The Broken Ornament

Jack wants this to be the BEST Christmas ever and in his zeal to trim his family’s tree in the grandest way possible, he breaks an ornament.  It’s not just any ornament.  It’s a very special (irreplaceable) family heirloom.  While picking up the pieces of the broken ornament, a quirky magical creature named Tinsel appears.  She deftly grants Jack’s wishes for the best, most over-the-top Christmas ever.  Jack revels in the otherworldly winter wonderland that’s suddenly sprung up in his living room but still lingering is the feeling that he needs to somehow fix his mother’s broken ornament.  Tinsel can’t fix the problem, but she does nudge Jack toward a solution in her magical way.  Tony DiTerlizzi’s art shines in this heartfelt story for the holiday season.

The Broken Ornament was written and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Holiday Gifts from Out of Print

For the small and tall bookworms in your lives — some fantastic gift ideas from Out of Print.

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah

It’s 1912 in the Lower East Side of New York City and we join the quintet of “all of a kind” sisters as dubbed by their parents—Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie—as they prepare for the first night of Hanukkah.  Latkes and applesauce are on their mind as they peel, grate and chop.  Then come sprinkling, shaking and stirring.  Gertie, the littlest, wants to help with all of it, but unfortunately she’s just too young.  Frustration and stomping boots ensue.  But Papa cleverly thinks of something very, very important that Gertie is old enough to help with, for the first time ever.  A special story that celebrates the beauty of family and meaningful traditions.  “The latkes taste of history and freedom, of love and crispy potato.”

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah is based on Sydney Taylor’s books and was written by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinksky and published by Schwartz & Wade.  A glossary, sources and notes from the author and illustrator are included in the back matter.

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express

While at the Christmas market, Mia makes a discovery — a wonderfully peculiar door on a mailbox that beckons to be opened.  She can’t resist and steps through to another world where a reindeer awaits to take her on a journey.  They fly through the deep, thick snow to Mia’s grandpa’s faraway home to make a special delivery that she’ll never forget.  With a wintry magical palette, intriguing die-cut pages to look through and curious doors for the reader to open, Last Stop on the Reindeer Express feels unbelievably cozy and enchanting all at once.

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express was written by Maudie Powell-Tuck, illustrated by Karl James Mountford and published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Silent Night

I’ve been ensconced at home with a horrible foggy cold the past couple of days—and they’ve been slow, grainy rainy days to boot—but I just wanted to pop on here and share this glorious new illustrated edition of a beloved Christmas carol.  Lara Hawthorne’s art is dramatic and bright and brings a new modern beauty to the celebratory and hopeful words of Silent Night.

Wishing everyone a beautiful December weekend!

Silent Night was illustrated by Lara Hawthorne and published by Lincoln Children’s Books.