Lovely Beasts: The Surprising Truth

Fierce, creepy and prickly are words used to describe some creatures that we might consider to be beasts.  But author Kate Gardner lets us in on a little secret — there’s way more than meets the eye.  Even the most ugly, sharp-toothed, slimy beasts have their gentle, loving and playful sides, when you get to know them.  A surprising and insightful read for animal aficionados and inquiring minds alike.

Lovely Beasts: The Surprising Truth was written by Kate Gardner, illustrated by Heidi Smith and published by Balzer + Bray.

New Christmas Books for 2018

We have one last trio of Christmas books to share.

A Christmas Advent Story adds a special festival touch to counting down the days until Christmas.  Written by Ivy Snow, illustrated by Hannah Tolson and published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

A cozy Christmas tale of teamwork, community and gratitude for fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.  Construction Site on Christmas Night was written by Sherri Rinker, illustrated by AG Ford and published by Chronicle Books.

And lastly, a mischievous cat wreaks so much havoc on his family’s Christmas Eve preparations leaving them appalled, aghast and practically Christmas-less.  This one is delightfully funny and those with cats in their lives will relate all too well.  The Cat Who Ate Christmas was written by Lil Chase, illustrated by Thomas Docherty and published by Running Press Kids.

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.