Wednesday Review: Holiday Books for Children
As a child I always asked for books at Christmas time. For some reason they rarely materialized. One year I was given two beautiful hardback books with colored plates: Little Women and Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. Both are proud members of my book collection to this day.
My own children have a whole basket of holiday reading, from the mundane to the transcendent. This week I’m offering three charming tales sure to be Christmas classic. (Next week: beautifully illustrated nativity tales.)
Little Tree
e.e. cummings
Deborah Kogan Ray, illustrator
“little tree, little silent Christmas tree you are so little, you are more like a flower…”
My husband is a fan of e.e. cummings, and I gave him this beautiful watercolor of a book one Christmas when we were dating. Now we read the gentle story of Little Tree to our own children on quiet nights beside our Christmas tree. It’s out of print now, but you can still find a few gently used copies here. Today’s Flavor: Rhythmic and lovely.
The Year of the Perfect Christmas TreeGloria Houston, author
Barbara Cooney, illustrator
An Appalachian mother and daugther are determiend to retireve the mountain top Christmas tree Papa had earmarked before he left for the war. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree is a simple, lovely tale about making do and making merry where a wedding dress becomes angel garb, and a clever mother finds a way to make her daughter’s Christmas wish come true. Well researched to capture the reality of Appalachian life and beautifully illustrated by Barbara Cooney, this can quickly become a Christmas classic in your home. Today’s Flavor: Nostalgic and hopeful.
P.s. Ms. Houston also wrote the fantastic My Great-Aunt Arizona and Ms. Cooney illustrated the wonderful Miss Rumphius.
Red Ranger Came Calling
Berkeley Breathed
Ohmylord, there cannot possibly be a more hilarious and charming tale than Red Ranger Came Calling, the story of a sour little boy and a disinhearted old … Saunder Clos? Berkely Breathed famed creator of Bloom County, Outland, and Opus, travels back to his childhood haunts on Vashon Island to illustrate a cheeky tale that’s sure to delight. Santa is down in the dumps and “visitors not recieved with zesty jolliness at the moment.” But by-gum, the Red Ranger of Mars is going up to his house to find out what happened to his “Official Buck Tweed Two-Speed Crime-Stopper Star-Hoper Bicycle.” What he finds there…well, I don’t want to give it all away. Suffice it to say that this comically illustrated book is a sure fire hit in our high-drama household. Today’s Flavor: Firey and fun.
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2 comments
Loved reading this post tonight. It brought a few memories to mind:
- Inheriting my mom’s copies of Little Women, Hans Brinker and a few Bobbsey Twins books when I was about 8 or 9
- Reading Christmas stories — “just one more, Auntie” — to my nieces at bedtime. They are now teenagers so too “old” for them, but as for me, I still have a hard time talking myself out of purchasing a beautiful children’s book, even if I just read it to myself.
I am quoting from “little tree” today. I love that book! I blogged about “How Many Miles to Bethlehem” the other day. Excellent picks!
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