The Christmas Eve Tree

“A forest of Christmas trees stretching over the hills.  That’s where our story begins.”  A little forlorn fir tree, robbed of the chance to grow and thrive as a seedling, is transported with fellow trees to the city to be put for sale.  Not surprisingly, no one gives this little fir tree a second glance.  On the brink of being discarded, the fir tree ends up being adopted by a boy and both their warmth and presence bring the community together in a memorable way.  A few days later, dried and brittle, while the little tree sits and waits to be tossed out with the other Christmas trees, a street sweeper comes along.  His clever deed gives the little fir tree a new life.  Don’t miss this heartwarming and affecting Christmas tale.

The Christmas Eve Tree was written by Delia Huddy, illustrated by Emily Sutton and published by Candlewick Press.

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.