The Christmas Bookshelf
MWBOOKREVW
North-South Books
Clement Moore's Night Before Christmas (1-55858-465-X, $16.95) pairs the
classic poem with full-page illustrations by Ted Rand to bring alive the
details. Rand's version is fresh yet traditional in this appealing
account. Dorothea Lachner's Gift From Saint Nicholas (456-0, $15.95)
requires good reading skills but parents will welcome the opportunity to
read aloud this gentle story of a snowstorm's Christmas Eve threats to a
family. A mysterious gift is left by St. Nick. Anneliese Lussert's The
Christmas Visitor (449-8, $15.95) is also appealing: a king will visit the
village, but even though Simon makes his sick wife prepare a royal
welcome, the only visitor is a ragged stranger. Simon is rude, but an
awakening is in the making here. Pirkko Vainio's The Christmas Angel
(499-4, $15.95) tells of Maria's search of an attic and her discovery of
an old music box topped by an angel. The meaning of Christmas is brought
home by the figure and an encounter with poverty. Philemon Sturges' The
Gift Of Christmas (469-2, $15.95) blends verse and detailed pictures to
capture the bright lights and sounds of Christmas.
From the tree's decorative pleasures to cinnamon and baking dough's
smells, this celebrates a magical holiday.
A Christmas Plotz
Time/WarnerKids
1-57042-321-1
Pair a 32-page storybook with a hip hop musical profiling the Animaniacs
and you have a hilarious Christmas theme. Ralph wants to give his young
son and family a Christmas present, but Mr. Plotz's limited finances and
Ralph's family faces troubles, until friends step in. The full-cast
audio's dramatic and fun.
Santa Cow Studios
Cooper Edens
Simon & Schuster
0-689-80030-4 $14.00
Kids ages 4-8 as well as their adult readers will find this hilarious:
here the cows go to the moon in search of Santa, only to find Santa Cow's
studios in full production. While many of the jokes and cow allusions
require adult understanding, kids will find the illustrations whimsical
and the story line fun.
Little Book of Christmas Carols
Marian Clark, Illustrator
Chronicle Books
0-8118-0937-4 $7.95
Almost thirty traditional carols are packed into this little book;
including lyrics, musical score, and chord notations. This will make an
easy tote for travelling carolers as well as for gatherings where
Christmas carols are to be sung.
I Am Christmas
Nancy Carlstrom & Lori McElrath-Eslick
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
0-8028-5075-8 $16.99
Nancy White Carlstrom uses simple yet lyrical prose to retell the story of
Christmas. Lori McElrath-Eslick's dramatic oil paintings resonate with the
power of this moving story. Complete with a selection of Scripture
references, I Am Christmas is a beautiful picture book which imparts the
true meaning of Christmas to children ages 4 to 8 in a most wonderful way
as they journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and experience again the
wondrous birth of the Christ child.
An Irish Night Before Christmas
Sarah Kirwan Blazek
Pelican Publishers
1-56554-086-7 $14.95
At Christmas in Ireland the atmosphere is different: turf instead of logs
are burned, parents enjoy stout, and Ould Neddy the donkey and his cart
replace Santa Claus. This fun story is presented in simple rhyme with
Irish inflections which will require adult assistance, but it's a winner
anyway.
Santa's Workshop
Paul Stickland
Dutton
0-525-45343-1 $18.99
Lift the flaps and press out and play with colorful Santa figures in this
three-dimensional
adventure for kids of all ages and their parents. An entire workshop pops
up and invites attention here, creating a lavish setting.
Hyperion/Disney Press
Mickey Mouse wants to give Minnie something special for Christmas in
Christmas Is Coming (0-7868-3039-5), but it's a long search to find the
perfect gift in this fold-around pop-up. Youngsters will find this a fun
seasonal selection. Rudolfo Anaya's The Farolitos Of Christmas (2047-0)
tells of a Christmas Eve in a New Mexican village where some of the people
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