Seasonal - Winter

It's getting toward Christmas at the Bing Cherry Hotel, and Auntie Claus is preparing for her annual business trip. Just before she is ready to leave, her favorite nephew, Christopher Kringle, begins to have doubts about the family business. To settle the matter, Auntie Claus summons Chris for tea, but like any self-respecting Kringle, Chris decides to take matters into his own hands: He plans to get on the Bad-Boys-and-Girls List on purpose! Even after his older sister, Sophie, reveals that their great-aunt, Auntie Claus, is really Santa's sister, Chris needs to see for himself, in order to believe.
In this companion to the much loved Auntie Claus, come along on a magical journey with Sophie Kringle's little brother, Chris, to a place you may have seen only in your dreams. And discover that anything is possible, when you have the key to Christmas!

A reminiscence of Christmas, from the viewpoint of a young boy, that has been a holiday favorite for decades.

In rich, humorous, magical prose, poet Dylan Thomas recalls the church-going, the tree-trimming, the food, the carols and games of his childhood Christmases. And, of course, Mrs. Prothero and the firemen. It is one of Thomas' most popular works.

Always on Christmas night there was music, he writes. An uncle played the fiddle, a cousin sang "Cherry Ripe," and another uncle sang "Drake's Drum." It was very warm in the little house. Auntie Hannah, who had got on to the parsnip wine, sang a song about Bleeding Hearts and Death, and then another in which she said her heart was like a Bird's Nest; and then everybody laughed again; and then I went to bed. Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night.

For this edition, Edward Ardizzone created the perfect accompaniment in 30 delightful watercolors and drawings. This is a timeless classic--a wonderful evocation of a gentle and seemingly endless Christmas made charming and endearing through language. Published in a format for reading aloud to young people, this is truly a book for all ages.

Why is the Christmas color red? The answer takes us right to the heart of the matter.

From Santa's red clothes to Rudolph's shiny red nose, from the berries we pick to sweet peppermint sticks, the color of Christmas is red!

But why do so many of our favorite traditions come together in this particular hue? Debut author-illustrator Tori Higa has an insightful answer that will warm your heart and remind readers young and old of the true reason for the season.

Learn all about the traditions of Diwali with this third book in the delightful board book series Celebrate the World, which highlights special occasions and holidays across the globe.

Each autumn we gather with our friends and family and light our brightest lanterns. It's time for Diwali, the festival of lights! In this lovely board book with illustrations from Archana Sreenivasan, readers learn that the five days of Diwali are a time to pray for a bountiful season, celebrate the special bonds between siblings, and rejoice in the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.

Over the course of eighty years a spruce tree grows, along with the little boy who first selected it at a tree farm. As the tree grows from sapling to magnificent evergreen, the child matures as well, becoming a father and then grandfather. Now at the end of its life, the glorious tree is chosen to be the centerpiece of a city's holiday celebration. The tree journeys from rural countryside to big city center, where everyone, young and old, comes together to celebrate a tree for all; everybody's tree.

A classic Hanukkah tale, now available in a beautiful anniversary edition. A Caldecott Honor book.

On the first night of Hanukkah, a weary traveler named Hershel of Ostropol eagerly approaches a village, where plenty of latkes and merriment should warm him.

But when he arrives not a single candle is lit. A band of frightful goblins has taken over the synagogue, and the villagers cannot celebrate at all! Hershel vows to help them. Using his wits, the clever trickster faces down one goblin after the next, night after night. But can one man alone save Hanukkah and live to tell the tale?

An original adventure featuring a traditional Jewish folk hero, this clever story has been a family favorite for decades and was named a Caldecott Honor book when it was originally published, and received a Sydney Taylor Award Honor. Trina Schart Hyman's leering goblins are equal parts terrifying and ridiculous as they match wits with Hershel, trying to keep him from lighting the menorah and celebrating Hanukkah.

This beautiful 25th Anniversary Edition includes an insightful afterword from the author and publisher explaining the book's origins, and remembering Trina Schart Hyman, the illustrator who brought the tale to life. This classic picture book is a perfect Hanukkah gift and a wonderful read-aloud.

For more tales of this clever folk hero, read The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol-- another collaboration between master storyteller Eric A. Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman.

Caldecott Honor Book
ALA Notable Children's Book
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
A Sydney Taylor Award Honor Book
Colorado Children's Book Award
Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

Share this Kwanzaa story with your family or in the classroom. Very bright, playful, textured pictures capture the spirit of community that is the essence of the holiday. The two final pages about 'The Nguzo Saba--The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa' will take kids back to the story to find the holiday message in action.*

The story of Li'l Rabbit captures the true meaning of Kwanzaa--coming together to help others. Donna L. Washington's story, with art from Shane W. Evans (Chocolate Me!), provides a fun introduction to the holiday.

Li'l Rabbit is not having a very good Kwanzaa. Granna Rabbit is sick, and so his family won't celebrate his favorite part of Kwanzaa this year: a big feast called Karamu.

Li'l Rabbit knows what to do! He'll find Granna Rabbit a special treat for Karamu so she can celebrate anyway.

He looks under a pile of logs, in the field, and in the pond and along the way meets Groundhog, Momma Field Mouse, and the frogs--but he doesn't find anything for Granna Rabbit.

Maybe I'm just too little to help Granna Rabbit celebrate Kwanzaa, Li'l Rabbit thinks. Or maybe he just needs a little help from his family and friends.

*Booklist

Hang on to your pasta pots, Strega Nona fans! The much-loved "Grandma Witch" - first created by Tomie dePaola for his celebrated 1976 Caldecott Honor book, "Strega Nona" - is back.

Here is the wonderful new version of the classic poem every family should own. This edition of The Night Before Christmas is lavishly illustrated by renowned, New York Times #1 Bestselling artist Charles Santore, the critically-acclaimed illustrator of multiple classic tales, including The Wizard of Oz, Snow White and The Little Mermaid. This is a hardcover edition of the classic The Night Before Christmas, featuring a four-page gatefold and an embossed and foil-stamped cover.

First published anonymously in a New York Newspaper called the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823, under the title "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Clement Clark Moore has long been credited as the author of this beloved yuletide poem, but literary scholar Don Foster now believes that the true writer was in fact a poet of Dutch heritage named Henry Livingston Jr. Livingston had passed away by the time Moore claimed authorship of the poem years later. In 1844, Moore published "A Visit from St. Nicholas" in an anthology of his own poetry, but Livingston's family has always insisted that Moore is not the true author. However, even if Livingston's family had never spoken up, Moore's authorship rings a bit false. The structure of the poem is very different from anything else Moore had written, but the style and imagery do match Livingston's writing. Most compelling of all are the Dutch references in the poem, including several reindeer names, such as "Donder" (meaning "thunder") and "Blixem" (meaning "lightning"). These names were anglicized in later editions to the now-famous "Donner," and "Blitzen." As a nod to Livingston's claim on the poem, we have left the original Dutch name "Donder" in our edition.

"A classic, new and complete. One of the ten best illustrated children's books of the year."
-- New York Times Book Review

The tale of Nutcracker, written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share.

Maurice Sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Christmas production of Nutcracker and created even more magnificent pictures especially for this book. He joined with the eminent translator Ralph Manheim to produce this illustrated edition of Hoffmann's wonderful tale, destined to become a classic for all ages.

The world of Nutcracker is a world of pleasures. Maurice Sendak's art illuminates the delights of Hoffmann's story in this rich and tantalizing treasure.

Winner of the 2015 National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature

A refugee seeking sanctuary from the horrors of Kristallnacht, Oskar arrives by ship in New York City with only a photograph and an address for an aunt he has never met. It is both the seventh day of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve, 1938. As Oskar walks the length of Manhattan, from the Battery to his new home in the north of the city, he passes experiences the city's many holiday sights, and encounters it various residents. Each offers Oskar a small act of kindness, welcoming him to the city and helping him on his way to a new life in the new world. This is a heartwarming, timeless picture book.

Geisel Honor-winning author/illustrator Salina Yoon's beloved character Penguin celebrates the season in Penguin's Christmas Wish--a charming picture book that's perfect for the holidays.

Penguin can't wait to celebrate Christmas with his family and friends. But when things don't go exactly as planned, Penguin learns to find holiday magic in the most unexpected places.

Countless readers have already come to love the adorable Penguin, and Salina Yoon continues this series with a timeless story of holiday magic and the importance of family and friends.

In this sweet and humorous picture book, Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas, a multi-cultural family (Mom's Indian; Dad's Jewish) celebrate Hanukkah while incorporating traditional Indian food.

Instead of latkes, this family celebrates Hanukkah with tasty Indian dosas. To her brother's chagrin, little Sadie won't stop climbing on everything both at home and at the Indian grocery store, even while preparing the dosas. As the family puts the finishing touches on their holiday preparations, they accidentally get locked out of the house. Sadie and her climbing skills just may be exactly what is needed to save the day.

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.