'Tis the Season for Reading

This weekend, I heard a report on WTOP that the percentage of people starting their holiday shopping before Halloween has significantly increased from last year (this has been a slow-moving trend for the past decade, apparently).  While I haven't done any personal holiday shopping yet, I have ordered our Thanksgiving/winter holidays books. I hope you'll find some new holiday favorites this year:

Awesome Autumn



Autumn titles are perennial favorites, so it's always nice to find attractive and fun nonfiction titles centered around this season (or any season). Awesome Autumn covers the usual stuff about autumn--leaves changing and falling--but also features autumn holidays, football, and migration.

The Thankful Book


Finding good read aloud books about Thanksgiving is tricky. I usually just read books about families for the story time prior to Thanksgiving.  I don't think most children are really aware of Thanksgiving until they are in grade school and do Thanksgiving themes and activities (and, if they're like me, don't actually really like Thanksgiving until they are college students living away from home!).  While not necessarily about Thanksgiving, The Thankful Book should tie in nicely with a Thanksgiving-themed story time.

Dinosaur vs. Santa


Bob Shea's Dinosaur vs.--- books are wildly popular, so it's no surprise that hold requests are growing for this book.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?



Equally popular are Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs.... books.  In addition to the Chanukah book, she also has How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? out this season as well.

Jeremy's Dreidel


We have so many "Hanukkah is about/We do this at Hanukkah" books that unless the book offers a unique take on the holiday or receives exceptional reviews, I won't order it.  Books that incorporate Hanukkah into a genuine story are another matter, which is why Jeremy's Dreidel caught my eye.  The children at the dreidel-making workshop think Jeremy is writing a secret code on his dreidel, but he's actually making a dreidel for his blind father.  Kirkus Reviews praised its "positive perception of a life with a disability" and "nicely subtle approach to diversity."  Information about Hanukkah, the dreidel game, and Braille is also included. Very cool.

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas

Everyone's favorite cool cat (well, except for some children's literature reviewers) is back for some Christmas fun.  This debuted at #1 on last week's New York Times bestseller list, and we already have multiple hold requests. 

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse


I'm a fan of Helen Ward's adaptations of fables, so I'm impatient to sneak a peek at this title before it goes on our shelves.  This is the classic Aesop fable set during a 1930s Christmas.