Penny Colman  Thanksgiving: The True Story
     150 pp. Ottaviano/Holt 9/08 ISBN 978-0-8050-8229-6 $18.95 g
     (Intermediate)
Believe it or not, the “Pilgrim and Indian” story wasn’t America’s first Thanksgiving. Preceding Squanto, Massasoit, and William Bradford were ceremonies marking successful journeys or celebrating the safe arrival of supplies, colonists, or troops, and even a recorded Thanksgiving Mass in the Palo Duro Canyon of Texas in 1541. Who knew? This probe into our Thanksgiving roots covers many topics, from Sarah Josepha Hale’s quest to make Thanksgiving a national holiday to the origins of Thanksgiving football games. Colman’s strength is sharing her research process with readers, starting with a survey designed to elicit questions about Thanksgiving, and indicating the ways those responses led her to her own search for further information. Appended with a Thanksgiving timeline, extensive source notes, and index (unseen). B.C.

Chris Conover  The Christmas Bears ; illus. by the author
     40 pp. Farrar 11/08 ISBN 978-0-374-33275-4 $16.95
     (Primary)
A bear mother and her seven children take part in the usual Christmas preparations: baking cookies, making cards, tree-decorating, and caroling. But the kids are also busy feeding reindeer and trying out the toys in Pa’s workshop. Yes, these lucky cubs belong to Santa, a burly, gentle-looking bear in a red cap. The rhyming text is brief and unassuming, keeping readers’ attention on the genial, meticulous illustrations of smiling bears bundled in warm sweaters. Small details will reward careful viewers — snow cones come sweetened with syrup tapped straight from a tree; a cup-holder in Santa’s sleigh cradles a hot beverage for the journey. Adding variety is Conover’s depiction of the family as an international one that includes, among others, a polar bear, a spectacled bear, and a sloth bear. J.M.B.

Judy Cox  One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale; illus. by Jeffrey Ebbeler
     32 pp. Holiday 9/08 ISBN 978-0-8234-1977-7 $16.95
     (Preschool, Primary)
Overindulging at Thanksgiving is as much a part of the celebration as cornucopia centerpieces. For Mouse, though, feasting could end with more serious consequences than an overextended stomach. When Mouse creeps out from his “hidey-hole,” he spies the remnants of a Thanksgiving feast. He starts by picking up one “teensy-tiny, toothsome, green pea,” but soon he spies more goodies, and his pile grows. Bright acrylic paintings from multiple perspectives show Mouse, his large glasses not quite resting on his ears, juggling an increasingly unwieldy mountain of food. The repeated refrain (“One is a feast for me”) gets funnier as he takes “just one” cranberry, olive, and carrot stick, then a plate holding one scoop of mashed potatoes, etc. Mouse loses most of his feast when Cat wakes up, but nonetheless remembers to “give thanks” for what he manages to salvage — that single green pea. CHELSEY PHILPOT

Olivier Dunrea  Merry Christmas, Ollie!; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Houghton 9/08 ISBN 978-0-618-53242-1 $12.95
     (Preschool)
Dunrea’s gaggle of geese gathers to await the arrival of Father Christmas Goose. Best friends Gossie and Gertie, red-baseball-capped Peedie, and blue gosling BooBoo watch through the snow quietly, almost reverently; but tired-of-waiting Ollie stands on his head, stomps around, and hollers “I want Christmas!” As usual, Dunrea gets the preschooler emotions just right, capturing the range of holiday-inspired feelings, from silent awe to wiggly impatience to shouts of pure joy. Amusing illustrative touches in the spare but detail-filled pictures include a fir tree adorned with brown and white egg ornaments. Larger in format than the previous Gossie & Friends books, this offering is tailor-made for a Christmas Eve reading to a group. J.M.B.

John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle  Let It Snow
     352 pp. Speak/Penguin 9/08 Paper edition ISBN 978-0-14-241214-5 $9.99 g
     (High School)
Three popular YA authors offer funny but heartfelt snapshots of love and misadventure on one blizzard-blanketed Christmas Eve in these linked novellas. In Jubilee Express (Johnson), Jubilee, shipped south to her grandparents’ for the holiday after her parents are arrested in a riot over Christmas collectibles, gets stuck in a small town when her train is stranded by the snow. There she falls for the sweet, heartbroken boy who rescues her from cold and cheerleaders. In A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle (Green), Tobin undertakes an epic journey through the storm to the Waffle House where said cheerleaders are holed up, falling for his best friend along the way. The new happy couple wanders off to Starbucks, where, in Patron Saint of Pigs (Myracle), barista Addie engages in some much-needed self-reflection — just in time to reconcile with her almost-ex-boyfriend. The authors share an ironic, idiosyncratic sense of humor that helps bind their stories, each with a slightly different tone and take on love, into one interconnected volume brimming with romance and holiday spirit. CLAIRE E. GROSS

True Kelley  The Dog Who Saved Santa; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Holiday 9/08 ISBN 978-0-8234-2120-6 $16.95 g
     (Preschool, Primary)
“’Twas the night before Christmas, and Santa’s elves were swamped.” Christmas Eve is no night for slackers, and who’s the laziest do-nothing in the workshop? Santa, here a callow youth. It’s up to his dogged assistant Rodney to keep Christmas on track and motivate the young Santa to become the industrious legend he is today. This cheeky send-up of holiday sloth is stronger on detail than plot, but sitcom-savvy kids will enjoy the irreverence, considerably and expertly helped along by Kelley’s illustrations of a Christmas in chaos. Rumpled mutt Rodney, a dim-looking Santa, and elves who appear to have escaped from the Keebler factory provide a fresh alternative to Christmas sweetness. R.S.

Loren Long  Drummer Boy; illus. by the author
     40 pp. Philomel 9/08 ISBN 978-0-399-25174-0 $17.99
     (Primary, Intermediate)
Accidentally parted from his loving child owner, a toy drummer boy embarks on a series of perilous adventures (think Hoban’s Mouse and His Child or DiCamillo’s Edward Tulane). He is menaced by rats in the city dump and owls in an aerie, marooned atop a bell tower, and impaled on a snowy thorn bush. Throughout, he plays his drum, soothing the hearts of all who hear him. Finally, a raccoon drops him in a cemetery, where, miraculously, he is reunited with his owner. Back at home, the child places the little drummer boy among the figures in the family’s nativity scene, where he plays for the Christ child. “And the little drummer boy’s heart felt warm.” This is a sumptuous production — larger than the usual picture book, with richly colored, detailed double-page spreads — and beautifully written, but its language and theme may have more appeal to adults than to children. M.V.P.

David Milgrim  Santa Duck; illus. by the author
     32 pp. Putnam 9/08 ISBN 978-0-399-25018-7 $16.99
     (Primary)
Hoping to avoid “another year of socks and underwear,” Nicholas Duck goes in search of Santa on Christmas Eve; first, however, he finds a mysterious present of a red coat and hat on his doorstep and puts them on. Everyone he meets along his way mistakes him for Santa — well, Santa Duck — and subjects him to (amusingly) long lists of desired presents. Nicholas finally finds the real Santa and passes on the other animals’ wishes, but he never gets to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. Fortunately, for Nicholas, Santa’s gratitude is its own reward — that, and a nifty go-kart he discovers Christmas morning. Milgrim (Another Day in the Milky Way, rev. 1/07) employs speech balloons in his spare cartoon illustrations (done in digital ink and digital oil pastel), infusing humor and deftly revealing personality. “Jingle quack, jingle quack, jingle all the quack”! M.V.P.

Allison Ofanansky  Harvest of Light; illus. with photos by Eliyahu Alpern
     32 pp. Kar-Ben 9/08 ISBN 978-0-8225-7389-0 $15.95 g
     (Preschool, Primary)
A little girl in Israel describes her family’s olive harvest. Beginning in springtime when “tiny white flowers blossom on the olive trees,” the story moves through autumn as the green olives mature; they turn purple, then black, and are finally ready to be pressed for olive oil. The tale culminates with the loving family’s Hanukkah celebration in which, gratifyingly, the girl’s Abba (father) lights the menorah using oil from the harvest, reminding her that “it is the same kind of oil that was used to light the Temple menorah in Jerusalem long ago.” The warm-hearted narrative is enhanced by its many photographs. Those that focus on the olive grove and oil-harvesting machinery help clarify the process. Other quieter and more intimate images depict a contemporary Israeli family enjoying their time together, busily at work and peacefully at home. ELISSA GERSHOWITZ

Jack Prelutsky  It’s Christmas!; illus. by Marylin Hafner
     48 pp. HarperCollins 10/08 ISBN 978-0-06-053706-7 $16.99
     (Primary)
Getting underwear for Christmas from Auntie Flo, again; spending Christmas in bed with the mumps; caroling with your tone-deaf family: these are some of the unfortunate
scenarios featured in this reissued easy-reader-format collection of Christmas poems, first published in 1981. Prelutsky’s wacky verses also rhyme about typical holiday festivities such as sending Christmas cards and putting on holiday pageants. Each is witty, silly, and entertaining, and many pack punch lines with surprising, satisfying twists. The verses are now accompanied by Hafner’s equally amusing illustrations, which animate the words for
an extra kick of humor. KATRINA E. HEDEEN

Mary Lyn Ray  Christmas Farm; illus. by Barry Root
     40 pp. Harcourt 10/08 ISBN 978-0-15-216290-0 $17.00
     (Primary)
Wilma and her five-year-old neighbor Parker plant 744 “small starts of balsam” in the spring. “‘Will they be ready by Christmas?’ asked Parker. ‘Nooooo,’ said Wilma.” In fact, five Christmases come and go before the trees are ready. Over the years, Wilma and Parker care for their crop, some of which they lose to animals and weather. When Parker is ten, 597 trees remain, finally ready to be sold as Christmas trees. Ray’s quiet, leisurely narrative reflects the attentive work and planning involved in farming trees. Root’s color-drenched watercolor and gouache paintings honor the characters’ warm intergenerational friendship and rise to the challenge of portraying a slowly changing rural landscape through many seasons. A concluding author’s note offers history about the tradition of decorating trees and about Christmas tree cultivation. K.F.

Brenda Seabrooke  ’Twas the Day Before Christmas: The Story of Clement Clarke Moore’s Beloved Poem; illus. by Delana Bettoli
     32 pp. Dutton 9/08 ISBN 978-0-525-47816-4 $16.99
     (Primary, Intermediate)
Offering a belabored account of how “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” came to be written, Seabrooke hypothesizes that Clement Clarke Moore had decided “to write a special surprise for his children for Christmas.” Luckily, Mrs. Moore has tasked Clement with the four-mile trip down to the Washington Market in lower Manhattan to buy a turkey, and this Christmas Eve day errand gives him all the inspiration he needs. Although the book provides plenty of information about 1822 New York, there are no source notes, so readers will be unable to distinguish fact from fiction from supposition, which, given that the poem was published anonymously in 1823 and its authorship is still disputed, is a real problem. Delicately lined paintings in pastel but Christmassy shades are pretty, especially those of Clement’s twilight journey through the almost pastoral Manhattan streets, and a wintry map of the area is the book’s highlight. Moore’s own 1844 version of the poem is included. R.S.

Lemony Snicket  The Lump of Coal; illus. by Brett Helquist
     40 pp. HarperCollins 10/08 ISBN 978-0-06-157428-3 $12.99
     Library edition ISBN 978-0-06-157425-2 $14.89
     (Primary, Intermediate)
Having skewered the perennial favorite Hanukkah treat last season in The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, Lemony Snicket turns his attention to Christmas in this tale about
a lump of coal with artistic aspirations. The story’s nattily dressed protagonist attempts to make his way in the world while expressing himself creatively through drawing. He’s stymied by a snooty gallery owner and the proprietor of Mr. Wong’s Korean Barbeque Palace and Secretarial School before crossing paths with a drugstore Santa whose nephew shares the lump of coal’s artistic temperament. The story is atypically free of peril, but the particular brand of Snicket humor, characterized by intentionally oblique plotting, tenuous logic, and snappy wordplay, is on full display; there are also moments of genuine, unguarded sentiment. Helquist’s full-color illustrations manage to make the protagonist look like an actual lump of coal — but one whose body language and facial expressions reflect his big dreams and desire for creative fulfillment. ELISSA GERSHOWITZ

Stephanie Spinner, reteller  The Nutcracker; illus. by Peter Malone
     32 pp. Knopf 10/08 ISBN 978-0-375-84464-5 $16.99
     (Primary)
This retelling of the New York City Ballet version of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story fills in some details that might not be clear to first-time ballet-goers. Malone’s richly colored, opaque watercolors embellish the dancers’ magic by showing flying snowflake women and a mouse king who is more villainously rodent-like than the usual stage version. While some figures are a little stiff, this book, which comes with a CD, provides a good entry-point before attending a performance as well as a chance to relive the experience afterward. LOLLY ROBINSON

Kate Wharton  What Does Mrs. Claus Do?; illus. by Christian Slade
     32 pp. Tricycle 10/08 ISBN 978-1-58246-164-9 $15.99 g
     (Primary)
In the meter and rhyme of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” Wharton considers the other side of the story, asking what Mrs. Claus might be up to on the night before Christmas. The answer? Anything she puts her mind to, from domestic tidying to business management to covert correction (aided by turbocharged reindeer) of what Santa doesn’t get quite right. A grinning Mrs. Claus does handstands in a leotard, takes pictures on safari, becomes everything from artist to hula dancer to diplomat. It’s slightly problematic that Mrs. Claus apparently does these things only while her husband is away; nonetheless, Wharton’s text, accompanied by Slade’s humorous mixed-media illustrations, offers a positive message, and the heavily built, glasses-wearing, gray-haired heroine’s undaunted enthusiasm demonstrates that people of every sort are perfectly suited to succeed in their dreams. REBECCA E. SCHAFFNER

Philip Yates  A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas; illus. by Sebastià Serra
     32 pp. Sterling 10/08 ISBN 978-1-4027-4257-6 $14.95
     (Preschool, Primary)
“The stockin’s were stuck to the bowsprit with tar, / In hopes that Sir Peggedy soon would be thar.” Leave sugar plums, St. Nick, and Dasher and Dancer for the lily-livered landlubbers. Yates calls on his inner buccaneer to spin a swashbuckling version of the classic Christmas poem, with “visions of treasure chests,” Sir Peggedy (“a jolly old seadog enormously fat”), and eight giant flying sea horses (“On, Cutthroat! On, Cross-Eyes! On, Roger an’ Jolly!”). The robust verse sails along with gusto; the injection of pirate-speak (glossary included) into the familiar rhyme scheme makes reading the story aloud as much fun as hearing it. Serra’s digitally colored, retro-looking illustrations bring holiday cheer to the high seas; his jewel-tone palette highlights both the briny deep and a festive band of brigands. K.F.

Harriet Ziefert  Hanukkah Haiku; illus. by Karla Gudeon
     24 pp. Blue Apple 11/08 ISBN 978-1-934706-33-6 $16.95
     (Preschool, Primary)
Eight haiku, one for each night of Hanukkah, describe a family’s Hanukkah traditions. Pages in graduated sizes turn to reveal one lit candle at a time, while vibrant, folksy paintings on the opposing pages show family members celebrating. Ziefert packs plenty of information into the haiku form (“Three candles tonight. / Mommy makes a dreidel spin. / Nun, gimel, hey, shin”). The brief lines encapsulate the festive spirit (“Eight candles tonight. / Happy children stand and gaze. / All the candles blaze”). Gudeon’s art intermingles images of Maccabees and of celebrating family members with more iconic designs, incorporating dreidels, musical notes, and Jewish symbols such as pomegranates to create a feeling of tapestry. Hanukkah Haiku is a visually beautiful, concisely poetic way to share the basics of the holiday. SHOSHONA FLAX