Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

Saturday, December 9, 2017

3 New Holiday Books from Sterling

The Bear Who Didn't Want to Miss Christmas
by Marie Tibi
Illustrated by Fabien Öckto Lambert

Published October, 2017
by Sterling Children's Books
Hardcover
40 pages

Goodreads Summary
Poor little bear! He’s supposed to hibernate—but if he does, he’ll sleep right through Christmas! What can he do?
Winter is coming, and it’s time for little bear to settle in for his long cold-weather nap. But that means he won’t get to celebrate Christmas with his woodland friends, and he’s very sad. Can his pals find a clever way to help him join in the fun? This heartwarming, holiday picture book captures the festive spirit of the holiday and the beauty of friendship.


My Thoughts
What a sweet story of friendship. Little Bear is so sad that he misses Christmas every year because he has to hibernate.  When his friends are decorating and writing letters to Santa he feels very left out. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say that Little Bear has some very good friends. 
Young children LOVE Christmas and will absolutely relate to Little Bear's feelings of sadness at the prospect of missing the holiday every year. They will enjoy how this touching story ends. 
The book's illustrations are beautiful and the characters are adorable. Each page has the frosty feel of winter.  

  Image from book taken by G. McAllister

I would highly recommend The Bear Who Didn't Want to Miss Christmas for children ages 3-8.  

See what others have to say about this book.



by Annie Silvestro
Illustrated by Teagan White
Published October, 2017
by Sterling Children's Books
Hardcover
32 pages

Goodreads Summary
This mouse doesn’t want to stay in the house . . . even if it’s cold outside!
For most field mice, winter means burrowing down and snuggling in. But not for Lucy! She loves snow crunching under her paws and wearing a fluffy wool hat. And most of all, Lucy loves to skate, and she’s just ACHING to show off her new skill with her friends. After all, a winter wonderland is twice as nice when you have friends to enjoy it with. But the other mice just don’t understand—and after a disastrous indoor snowball fight, it looks as if they never will. Can Lucy find a way to make the other mice come out and “mice skate” too?
With intricately detailed illustrations as cozy as a fireplace in December (and a cup of cocoa, too), this funny punny warmhearted love song to winter—and to one brave, bold, and generous mouse—will have kids bundling up for some cold-weather fun of their own.


My Thoughts
While this title is not technically a holiday title, it is gorgeous and has a Christmasy feel to it. Lucy loves winter and wants to share it with her, but they all just want to stay inside where it is warm until spring. Can clever Lucy think of a way to help them all come outside and go "mice skating"? 
The illustrations are gorgeous! They are done in muted earth tones using water color, gouache and colored pencil on a mostly cream colored paper. 
       Image from book taken by G. McAllister

While the puns are a bit cheesy (sorry, couldn't resist), this book will appeal to young children. I would recommend it mostly for ages 3-8. 

See what others have to say about this book.


by Sue Fliess
Illustrated by Claudia Lambert
Published October, 2017
by Sterling Children's Books
Hardcover
32 pages

Goodreads Summary
We wish for a furry monster,
A big, hairy, scary monster,
Our own stomping, chomping monster, for Christmas this year!

Dear Santa: please bring us a MONSTER for Christmas! This hilarious parody of the traditional carol stars two siblings who want something just a little more special than the usual toys for their Christmas gift. Mom and Dad refuse—so they appeal to a higher power: Santa. And since they’ve been good all year, he delivers. But having a monster in the house may not be all it's cracked up to be . . . as the kids discover when he turns their playroom to rubble and causes tons of trouble. Now, what will they do? Delighted readers will sing along with the merry song.


My Thoughts
So fun! It took me a while to catch on that the book can be read (or sung) to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", but when I did, I couldn't read it any other way. Kids will love this silly Christmas story and just might change their minds about what they would like for Christmas. 
The digital illustrations are bright and colorful and the characters, even the monsters, are super-cute. 
  Image from book taken by G. McAllister


Check out this book trailer!

There is also a karaoke song for the book here
I would recommend it for ages 4-8. 

See what others have to say about this book.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure 
by Linda Ashman
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Published October 2015
Sterling Children's Books
Hardcover
32 Pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Pack up the pooches and load the van.
We need to leave by eight!
There’s so much to bring.
Do we have everything?
Come on, we can’t be late!


The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family: Come to our house for the holidays—and bring your favorite pie!Off everyone goes, driving down snowy roads, riding the train, boarding a plane . . . even sailing along in a hot-air balloon. As each family faces an obstacle that delays their trip, they learn that sometimes the most old-fashioned form of transportation works best . . . NEIGH!

My Thoughts
Even though this song/story is usually thought of as a Thanksgiving tale, the holiday in this book is not specific. The snowy scenes and sleigh make it feel like the holiday could also be Christmas with family traveling to be together. 
While I am not always a fan of books that rhyme, this book makes it work. By the end of the book I can imagine the children shouting "Neigh" each time the sleigh arrives to help more family members. 
The illustrations are bold, colorful and have an appealing realistic yet cartoonish quality. Each page is filled from top to bottom with color. 
Over the River and Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure would make a great addition to any holiday collection. 

See what others have to say about Over the River and Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure. 

Learn more about the illustrations at Picture Book Builders.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Vermont by Toni Buzzeo

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Vermont
by Toni Buzzeo
Illustrated by Liza Woodruff
Published October, 2015
Sterling Publishing
Hardcover
32 Pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Summary
Grace gets to visit her cousin Camden and tour New England for 12 days. Each day cousin Camden gives her something related to the state they are in. Grace writes letters back to her Mom and Dad about her trip which tell the story and provide the reader with interesting information about each of the New England states. 

My Thoughts
   Don't let this little picture book fool you, it is much more than just an adorable story of two cousins touring New England. Toni Buzzeo naturally weaves in information about each state in a way that the readers will barely notice they are learning about each state. As a lifelong New Englander, I can tell you that Buzzeo and Woodruff do a fabulous job together presenting information and capturing the feel of New England in the winter. There are also things that I learned about New England. Did you that Rocky Hill Connecticut has a state park called Dinosaur State Park with large prehistoric animals and hundreds of fossilized tracks? Me either!

   I would definitely recommend this books for any child ages 5-9 (publisher's range). It will definitely be reading to to my 4th graders. It would make a great addition to a classroom library or a gift for a New England child or a relative "from away".  

See what others have to say about The Twelve Days of Christmas in New England.