Christmas Storytime at the Library

I read three books aloud to preschoolers today, I chose ones with three different animals as protagonists. Then we glued sequins for ornaments, drew garlands with glitter crayons, and topped the pre-cut green construction paper tree with a sticky star.  Very cute, and manageable for little hands.  I had eight books to choose from and the ones I chose were big hits:

Merry Christmas, Merry Crow
by Kathi Appelt
Illustrated by Jon Goodell
2005, Harcourt, Inc.

     "Wind's a blowin'
Sky's a snowin'
     Where's this feathered
               fellow goin'?"

The crow glides through each double-page spread, collecting all sorts of tinsel and trinkets he finds laying around, to decorate a tree for all his flying friends.  Gorgeously illustrated, with no white edges (I love edge-of-page to edge-of-page illustrations), the continuous snowfall and merry Christmas shoppers and carolers make this a happy, fun book to share with kids.
     Goodreads rating:  3.93 - 87 ratings

Stowaway in a Sleigh
Written and illustrated by C. Roger Mader
2016 Houghton Mifflin

"It was the darkest hour of night when Slipper heard strange footsteps in the house."

Well, of course she went to investigate, and discovered Mr. Fuzzy Boots...and crawled into his now-empty cozy red bag. After she was whisked away to the North Pole where she made new friends, Santa made a special trip back to Slippers' house to return her.  My little listener was at first a little distressed when she realized that Slippers might not be able to get home again, but enjoyed the story and the illustrations greatly.  Again the gorgeous illustrations covered each entire double-page spread from edge to edge and accentuated the story superbly.
     Goodreads rating:  4.15 - 161 ratings

Bear Stays Up for Christmas
by Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Jane Chapman
2004, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster

"The day before Christmas,
snuggled on his floor,
Bear sleeps soundly
with a great big snore."

Bear has such a tough time staying up once his friends awaken him for Christmas...it is time for his "big sleep" after all, but when it comes time for them to doze off on Christmas Eve, he has a wonderful time preparing surprises for them to find in the morning.  A very cute story, again with many double-page spreads.  Three winners today!
     Goodreads:  4.28 - 6,938 ratings



   

PICTURE BOOK - Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood

Illustrated by Claudia Rueda

2014 Dial Books for Young Readers

HC $16.99

88 pgs. - but minimal words and lots of priceless pictures to peruse - similar in text length )or shorter) than a 32-page picture book

Goodreads rating: 4.34

My rating: 4

Endpapers: red

My comments: Very, very cute!  Cat, being a cat, can't talk ... so he draws picture messages back and forth to the invisible, omnipotent speaker/owner/friend.  He'd like a Christmas gift from Santa - but has been naughty most of the year.  "Speaker" suggests that he do something nice, even if it's last minute - it's better than never.  The outcome is gently funny and fun.  I'd love to read this to my grandkids.

Goodreads:  Cat took on a bunny in Here Comes the Easter Cat, but now Christmas is coming, and Cat has a hunch he's not on Santa's "nice" list. Which means? No presents for Cat. So he tries to be good, but children, it seems, aren't wild for his brand of gift-giving. Still, Cat might surprise himself, and best of all, he may just get to meet the man in the red suit himself—and receive a holiday surprise of his own. Fans of Pete the Cat, Splat the Cat, and Bad Kitty will delight in this holiday treat.

Little Santa - Jon Agee

Illustrated  by the author

2013, Dial

HC $17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.87 (135 reviews)

My rating: 4

Endpapers: medium green

Illustrations:  So simple - thickish black lines water colored in blues, greens, reds, browns, and grays.

Title page:  Both pages - simple painting - Santa, as a young boy, outside his cozy house at the north pole.

1^st line/s:  "In the North Pole, in a little cabin, lived Mr. and Mrs. Claus adn their seven children, Larry, Mary, Willy, Millie, Joey, Zoe, and Santa."

My comments:  Very cute story about how Santa might have come to be.  It made me grin.  So simple - and really fun.  (At first I worried that it might make some kids ask questions - but I don't think it would.)

Goodreads:  Ever wonder what Santa was like as a child? Award-winning author/illustrator Jon Agee brings us the funny, playful answer in this Christmas picture book destined to become a classic.  Little Santa loves the North Pole. The rest of his family?  Not so much. So, when they decide to move to Florida, Santa is miserable. Lucky for him, a blizzard foils their plans. The only way out of the house is up the chimney. Up goes Santa, to look for help, and along the way, he meets a reindeer and a large group of elves, who are more than eager to join in the rescue!  With the sly humor of Jon Klassen and the read-aloud pleasure of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this tale of Santa’s beginnings is perfect for every kid’s holiday library.

Gifts of the Heart - Patricia Polacco

Illustrated  by the author

2013, Putnam Juvenile

HC$17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.13 (39 ratings)

My rating: 3/a very nice story

Endpapers: Rust

Illustrations: Wonderful Patricia Polacco's, which need no further description, do they?

Title page: The page BEFORE the title page shows a front vies of the two children as they look into a store window.  There is also the first page of text.  When you turn the page to the title page, you see a full two-page spread of the back of the children's heads as they look into the shop, with snowflakes falling onto their heads.

1^st line/s:  "Richie and I huddled together and pressed our faces into the cold glass of the Hudson's store window.  Everywhere we looked was a dazzling array of wondrous toys for Christmas.  Then my eyes fell on the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen: a delicate ballerina doll, her hair drawn up in a nest of perfect curls held there by a halo of tiny blue flowers.  Her slippers were gold, like polished stars.  How I longed to have her!"

My comments:  A new Patricia Polacco!  As much as I liked it, the story didn't "enchant" me as hers usually do.  That's not to say I didn't like it, but it didn't grab me and yell "hurrah".

Goodreads:  Beloved author-illustrator Patricia Polacco’s holiday story is a wonderful ode to the magic of family, Christmas, and giving the right kind of gifts—gifts filled with love.  Richie and Trisha want to buy Christmas gifts for their family, but they don't have enough money. Enter Kay Lamity, a new housekeeper . . . but is that all she is? She comes into their lives like a whirlwind, brimming with positive energy and a can-do attitude. Kay not only straightens them out when it comes to whether or not Santa Claus is real, she teaches them something about gifts: the just-good-enough kind that come from the pocketbook and the unforgettable kind that come from the heart. Because of Kay, Trisha and Richie—and the family—have a Christmas morning they will never forget.  Celebrating the joy of homemade gifts, Patricia Polacco introduces readers to a new character who is truly a force of nature in this story reminiscent of Christmas Tapestry and An Orange for Frankie. This is a magical Christmas story the author swears is true, right down to the sleigh tracks on the farmhouse roof!

Santa Claus The World's Number One Toy Expert - Marla Frazee

Sandpiper (Houghton Mifflin) 2005
paper $6.99
32 pages
Rating: 5

Cute and clever, an inside look at Santa, the man. The guy who keeps card catalogues of all the children of the world. Who knows each and every toy intimately. Who inspects them all for sturdiness. Who has a huge wall full of wrapping paper. Who works every single day of the year to find the best toy for every child.

Physically, the book is taller than it is wide. The font is a specialized one created by the author. The text is simple. The illustrations are full of tiny surprises if you are willing to examine them carefully. For example, Santa is quite a coffee drinker, coffee cups appear scattered here and there. And he has a great fashion sense when it comes to bloomers.

"No one knows more about kids than Santa Claus. He is the world's number one kid expert." That's for sure. Great story!

Christmas Kitten: Home at Last - Robin Pulver

Paintings by Layne Johnson
Albert Whitman & Co., 2010
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Spilled milk with paw prints and broken cookies

"The stars still shone b right when Santa arrived home from his most important journey of the year.: And he brought with him a cute little abandoned kitten. He named her Cookie. But when he greeted Mrs. Claus with achoos, she reminded him that he was allergic to cats.

Well, after a bit of sleuthing, they found the perfect home for Cookies. And the part I liked best -- they got the sleigh out for another quick trip, only needed Comet and Blitzen because it was a light load -- and Mrs. Claus accompanied him!

Great illustrations with a ho ho ho Santa and really cutie-pie kitten.