5 comments about The Animals' Merry Christmas (Little Golden Books (Random House)).

1. My husband and I love this book for the old illustrations from when we were kids. The colors and pictures are vibrant and captures the eyes of even our 2 year old. Lots of fun poems and short stories. This is such a cozy book that brings back old fond memories.



2. My three year old twins are enjoying this new book. So far their favorite stories are "The Naughty Reindeer" and "Terrible Teddy Bear". I can see that this will book will be read during the Christmas season for many years to come!



3. Four stars because this book is so wonderful, but Golden Books has a nasty habit of making some deletions when reprinting their classics. There are also a few pages missing from the reprinted "Santa's Toy Shop," another Christmas favorite.
   
   Four stars anyway because the deleted stories were not particular favorites of mine, but people who remember the original will be disappointed. Better this, however, than no Richard Scarry, and I do not want to discourage anyone from purchasing this marvelous book and reading it to the current generation of children. This is my 60th Christmas, and few of my Christmas memories are more precious than those wrapped up with this book.



4. My sister and I had this book when we were kids in the '80s. We broke it out every Christmas and read the delightful stories of "The Naughty Teddy Bear" and "The Snow Shoe Rabbits" until the insomnia of Christmas Eve gave in to sleep. The illustrations really make the book for me. I'm so glad this book is back in production. This year I bought a copy for my nieces and nephew and they love it too.



5. Three generations have loved The Animals' Merry Christmas by Richard Scary. For a while, it seemed to have disappeared from the shops. Now it's back in all its glory, ready for a new generation of young readers to love!
   
   There are lots of great memories here with wonderful illustrations to bring them back to life for you!

2 comments about Corduroy's Christmas (Lift-the-Flap).

1. My almost two-year-old son loves this book so much that on occasion I have hidden it so I could get a break. The illustrations are cute and very relevant. The story has only a few words per page so it is appropriate for young readers. My only complaint is that the flaps are not as sturdy as alot of other flap books. Still, we have definitely gotten our money's worth out of Corduroy's Christmas.



2. Every child needs a Christmas book in their collection and this is the perfect one. Join Corduroy when he writes to Santa and he goes out caroling. This beautifuly colored book is filled with flaps to lift and things to find. Corduroy is a cute little bear that your children will love forever. What better way to celebrate Christmas than with a cuddly bear. Your child will want to read this book again and again and so will you!

5 comments about Christmas Day in the Morning.

1. Pearl S. Buck does it again...catches the essence of human caring! I gave this book to a family of friends who are milk farmers. My friend is a new grandmother, and she loved it! I just couldn't keep it for myself!



2. I ordered this book for a friend who was unfamiliar with Amazon. It was given as a gift for Christmas to her father. After using Amazon and receiving the merchandise, she was very pleased and will be using Amazon in the future. As for the book, it was a treasure to her father and it in her words is sure to be a family treasure and tradition at Christmas time. She encouraged me to seek a copy for my family and myself. Amazon has it all.



3. I love anything thatis authored by Pearl Buck. This is a sweet story of sharing a gift that can't be bought with money - only love and kindness. I would recommend it to child or adult alike.
   
   Bonnie



4. Does not disappoint. I have a 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old and they enjoyed the story and illustrations. It'll mean more to them as they get older. Helps them understand the farm life of their grandparents. Highly recommend.



5. This is a wonderful story for any Christmas book collection. I like the example of gifts coming from the heart and out of a spirit of love, not the mall. In a season manipulated with marketing, this story reminds me of the joy and simplicity of giving.

3 comments about How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Anniversary Edition: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective.

1. Oh, how we love the Grinch. And now we can know so much more about what makes him tick... This new anniversary edition includes the original story, but adds an essay in the back that explores Seuss' view of Christmas, the visual and conceptual evolution of the Grinch character, and the adaptation of the story into the TV special that we all know and love so well. Written by uber-Seuss-ologist Charles D. Cohen, the essay features wonderful illustrations and all sorts of groovy Grinch memorabilia... A fun look behind the scenes of one of the all-time great children's classics. Cool beans. (ReadThatAgain!)



2. I bought it for my 2 year old, she LOVES books. The cover comes off easily, so I had to put it in a drawer. I love the story, but wish the book were more durable. Maybe better for older children.



3. This book is a treasure! The 32 pages of insightful commentary confirms Cohen as the powerhouse of Seussianna. His Grinch book brings out captivating tid bits of cool Seuss knowledge that ticklemy brain like a zany Seuss Rhyme. Cohen proves again that he's the single most authority on all things Seuss. Thanks for the 29 pages of brainy commentary packed at the end of Seuss's classic Story!!
   
   The Secret Art of Dr. SeussThe Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel

2 comments about Christmas Around the World.

1. As a third grade teacher, this book was a useful tool in teaching about Christmas Around the World. There are so few good books on this topic, and my students enjoyed the one page synopsis of Christmas for each of the countries discussed (about 10). The illustrations for each country are wonderful and vivid. We were able to learn about customs from these countries not usually presented in other books. I would recommend this book to any teacher, parent, or child seeking information about Christmas customs in countries around the world in this enjoyable and fact-filled book.



2. This is a fun book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Christmas. The book looks at 12 countries around the world where Christmas is celebrated on a national scale. One reads brief, but detailed, summaries of the Christmas events and traditions of those countries. From religious celebrations to marketplace customs, and from tasty foods to fun crafts, one is presented with a vivid and enlightening picture of how poeple around the world celebrate the holiday.

   The physical book itself is well made and festive. Each page is colorful and has vibrant paintings of Christmas events in each culture. The type is small, so parents would need to read this to their younger kids. To help readers, the author has included a pronunciation guide in the back. There is also a "fact and fiction" section about common Christmas things which serves as a reference for those who may never have heard of Epiphany or even Jesus Christ. Fun and simple craft guidelines are also included.

   While this is a book about Christmas, it is not a religious book (which disappointed me). It mentions religious events associated with Christmas, but treats it holiday as if it is essentially a cultural event. Nevertheless, it is a fun book that is very educational. It would be a great book to have to bring out to display and enjoy at Christmastime.

1 comments about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Donald's Christmas Gift (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).

1. Another great book from the Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stable. In this story Donald takes the stage and leads the reader on a Christmas adventure. My daughter loves this book and it will be well read over the coming Christmas.

No comments about Funny Faces Santa Claus (Funny Faces).

5 comments about How Santa Got His Job.

1. Excellent book. I am a seond grade teacher and this book teaches a plethora of things: Sequencing, perserverence, building on skills, and many more. Plus, the kids loved it! I am ordering them for all of the children in my family!



2. Boy oh boy - you're going to like this one! It gives you the inside scoop about how Santa Claus came to be the Jolly Old Fellow that you all know him to be! For the first time ever, you'll learn about Santa's career ups and downs, his good times and his bad times, and how on earth it came to be that he started delivering presents to all the world's children - as he does 'til this very day! If your kids are getting to that question-asking age - this book will arm you with some wonderful "facts" that will help the kids to understand what makes Santa Claus such a magical man!



3. This is one of our favorite Christmas bedtime stories; it's short, funny and unique in its perspective on a well-canvassed holiday. Neither cloying nor maudlin, How Santa Got His Job is a delightful revision of the Santa myth. Its subtle humor is slyly reinforced by the illustrations - I especially like the jealous expressions on the faces of the zoo animals as Santa pals around with the reindeer! Parents will catch many little flourishes that children miss, but that makes the act of reading the story fun for everyone.



4. This book is wonderful for children of all ages around the holidays. It provides a cute explanation of how Santa got his job through trial-and-error of other jobs that he wasn't successful at.



5. My kids absolutely love this book. Every year when it's time for Christmas books to come out, this is the first one they want to hear, and they want to hear it almost every night, sometimes twice. It also answered a lot of my own questions about how someone like Santa got started in his particular line of work.

5 comments about The Legend of Saint Nicholas.

1. Sometimes the best way to be more specific about a story beyond saying that it is "wonderful with beautiful pictures" is to quote what it says on the jacket cover that I can confirm from having read the book. I believe that this statement is very accurate - I couldn't have said it better myself: "In THE LEGEND OF SAINT NICHOLAS, Demi describes pivotal events in the history and life of the saint, weaving a rich tapestry of luminous imagery into the story of his connection with Christmas and our modern day Santa Claus. Demi's gilded artwork brings Nicholas to life in a way sure to mesmerize readers new to the story of this fascinating and important historical figure." I am not new to his story. I first learned about Saint Nicholas when I was a 5 year old child in Germany. I continue to celebrate Saint Nicholas day on his feast day, December 6 with whoever is near me. In the process I have explained again and again who he was and continue to have the highest respect for this historical figure, hoping that I can show some of his love for others. One thing that I realized in reading this book is that he was a bishop in the area of what is now part of what is considered to be that of the Orthodox or Eastern Catholic tradition rather than the Roman Catholic tradition. This is realized from the first time that you look at the cover of the book through the first couple of pages that show artwork of Orthodox orthodox churches and continued in "Middle East" scenery and Orthodox artwork. These pictures are present on every page of the book. As Bishop Nicholas lived in what is now Turkey this is most appropriate. A fun addition to this book is that the inside of the front and back covers have pictures of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus as they are appropriately shown in costumes of various cultures throughout the world - Russian, Chinese, Egyptian, Native American, Mexican, German, Irish etc.. One can spend quite a while just looking at these pages they are so fascinating.



2. We got this book for our son's first Christmas and we love the richness of the story and the wonderful pictures. We look forward to reading it every Christmass season!



3. This Book is inviting and beautiful. Demi's artwork is so well done and inspirational. In some ways the pictures tell the story and the words just carry it along. Charlotte Demi Hunt tells this story with reverence and some humor along the way. Look at her inventive end papers and you will see Santa's from around the world. Little details like Nicholas's donkey, a red stocking, darling dutch children holding wooden shoes offer a light humor to a very straight forward telling of the life of Saint Nicholas and how he became Santa Claus. Yet Demi never goes above childrens heads. Her writing is simple and straight forward and the stories of Nicholas's compassion and faith capture your heart. The best is that of the nobleman and his three daughters and how Nicholas saved the girls from slavery with a gift of gold in a stocking. The whole book is a delight and perfect for reading to children.



4. This book is our most cherished Christmas book. The pictures are absolutely lovely and the story is compelling. The book is truly a work of art.



5. This is basically an illustrated, Cliff's notes of St. Nicholas' biography. It has nice illustrations and has a lot of information, dates, and locations of events surrounding St. Nic's life. There are aspects of the biography that I just don't believe to be fact, but more lore, such as no toddler would really refuse to eat or drink milk preferring to pray all Holy Saint's Day. There are also some rather graphic images, such as whips, the mention of him being tortured, and the story of 3 young boys being killed then salted in a tub of brine to be served as food. I know this is part of St. Nicholas' life, but for a kid's book it could have been "lightened" up a bit and still get the point across. But this is coming from a Buddhist (I was raised Christian) who wanted a book to teach my son who "Santa Claus" really is and why everyone gives each other presents for Christmas. It will serve it's purpose, but I will have to either skip a few pages when I read it to him or reword several parts of the story so he doesn't have nightmares about being tortured, enslaved, salted and/or eaten!

No comments about The Littlest Angel.