I don't think I saw one of my all-time favorites for the younger crowd:
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry.
Can't wait to see the website once the list is posted!
Leslie Sharbel
Media Center Aide (recent SLIS grad)
Vestavia Hills Elementary Central
Birmingham, AL
sharbelle@vestavia.k12.al.us
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Judy Freeman
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 9:22 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: TARGET: Great holiday books and books to give kids for the holidays
Hi Folks--
On the eve of Thanksgiving, I have a request, if you have a minute between
finishing your lesson plans and making the sweet potatoes. I'm finishing up
(today, I hope!) a nice annotated booklist of 100+ holiday books for the
James
Patterson site for parents, www.READKIDDOREAD.com. I've been pulling
together
great holiday books for kids, ages birth to teen, and I thought you might
have a
couple of unforgettable titles I've totally forgotten.
Here's what I'm looking for: great books about the holidays (Christmas,
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, etc.) and also great gift books for
kids. What
are your favorite special books you think parents would want to buy as
presents for their kids, books they'll love and read more than once, books
with
heft. Even better--what are the books YOU buy for the kids in your life? I
need
books that are still in print--I had to knock lots of goodies off my lists
because they're OP.
FYI: when you go to the website, you see they just posted my first article:
Almost Can't-Miss Sure-Shot Books for Boys. You'll see it in a button in the
upper right-hand corner, and it's also posted on my blog on the Community
site.
It's VERY cute, and I'm working on the companion article--books for girls,
aided by some wonderful suggestions from our own great community, LM_NET.
Also,
there are now 2 interviews James Patterson did for you to read and/or listen
to: Rick Riordan & Jeff Kinney. More to watch for: Judy Blume, Julie
Andrews.
And there are now 120 of my reviews on the website, with more coming.
Here are the holiday titles from my lists so far, still in very rough form.
Apologies if this formats horribly on your screen, as my AOL is very stinky
and
adds weird symbols to my posts sometimes. What's missing?:
BOOKS ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll. McKissack, Patricia C. Illus. by
Jerry
Pinkney. Schwartz & Wade, 2007. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Angelina's Christmas. Holabird, Katharine. Illus. by Helen Craig. Puffin
Books, 2008, c1985. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Arthur's Christmas. Brown, Marc. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown, 1984.
(32 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Arthur's Christmas Cookies. Hoban, Lillian. Illus. by the author.
HarperCollins, 1984, c1972. (63 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Auntie Claus. Primavera, Elise. Illus. by the author. Harcourt, 1999. (40
pages; Suggested Ages: 5-8)
Bear Stays Up for Christmas. Wilson, Karma. Illus. by Jane Chapman.
McElderry, 2004. (40 pages; Suggsted Ages: 3-7)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Robinson, Barbara. Illus. by Judith Gwyn
Brown. HarperTrophy, 1988, c1972. (80 pages; Sggested Ages: 8-12)
Can You See What I See?: Christmas Read-and-Seek. Wick, Walter. Illus. by
the
author. Sholastic, 2008. (30 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Celebrate Christmas: With Carols, Presents, and Peace. Heiligman, Deborah.
Illus. with photos. National Geographic, 2007. (32 pages; Suggested Ages:
6-9)
Celebrate Diwali: With Sweets, Lights, and Fireworks. Heiligman, Deborah.
Illus. with photos. National Geographic, 2008. (32 pages; Suggested Ages:
6-9)
Celebrate Hanukkah: With Light, Latkes, and Dreidels. Heiligman, Deborah.
Illus. with photos. National Geographic, 2006. (32 pages; Suggested Ages:
6-9)
Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr: With Praying, Fasting, and Charity.
Heiligman, Deborah. Illus. with photos. National Geographic, 2006. (32
pages;
Suggested Ages: 6-9)
The Christmas Alphabet: A Pop-up Celebration. Sabuda, Robert. Illus. by the
author. Little Simon, 2004. (14 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-8)
A Christmas Carol. Dickens, Charles. Illus. by P. J. Lynch. Candlewick
Press,
2006. (160 pages; Suggested Ages: 9-ADULT)
The Christmas Story: From the King James Bible, According to the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke. Illus. by Gennady Spirin. Henry Holt, 2008. (32 pages; ALL
AGES)
Drummer Boy. Long, Loren. Illus. by the author. Philomel, 2008. (40 pages;
Suggested Ages:
The Gift of Nothing. McDonnell, Patrick. Illus. by the author. Little,
Brown,
2005. (32 pages; ALL AGES)
The Gift of the Magi. Henry, O. Illus. by P. J. Lynch. Candlewick, 2008. (36
pages; Suggested Ages: 11-ADULT)
The Gingerbread Doll. Tews, Susan. Illus. by Megan Lloyd. Clarion, 1993. (32
pages; Suggested Ages: 5-8)
Hanukkah Haiku. Ziefert, Harriet. Illus. by Karla Gudeon. Blue Apple Books,
2008. (22 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-8)
Hanukkah, Shmanukkah! Codell, Esme Raji. Illus. by LeUyen Pham. Hyperion,
2005. (53 pages; Suggested Ages: 7 and Up)
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Kimmel, Eric A. Illus. by Trina Schart
Hyman. Holiday House, 1989. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 5-9)
How Santa Got His Job. Krensky, Stephen. Illus. by S.D. Schindler. Aladdin
Paperbacks, 2002, c1998. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 5-8)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seuss, Dr. Illus. by the author. Random
House, 1957. (64 pages; ALL AGES)
The Jar of Fools: Eight Hanukkah Stories from Chelm. Kimmel, Eric A. Illus.
by Mordicai Gerstein. Holiday House, 2000. (56 pages; Suggested Ages: 7-12)
Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday. McDonald, Megan. Illus. by Peter H.
Reynolds. Candlewick Press, 2007. (82 pages; Suggested Ages: 6-9)
Kibitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda (Grandfather) Told Me. Taback, Simms.
Illus. by the author. Viking, 2005. (43 pages; Suggested Ages: 6 and Up)
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story. Snickett, Lemony.
Illus. by Lisa Brown. McSweeneys, 200. (48 pages; Suggested Ages: K-4)
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona. DePaola, Tomie. Harcourt Brace, 1986. (40
pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales,
Activities & Recipes. Simonds, Nina and Leslie Swartz. Harcourt, 2002. (80
pages;
Suggested Ages: 7-11)
The Night Before Christmas. Moore, Clement Clarke. Illus. by Jan Brett.
Putnam, 1998. (32 pages; ALL AGES)
The Night Before Christmas. Moore, Clement C. Illus. by Niroot Puttapipat.
Candlewick Press, 2007. (20 pages; ALL AGES)
The Night Before Christmas: A Pop-up. Moore, Clement Clarke. Illus. by
Robert
Sabuda. Little Simon, 2002. (12 pages; ALL AGES)
The Nutcracker. Jeffers, Susan. Illus. by the author. HarperCollins, 2007.
(40 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
An Orange for Frankie. Polacco, Patricia. Illus. by the author. Philomel,
2004. (48 pages; Suggested Ages: 5-11)
The Polar Express. Van Allsburg, Chris. Illus. by the author. Houghton
Mifflin, 1985. (32 pages; ALL AGES)
Runaway Dreidel! Newman, Leslea. Illus. by Kyrsten Brooker. Square
Fish/Henry
Holt, 2002. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-7)
The Runaway Rice Cake. Compestine, Ying Chang. Illus. by Tungwai Chau. Simon
&
Schuster, 2001. ( 32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town. Coots, J. Fred and Haven Gillespie. Illus. by
Steven Kellogg. HarperCollins, 2004. (32 pages; ALL AGES)
Santa Kid. Patterson, James. Illus. by Michael Garland. Liitle, Brown, (32
pages; Suggested Ages: 5-8)
Santa's Book of Names. McPhail, David. Little, Brown, 1993. (32 pages;
Suggested Ages: 4-7)
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story. Medearis, Angela Shelf. Illus. by
Daniel Minter. Albert Whitman, 2000. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 5-10)
Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn. Klise, Kate. Illus. by M. Sarah
Klise. Square Fish, 2004. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-7)
The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice. Pfeffer, Wendy. Illus. by
Jesse Reisch. Dutton, 2003. (40 pages; Suggested Ages: 6-9)
Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story. Rylant, Cynthia. Illus. by
Chris K. Soentpiet. Scholastic, 1997. (32 pages; ALL AGES)
Too Many Tamales. Soto, Gary. Illus. by Ed Martinez. Putnam, 1996. (32
pages;
Suggested Ages: 5-8)
The 12 Days of Christmas: A Pop-up Celebration. Sabuda, Robert. Illus. by
the
author. Little Simon, 2006. (12 pages; ALL AGES
Where Did They Hide My Presents?: Silly Dilly Christmas Songs. Katz, Alan.
Illus. by David Catrow. McElderry, 2005. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 5-10)
The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Brett, Jan. Putnam,1998. (32 pages; Suggested
Ages: 4-8)
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story. Houston,
Gloria. Puffin, 1996, c1988. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Young Santa. Greenberg, Dan. Illus. by Warren Miller. Scholastic, 2005,
c1991. (96 pages; Suggested Ages: 9 and Up)
MEMORABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS TO GIVE AS GIFTS
GREAT ILLUSTRATED BOOKS
(Picture books for ages 0-8)
ABC3D. Bataille, Marion. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook, 2008. (40
pages; ALL AGES)
Actual Size. Jenkins, Steve. Illus. by the author. Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
(34 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-10)
Prehistoric Actual Size. Jenkins, Steve. Illus. by the author. Houghton
Mifflin, 2005. (36 pages; Suggested Ages: 3-10)
The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry. Martin, Bill, Jr., and Michael
Sampson. Illus. by Steven Kellogg and others. Simon & Schuster, 2008 (175
pages;
Suggested Ages: 3-8)
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. Frazee, Marla. Illus. by the
author. Harcourt, 2008. (32 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Cowboy & Octopus. Scieszka, Jon. Illus. by Lane Smith. Viking, 2007. (32
pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds. Freymann,
Saxton. Illus. by the author. Scholastic, 2005. (64 pages: Suggested Ages:
0-6)
Gallop: A Scanimation Picture Book. Seder, Rufus Butler. Workman, 2007. (12
pages; ALL AGES)
Swing: A Scanimation Picture Book. Seder, Rufus Butler. Workman, 2008. (12
pages; ALL AGES)
Help Me, Mr. Mutt!: Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems. Stevens,
Janet, and Susan Stevens Crummel. Illus. by Janet Stevens. Harcourt, 2008.
(48
pages: Suggested Ages: 4-9)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Willems, Mo. Illus. by the author.
Hyperion, 2004. 42 pages: Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. Willems, Mo. Illus. by the
author. Hyperion, 2007. (34 pages: Suggested Ages: 3-7)
Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken. DiCamillo, Kate. Illus. by Harry Bliss.
HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler, 2008. (48 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
Mazeways: A to Z. Munro, Roxie. Illus. by the author. Sterling, 2007. (32
pages; Suggested Ages: 4-8)
My Very First Mother Goose. Opie, Iona. Illus. by Rosemary Wells.
Candlewick,
1996. (108 pages; Suggested Ages: 0-6)
One Red Dot: A Pop-up Book for Children of All Ages. Carter, David A. Illus.
by the author. Little Simon, 2005. (18 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-7)
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Fox, Mem. Illus. by Helen Oxenbury.
Harcourt, 2008. (40 pages; Suggested Ages: 0-6)
There Is a Bird on Your Head! Willems, Mo. Illus. by the author. Hyperion,
2007. Suggested Ages: 2-7)
United Tweets of America. Talbott, Hudson. Illus. by the author. Putnam,
2008. (64 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-9)
A Visitor for Bear. Becker, Bonny. Illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton.
Candlewick, 2008. (56 pages; Suggested Ages: 4-7)
GREAT TRANSITIONAL BOOKS
(Early chapter books, with more text, for ages 5-9)
Aesop's Fables. Pinkney, Jerry. Retold and illus. by Jerry Pinkney. SeaStar,
2000. (Gr. 2-8)
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! (Babymouse series) By Jennifer Holm Random
House, 2005. Ages: 7-10
Bad Kitty Gets a Bath. Bruel, Nick. Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook,
2008. {ISBN 978-1-59643-341-8; 125p.} FIC (Gr. 1-4)
Blue Moo: 17 Jukebox Hits From Way Back Never (Hardcover)
by Sandra Boynton (Author), Michael Ford (Composer) Workman, 2008.
Philadelphia Chickens (Workman, 2002), Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the
Rock-and-Roll Side (2005), and Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs
Clementine. Pennypacker, Sara. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Hyperion, 2006. (Gr.
1-4) {ISBN 978-0-7868-3882-0; 136p.} FIC
Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up By Robert Sabuda
Candlewick, 2005 Pages: 12 Suggested Ages: 5 and Up
Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Mega-Beasts (2007) and Encyclopedia Prehistorica:
Sharks and Other Sea Monsters (2006)
Go, Go America. Yaccarino, Dan. Illus. by the author. Scholastic, 2008.
(Gr. 1-4)
Go Long! Barber, Tiki, and Ronde Barber, with Paul Mantell. Simon &
Schuster,
2008 (Gr. 2-5)
Junie B. Jones's First Boxed Set Ever! (Books 1-4) [BOX SET] (Paperback)
Barbara Park. Random House, 2001. (66 pages;
My Dog May Be a Genius. Prelutsky, Jack. Illus. by James Stevenson.
Greenwillow, 2008. (Gr. 1-5)
My Father's Dragon. Gannett, Ruth Stiles. Illus. by Ruth Chrisman. Random
House, Deluxe edition, 2008)
My Weird School series. Gutman, Dan.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Boxed Set) by Holly Black (Author), Tony
DiTerlizzi (Author) Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (September 21,
2004)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairy Stupid Tales. Scieszka, Jon. Illus. by
Lane Smith. Viking, 1992. (56 pages; ALL AGES)
Toys Go Out. Jenkins, Emily. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky. Schwartz & Wade,
2006. (Gr. 1-4) andToy Dance Party
PAGETURNERS
(Chapter books for middle grade readers, ages 8-12)
Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold. Rumford, James. Illus. by the author.
Houghton
Mifflin, 2007. (Gr. 3-8)
Casey at the Bat. Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. Illus. by Christopher Bing.
Handprint, 2000. (Gr. 2-Adult)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal. Kinney, Jeff. Illus. by the
author. Amulet, 2007. (Gr. 4-8) (Do all 3, incl. activity book)
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. Jonell, Lynne. Illus. by Jonathan
Bean. Henry Holt, 2007. (Gr. 3-6)
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini. Fleischman, Sid. Illus. with photos.
HarperCollins, 2006. (Gr. 4-8)
Found. (The Missing: Book 1) Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Simon & Schuster,
2008. (Gr. 4-8)
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. Rex, Adam. Illus. by the author. Harcourt,
2006.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story. Levine, Ellen. Illus. by Kadir Nelson.
Scholastic, 2007.
Hey Batta Batta Swing!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball. Cook, Sally, and
James
Charlton. Illus. by Ross MacDonald. McElderry, 2007.
How Strong Is It?: A Mighty Book All About Strength. Hillman, Ben. Illus. by
the author. Scholastic, 2008.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures. Selznick,
Brian.
Illus. by the author. Scholastic, 2007.
Jokelopedia: The Biggest, Best, Silliest, Dumbest Joke Book Ever. Workman
Publishing Company, 2006.
The Magic Thief: Book One. Prineas, Sarah. Illus. by Antavier Caparo.
HarperCollins, 2008.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. DiCamillo, Kate. Illus. by Bagram
Ibatoulline. Candlewick, 2006.
Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection. Campoy, F. Isabel,
and Alma Flor Ada. Atheneum, 2006.
ADVANCED READS
(More challenging reads, sometimes with more mature content, for ages 10 and
up)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Alexie, Sherman. Little,
Brown, 2007. 229 pages; SUGGESTED AGES 13 & up)
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History. Armstrong,
Jennifer. Illus. by Roger Roth. Knopf, 2006. (Gr. 3-8)
The Arrival. Tan, Shaun. Illus. by the author. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine,
2007. (Gr. 6-12)
Bone #1: Out from Boneville. Smith, Jeff. Illus. by the author.
Graphix/Scholastic, 2005. (Gr. 4-8) Boxed Set Books 1-3
Elijah of Buxton. Curtis, Christopher Paul. Scholastic, 2007. (Gr. 5-8)
Gilgamesh the Hero: The Epic of Gilgamesh. McCaughrean, Geraldine. Illus. by
David Parkins. Eerdmans, 2003. (Gr. 6-8)
Larklight. Reeve, Philip. Illus. by David Wyatt. Bloo
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary . Fleming, Candace.
Schwartz & Wade, 2008.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Patterson, James. Little, Brown, 2005.
(422 pages; AGES 11-16)
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride #2: School's Out-Forever. Little, Brown,
2006.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme
Sports.
Little, Brown, 2007.
Patterson, James. Maximum Ride #4: The Final Warning. Little, Brown, 2008.
Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters.
McKissack, Patricia C. Illus. by André Carrilho. Schwartz & Wade, 2006.
The True Meaning of Smekday. Rex, Adam. Illus. by the author. Hyperion,
2007.
{ISBN 978-0-7868-4900-0; 423p.} FIC (Gr. 4-8)
The Twilight Saga. Little, Brown, 2008
The Underneath. Appelt, Kathi. Illus. by David Small. Atheneum, 2008. {ISBN
978-1-41695-058-5; 313p.} FIC (Gr. 4-8)
Washington at Valley Forge. Friedman, Russell. Illus. with photos and
reprods. Holiday House, 2008. {ISBN 978-0-8234-2069-8; 100p.} 973.3 (Gr.
4-8)
The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. Macaulay, David and
Richard Walker. Illus. by the author. Houghton, Mifflin, 2008.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. Nelson, Kadir. Illus.
by the author. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2008.
Thanks for your insights. I'll post a hit.
Judy
Judy Freeman
Children's Literature Consultant
Reviewer for www.READKIDDOREAD.com
Author of Books Kids Will Sit Still For 3
(Libraries Unlimited, 2006; www.LU.com)
and Once Upon a Time:
Using Storytelling, Creative Drama, and
Reader's Theater with Children in Grades K-6 (2007)
65 North Sixth Avenue
Highland Park, NJ 08904
732-572-5634 / BKWSSF@aol.com
www.JudyReadsBooks.com
**************
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