This December we have had a lot of snow and we get ready for the holiday and celebration season!
This month we have prepared a variety of books for the holiday season. These books call for you to snuggle up with hot cocoa with stories with a holiday and celebration vibe!
Let’s Get Festive!
Author:
Joanna Kończak
Holiday/Celebration:
Anthology of celebrations around the world
Summary:
Travel the world in this stunningly illustrated collection of 36 celebrations. This truly international collection includes celebrations and traditions such as: Nowruz, Holi, Rosh Hashanah, Sogkran, Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid Al-Adha, Carnival, Halloween, O-Bon, Thanksgiving, the Dragon Boat Festival, Saint Patrick’s Day, and many more!
We Celebrate the Light
Author:
Jane Yolen
Holiday/Celebration:
Anthology of celebrations around the world
Summary:
Diwali, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Lunar New Year are visually depicted in turn, accompanying a stunning, read-aloud text that speaks of the traditions that link them all together. The warm yet accurate imagery is explained in simple secondary text on each spread, and further in the backmatter.
The Golden Dreidel
Author:
Ellen Kushner
Holiday/Celebration:
Hanukkah
Summary:
Sara wishes her family celebrated Christmas or at least had one of the pretty trees she sees at her friends’ houses. But at her family’s big Chanukah party, mysterious guest Tante Miriam gives Sara a one-of-a-kind gift: an enormous, golden dreidel. Miriam warns her to be careful, for when she spins it, she’s spinning miracles. Sara soon discovers there’s much more to the dreidel than meets the eye, and before long she’s spun herself into a whole new world–one of magical princesses, riddles, and demons. Can Sara discover her wisdom and rely on her courage to help a new friend and to find her way back home?
The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes
Author:
Linda Glaser
Holiday/Celebration:
Hanukkah
Summary:
It’s the last night of Hanukkah, and Aunt Tilly has just called to say that even more relatives are coming. So Mama must make even more potato latkes. But wait — there are only three little potatoes left, and it’s too late to go to the store. Oy Rachel has the solution. She will borrow some potatoes from their neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg. And then she will invite Mrs. Greenberg, who is all alone, to share Hanukkah with them.But though Mrs. Greenberg has a heart of gold, she is as stubborn as an ox. She does not want to be a bother. Even when Rachel has to go back to borrow some eggs, Mrs. Greenberg cannot be persuaded to join the celebration.So it’s up to Rachel to find a way to include her neighbor. Luckily for Mrs. Greenberg, Rachel is one smart and equally stubborn little girl.
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story
Author:
Angela Shelf Medearis
Holiday/Celebration:
Kwanzaa
Summary:
In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread. If they fail, they will be turned out as beggars. Using the Nguzo Saba, or “seven principles” of Kwanzaa, the author has created an unforgettable story that shows how family members can pull together, for their own good and the good of the entire community. Magnificent and inspiring linoleum block prints by Daniel Minter bring joy to this Kwanzaa celebration.
The Kwanzaa Story: Celebrating Culture through Community
Author:
Alliah L. Agostini
Holiday/Celebration:
Kwanzaa
Summary:
In The Kwanzaa Story, little Alliah is all grown up and, along with her husband LeVaur, teaches their children Daphne and Alistair why they celebrate Kwanzaa as a family and as a community. This storybook shares the origins of the holiday—rooted in Africa, born in Los Angeles—giving historical and cultural context on how a celebration was birthed after the Watts Rebellion and during the Civil Rights Movement.
American as Paneer Pie
Author:
Supriya Kelkar
Holiday/Celebration:
Diwali
Summary:
As the only Indian American kid in her small town, Lekha Divekar feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being Indian.
When a girl Lekha’s age moves in across the street, Lekha is excited to hear that her name is Avantika and she’s Desi, too! Finally, there will be someone else around who gets it. But as soon as Avantika speaks, Lekha realizes she has an accent. She’s new to this country, and not at all like Lekha.
To Lekha’s surprise, Avantika does not feel the same way as Lekha about having two separate lives or about the bullying at school. Avantika doesn’t take the bullying quietly. And she proudly displays her culture no matter where she is: at home or at school.
When a racist incident rocks Lekha’s community, Lekha realizes she must make a choice: continue to remain silent or find her voice before it’s too late.
Celebrate Diwali
Edited by:
Deborah Heiligman
Holiday/Celebration:
Diwali
Summary:
Beautiful, dynamic photographs and brief, lively text introduce readers to the joyous holiday of Diwali, evoking the celebrations of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world. In Deborah Heiligman’s inviting global odyssey of the Hindu holiday we learn that Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and of light over darkness. Although celebrated differently in different places, Diwali is universally viewed as a time of great joy, celebrated with fireworks, sweets, and gifts. Celebrate Diwali brings to life the holiday’s traditions, food, and celebration rituals. The informative back matter includes Diwali recipes, a glossary, a Diwali card game, a map, and a resource list of books and Web sites.
The Shortest Day
Author:
Susan Cooper
Holiday/Celebration:
Winter Solstice
Summary:
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.
The Winter Solstice
Author:
Ellen Jackson
Holiday/Celebration:
Winter Solstice
Summary:
The winter solstice―the shortest day of the year―marks the beginning of the coldest, darkest season. Discover the scientific reasons for this phenomenon and learn how cultures past and present have celebrated it.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
Author:
Karina Yan Glaser
Holiday/Celebration:
Christmas
Summary:
The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are.
And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.
Ming’s Christmas Wishes
Author:
Susan L. Gong
Holiday/Celebration:
Christmas/Chinese Traditions
Summary:
Ming wishes for three things at Christmas. First, to sing in the school Christmas choir. Second, to have a Christmas tree like the one in the department store window. And third, to feel she belongs somewhere.
As a daughter of immigrants in 1930s California, Ming is often treated differently than other children at school. She’s pointedly not invited to sing in the Christmas choir. At home, when Ming lobbies her parents for a Christmas tree, her mother scolds her for trying to be American. Ming doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere: she’s not quite American enough at school, not quite Chinese enough at home.
Seeing his daughter’s unhappiness, Pop takes her into the mountains to visit a wise old friend. Always happy for an adventure with her kind father, Ming hopes to persuade Pop to bring home a mountain pine to be their Christmas tree. But he has something else in mind, something that will help Ming draw strength from nature, from their Chinese heritage, and from deep and enduring family ties.
Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story
Author:
R.L. Stine
Holiday/Celebration:
Christmas
Summary:
Rick Scroogeman hates Christmas. He can’t stand the carols and the pageants. He can’t stand the lights and the mistletoe. But what he hates the most is having to watch the old movie A Christmas Carol every year at school. Since his name is Scroogeman, all of his classmates start calling him Scrooge. And he hates being called Scrooge.
But everything starts to change when three ghosts visit him. At first, he thinks it’s a dream. But then he realizes that it might be a nightmare. A nightmare that could become real.
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