Best Holiday Books 

  Christmas | Hanukkah |Kwanzaa

Christmas

Angelina Ballerina's Christmas Crafts  (List Price: $15.95, Age Range: 3 to 8)  This fabulous book is packed with great Christmas craft ideas.  It shows you how to make a Christmas countdown paper chain (something I did as a kid and can't wait to do with mine) as well as instructions on how to make picture ornaments, soap snowmen, and more.  It also includes 16 gift tags and 56 stickers.

Christmas Crafts (American Girl® List Price: $15.95, Age Range: 8 and up)  Older girls will just love this book in the American Girl Series.  It's a great Christmas craft book that has excellent photos and clear directions for Christmas things from home made "angel kisses" to secret Santa stockings. 

Samantha’s Christmas Crafts (American Girl®, List Price $$15.95 , Age Range 8 and up) Our 8-year-old book reviewer was so excited when we gave her this book.  She has been reviewing a lot of books lately for us and happens to just love the American Girl Series.  When she opened this she started to plan with her mother all the Christmas crafts that they can make in preparation for the holidays!  This great book includes supplies for five crafts, including holographic glitter, mini jingle bells, iridescent beads, sequins, iridescent chiffon ribbon, four perforated pages of origami paper for Japanese fan ornaments, and four perforated pages of card stock.  According to our reviewer this is a FABULOUS book! 

What Santa Can't Do (List Price: $15.95, Age Range: 4 to 8) A cute story that details all the things that Santa can and can not do.  Santa can remember where everyone lives, but forgets what Mrs. Claus wants from the grocery store.  He can't do sit ups, he can't drive a car ("That would hurt the reindeer's feelings") but he can try out toys!  The biggest can't of all -  he can't wait until Christmas.  A good read aloud that toddlers will really enjoy! 

Counting Christmas (List Price: $14.95, Age Range: 3 to 6) This beautifully illustrated book by Karen Katz count's down till Christmas starting at the number 10.  It's a cute little book that toddlers are sure to enjoy.

The Night Before Christmas (List Price: $14.95, Age Range: 4 to 8) "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..."  Everyone know the beginning of this book, but does anyone know the complete story?  Written by Clement Clarke Moore and illustrated by Tasha Tudor this is a delightful poem to read on Christmas Eve year after year.   (Note: 4-years-old is a little young for this poem)

P.B. Bear's Christmas (List Price: $12.95, Age Range: 4 to 8 ) 2 days until Christmas and P.B. Bear is counting down.  Pre-readers will have fun with this book as they try to read along substituting the words for the pictures.  They get to use picture clues to solve a simple riddle, count stars and guess what's inside the box from Grandma.  Hidden on every page is a Santa Bear that your grandchild has to find.  A fun holiday book!

Children's Everyday Bible (List Price: $19.99, Age Range: 4 to 8) Reviewed by a Director of Education at church with 150+ children, she reported that the book was excellent for children ages 6 to 8, and suggested that if you chose to read it to children under 6 perhaps you should consider skipping some of the stories that are inappropriate. She said, "it has great illustrations that are child friendly but not cartoon-like.  It is respectful of the subject matter."   She reported that she would give it "five stars out of five."

Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas (List Price: $15.95, Age Range: 4 to 8) Beautifully illustrated by Holly Hobbie, this is another adventure for Toot & Puddle. They are planning Christmas together, but Toot has gone to visit his Aunt in Scotland and Puddle is left to do all the preparation. As the holiday nears Puddle worries that Toot won't make it home in time. Toot tries desperately to keep his promise to Puddle that he'll be home for Christmas, but now he's not sure if he'll make it. He makes a wish and a stranger in a sleigh brings him home in time. This is an adorable book with beautiful illustrations and a great introduction to the Toot & Puddle duo.

Christmas Window Art
List Price: $19.95 
Age Range: 9 to 12 

Here's a fun craft that will spread holiday cheer throughout your house.  This book includes six bottles of a special peel-off window paint in all the holiday colors.  The step-by-step instructions make it very easy to do.  The book includes 101 Christmas designs, but don't feel limited to those - try your own too.  This craft is for 9-12 year olds but we found that younger children can easily do this too.  Just provide the outline and let them do the rest

Hanukkah

It's a Miracle! : A Hanukkah Storybook (List Price $16.95, Ages 4 to 8) This is a great story about Owen, the "official candle lighter" and his storytelling Grandma Karen. Every night after Owen has lit the Hanukkah candles his Grandma tucks him into bed and tells him bedtime stories about a girl who grows up to be a rabbi; a soldier who persuaded Jewish families to pray for the health of his wife; a young woman who earned enough money to buy her own horse and so on. These stories are actually stories about the members of Owen's own family which becomes clear to him on the 8th night. The book also includes The Hanukkah Legend, Blessings and a Glossary.

Pearl's Eight Days of Chanukah : With a Story and Activity for Each Night (List Price $6.99, Ages 4 to 8) This cute book about Pearl and Avi and how their cousins Sophie and Harry come to spend Chanukah with them. The book includes an activity for each of the eight days of Chanukah including how to make your own menorah, potato lakes, applesauce, play the driedel game and more! It also includes the blessings, songs, a glossary and more. It's a great book for families who wish to create their own special Chanukah traditions.

This great book has recipes for every Jewish holiday from Chanukah to Purim, Passover to Rosh Hashanah.  The recipes are traditional with some twists.  There are simple crafts and classic recipes that the whole family can enjoy.  This is a beautiful book that you and your grandchildren will enjoy for years. 

My First Hanukkah Board Book
List Price: $6.99 
Age Range: Baby - Preschool

This book uses eye-catching photos and is designed in a nice chunky board book fashion.  It provides a good explanation of Hanukkah that is very appropriate for preschoolers. The pictures provide a good descriptive narrative including pictures of the foods eaten during Hanukkah, pictures of a menorah etc.  It's a great introduction to the Festival of Lights. 

This National Jewish Book Award winner is cute little story about a family preparing for the celebration of Hanukkah.  This sweet story has a family together lighting the menorah, singing songs, eating traditional foods.  One sibling is determined to teach the younger how to say "Hanukkah" and in the end is successful!  The end of the book includes Hanukkah words and their meanings.  A nice warm book to celebrate the holiday.

Kwanzaa

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story List Price: $15.95  Age Range: 4 to 8 Book Description In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread. If they fail, they will be turned out as beggars.  From the Publisher Using the Nguzo Saba, or "seven principles" of Kwanzaa, the author has created an unforgettable story that shows how family members can pull together, for their own good and the good of the entire community.