Snowmen at Night

Does the tall and stately snowman, so carefully built one day, look a little disheveled a day later? His hat had slipped, his arms drooped down, he really looked a fright/ it made me start to wonder: What do snowmen do at night? When it really gets dark, those playful round guys slide to the park. There they enjoy ice cold cocoa before having races and acting like grinning clowns. The fun continues and the snowmen play baseball with their brooms, have a terrific snowball fight, and take wild rides downhill on sleds. When they are tuckered out, they gather their snowman paraphernalia to return home. Vivid and luminescent paintings capture the snowmen in their joyous pursuits. Readers are invited to look for hidden shapes throughout the illustrations. Join the frosty merry makers in poetic verse and learn why the grins of snowmen are a little crooked in the morning. A picture book that makes a smooth transition to a board book. This children's book is for children reading level ages 0-4. Babies, Preschoolers, and toddlers are sure to love this fun story. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Snowmen at Night

Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

It is hard to make sense of this holiday-themed book. The moniker "Auntie Claus," splashed as it is across the cover, is attention-getting. Who is this Auntie Claus? What sort of modern Christmas tale is this, one might wonder? Unfortunately, the story itself disappoints. Sophie Kringle has to decide between being the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker at Miss Crumpet's School for Young Ladies and Gentleman or going on her annual seasonal "business" trip with Auntie Claus. But Auntie Claus does not see it that way. She decides to stay in New York for Christmas because, she says, "You can have your cake and eat it too. At Christmastime that is the rule!" Soon, Auntie Claus seems to be running Christmas from the hotel. Many strange visitors arrive, including the real Sugar Plum Fairy. Initially eschewing sweets, she is coaxed by Sophie to eat some cake and other goodies. Time passes and we are told that "Red is the new black! New York is the new North Pole!" Christmas snow falls, threatening Sophie's performance at her school. The Sugar Plum Fairy has eaten so many sweets that she can no longer fit into her tutu. Sophie feels guilty, knowing that the Fairy could fit into her tutu. It seems a moot concern when the tutu is blown out of her hands and onto the tip of the hotel. Fortunately, Santa arrives and gives Sophie a lift to retrieve her costume. She gives her tutu to the Sugar Plum Fairy so that Christmas in New York is not ruined but then cannot perform in her school play. Auntie Claus proclaims she has the solution to this problem and whisks Sophie off to the North Pole, where she dances around in her coat. It seems the book's inhabitants find this to be a most agreeable conclusion, but I felt it was a muddle. It is hard to see how the solution fits the problem at all, and that is not the only problem with this book. How is it that the adult Sugar Plum Fairy's overindulgence in sweets plumps her out to the size of a very young girl? Was the fairy ridiculously skinny before? Was Sophie unhealthily overweight? What does any of this mean? It must mean that sequels are all the rage. The star of Auntie Claus and its sequel, Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas is back. Odds are good her longtime fans may pick up this title, too. But smart shoppers unfamiliar with this series will stop to read between the covers and will not be adding this book to their holiday traditions. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

Katy and the Big Snow

For over sixty years young children have identified with Katy the snowplow who was always waiting for her big chance to plow her way to fame. For winter after winter, Katy has few opportunities to show off until the year of a big blizzard. Now Katy is challenged to keep chug, chug, chugging her way to rescue the citizens of Geopolis, helping all kinds of stranded people get to the hospital, to the airport, and, of course, to get safely home. This reissue of the kids story in paperback form is fancied up a bit with sparkle on the cover and stickers at the back. Children will certainly enjoy these add ons, but in the end, they are not necessary. It is Burton's tribute to perseverance and her wonderful sketchy drawings that will make yet another generation of children eager to hear the adventures of Katy again and again. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Katy and the Big Snow

A Wish for Elves

As Christmas time approaches, a young boy who is frustrated with all he has to do around the house to get ready for the holiday's wishes he had elves to help him out. At the North Pole, Santa ventures to his workshop to find all of his elves missing. He sets about putting up "missing elf" posters and trying to get the toys ready on his own. Meanwhile, the boy is awakened by his newly acquired elves. He puts them to work cleaning his room, doing the laundry, fixing his breakfast, and doing his homework. But things don't go quite as he planned; his clothes shrink, he gets a D on his homework, and there are just too many elves underfoot. He tries to sell them but doesn't have much luck; instead, he sends some sailing away attached to helium balloons. One elf makes it back to the North Pole, and Santa takes off to retrieve the rest. The boy happily gives them all back, except for "maybe just one or two" and everything gets back to normal just in time for Christmas. The text is very sparse, relying instead on the graphic format paneled illustrations to tell the bulk of the story. Bright, cheerful, geometric computer-generated illustrations in various shades of yellows, reds and greens are just waiting to be imitated in a classroom art or writing project. This Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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A Wish for Elves

Horrid Henry's Christmas

In this edition in a best-selling kids chapter book series from the U.K., self-centered Horrid Henry wreaks extreme havoc at the Nativity play, destroys the Christmas tree, and almost ruins the holiday lunch. His irresponsible actions are made tolerable through the ridiculousness of the incidents and the appeal to the naughty side in young readers’ personalities. Ross’s mischievous black-and-white cartoon drawings are the perfect choice to carry them off. Large print and simple vocabulary make this story book for kids an easy read and a fun read-aloud. This kids Christmas book is for youngsters reading levels ages 9-12. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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Horrid Henry's Christmas

I Spy A Christmas Tree

The text on each page begins with the inviting phrase "I spy" followed by just two holiday themed items (such as presents, candy canes, cookies and reindeer) to be found hidden in the busy illustration on the facing page. Geared to both young readers and non-readers, the larger print rhyming text is also accompanied by a visual representation of the item, ensuring that children will have the freedom to enjoy the Christmas book on their own as well as with an adult reader. The final spread includes two additional searches (Christmas trees and rhyming words) that encourage re-looking at the illustrations through the entire book rather than just a single page. Wick's photographs are cheerfully bright and cluttered making some searches more difficult than others and inviting young readers to see what else they can find. This 8 x 8, simplified version of the popular large-format picture puzzle books is perfect for smaller hands and will be sure to convert newer, younger fans. This Christmas kids book is for children reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other children's books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Remember to always praise your child.

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I Spy A Christmas Tree

Santa Paws

Cute kids book with great illustrations. Good children's book for the animal loving child. This Christmas kids book is full of the cutest pictures of puppies and kittens! My daughter (who is 5) can read it all by herself. It is a pleasure for all ages! This Christmas kids book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends.

Santa Paws

Christmas Fun Mad Libs

I bought this, along with Christmas Carol Mad Libs, for my two boys, age 8 and 10. We brought them out on Thanksgiving after dinner and before dessert when everyone was too full to get up :) EVERYONE had a great time playing Mad Libs. Each boy got a turn to go around the table and ask each person in turn for the noun or verb or whatever was required, and then read back the story they created. We all loved it, and the rest of us were adults! I don't know how long we sat around playing but dessert ended up being served later than planned - no one wanted to stop. I will be purchasing more for this year's Thanksgiving. We're having more kids this year and each one will find a Mad Libs book at their place setting. We may not get dessert until midnight. This childrens Christmas book is for kids reading levels ages 9-12.
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Christmas Fun Mad Libs

Cop's Night Before Christmas

"T'was the Night Before Christmas" readers will relate to this story in rhyme because it follows the same pattern, with different words. Illustrations are colorful and add to the story. The cover shows a overweight policeman, looking like Santa. The story centers around a young policeman who reluctantly leaves his wife and young son to work on Christmas Eve. First, he helps a woman with a flat tire, cautions a speeding driver and rescues a kitten. Then he sees a fat old cop who says his name is Kringle. Policeman Kringle takes over the young cop's duties and tells him to go home to his family, much to his delight. Soon he sees a helicopter overhead with jolly Cop Kringle inside waving. The rhymes are good and not contrived. The author is himself a policeman. This Christmas kids book is for children reading levels ages 4-8. A great kids book and a wonderful gift.
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Cop's Night Before Christmas

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

This charming retelling of the classic TV special is dutifully captured in a Little Golden Book with its vibrant art and enchanting prose. Golden Books does not miss any of the wonderful characters in this perennial favorite, from Yukon Cornelius to Rudolph's friend Hermey to all the Misfit Toys! Put simply, this is a classic kids story book for children during the holiday season. This wonderful Christmas children's book is for kids reading levels ages 4-8. What a great gift for this time of year at an unbeatable price.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Tomie dePaola masterfully retells the Mexican legend of how the poinsettia came to be. When Lucinda's mother becomes ill and is unable to finish weaving a blanket for the town's nativity, Lucida tries to finish it herself. After she ruins the blanket beyond repair and is ashamed to enter the church empty-handed, Lucinda hides from the town's festive Christmas Eve procession. While she is hiding, a mysterious old woman comes out of the shadows and encourages her to join her family in church and offer whatever she can give to Baby Jesus. After gathering an armful of weeds, Lucinda enters the church and places them in the manger, where they transform into the bright red star of the poinsettia. On their way home after midnight mass, the villagers find the countryside filled with these beautiful red stars. This Christmas kid book is for children reading levels ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other Christmas kids books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your family and friends. Keep reading!

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Madeline's Christmas

Bemelmans' tiny heroine is the only person in the old house covered with vines who still feels well this Christmas season; everyone else has a cold. A knock at the door is not Santa Claus, but someone equally welcome, a rug merchant. Madeline buys all of his rugs to warm her housemates' feet. At last, the merchant is now cold and returns to be doctored by Madeline. It turns out he is also a magician, and turns the rugs into flying carpets to fly the girls home to their families for Christmas. This Christmas story is a little disjointed and is more concerned with the magic than Madeline. Diehard fans of the series will still clamor for it anyway. This Christmas kids book first appeared as a book insert in the 1956 Christmas edition of McCall's and was restored with the help of the Bemelmans family. This Christmas book for kids is for reading level ages 4-8. Leave us your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let us know what other Christmas books you would like to have reviewed. Share this post with your friends.

Madeline's Christmas