No comments about Trinidad (Festivals of the World).

2 comments about The Night Before Christmas.

1. In this collection of stories and poems, the fascinating traditions and customs of Christmas are revealed on single-page features. Each story is accompanied by fascinating information on a page illustrated with colorful photographs from around the world. These pages give insights into various traditions and aspects of the Christmas holiday. Why do we have Christmas trees? Do you know who Santa Claus really is?
   
   Anne Yvonne Gilbert has illustrated the stories in such delightful detail. She began as a freelance illustrator in 1978 and has since published illustrated books on both sides of the Atlantic for most major publishers. Many pieces of her prize-winning original artwork reside in private collections, including one owned by England's Princess Margaret.
   
   This is a collection of traditional favorites by Charles Dickens, Louisa May Allcott, Hans Christian Andersen, and Clement C. Moore. Modern classics are also included. Each story has been chosen to illustrate a Christmas theme.
   
   The stories include: The Cherry Tree Carol, The Little Fir Tree, A Merry Christmas, Really, Truly, Reilly, The Christmas Cherries, Christmas Dinner at the Cratchits, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Cat on the Dovrefell, The Holly and the Ivy, There's Snow on the Fields, A Christmas Story, A Visit from Saint Nicholas and Baboushka.
   
   A Merry Christmas is a story about Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy who's father is away fighting in the Civil War. They have no presents to look forward to at Christmastime. Their mother promises them they will have a surprise waiting for them under their pillows when they awake. A Christmas Story is one told by gypsy mothers on the night of Christmas. A Visit from St. Nicholas is actually the traditional "Night before Christmas" poem made popular by Clement Clark Moore.
   
   Baboushka is a story of a woman who goes searching for the Christ Child and is looking still. She was too busy looking for toys and cleaning them and doesn't go with the three kings to see the Christ Child. Perhaps there is a great lesson in this story as God seeks our hearts, not our outward display of gifts. Now Baboushka is said to go from house to house seeking for the Christ Child and if she hears of a good deed, she leaves a toy from her basket for a sleeping child.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



2. If I could give Zero stars this book would get it! This book almost ruined our Christmas Eve! Senior editor Alastair Dougall of Doring Kindersley removed key parts of the classic tale The Night Before Christmas, for which the book takes it name!
   
   The stanzas beginning with "The children were nestled all snug in their beds," "When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter" are completely GONE!
   
   The editors must have needed to shorten the classic poem to make room for other stories of Christmas which are indeed beautiful but they don't make up for the missing parts of the classic poem. Perhaps the removed verses are part of some original version but there is no indication of this in the book.
   
   Once I realized the hack job that these editors had done, I was lucky to be able to locate our old copy of Moore's poem from last year which I could read aloud to my 6-year-olds.

1 comments about Asher and the Capmakers: A Hanukkah Story.

1. This is a traditional story re-told. A young boy goes looking for an egg for latkes and gets lost in the woods on a Hanukkah night adventure. We liked the illustrations and the magical twist to the story.

No comments about Diwali (Fiestas Con Velas).

1 comments about The Monster Mall and Other Spooky Poems (All Aboard Poetry Reader).

1. My children loved Grasshopper Pie & Other Poems and seem to never tire of reading these delightful poems. We are now actively into The Monster Mall & Other Spooky Poems, David Steinberg's second book. We anxiously await the pleasure of reading the next books in the series. Mr. Steinberg is a delightful combination of the Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein classics of my childhood.

No comments about Good Friends: Diversity in America.

2 comments about The Easter Story (Little Bible Playbooks) (Little Bible Playbooks).

1. This small book is very appealing for youngsters from, say, age 4 to 12. The older kids can read it to the younger ones. There are about 25 words per page. It's a board book, which makes it sturdy. It will survive lots of young hands handling it. Good gift for a Sunday school class.



2. The pictures are colorful, with the majority of the pictures and text about the events of Holy Week. The last two pairs of pages are on the events of Easter morning and the following days. It has a nice question and answer section at the end. The paperback I bought is too wordy and a little dark for the preschool set. The content is suitable for all elementary grades, but the style of the illustrations will probably be unappealing to older children.

No comments about Celebrations: Hanukkah, Christmas, the Chinese New Year (Themes,).

No comments about The Elephant's Ball.

No comments about A Little Bending.