Children's Books to Welcome Year of the Ox

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVOURITE COW-THEMED BOOKS FOR EVERY AGE!

These two board books are so fun to read aloud, and will be sure to bring giggles to all fun-loving 2 to 4 year-olds. (Sandra Boynton's "Pajama Time" was our family's go-to bedtime story when my kids were young.)

The next three books are recommended for 5 to 8 year-olds.

"Click Clack Moo" is laugh-aloud funny, and begs to be read and re-read.

If you love the rhyme and rhythm of Sandra Boynton in above "Are You a Cow?", then you will be a big fan of Julia Donaldson and "What the Ladybird Heard?", a fun story about a ladybug's attempt to save her friend the cow from being stolen by thieves. ("Tiddler" is our family's favourite Julia Donaldson story.)

For the more pensive child, "Ferdinand" is as relevant today as when it was written 85 (!) years ago.

And here is a recommendation specifically for fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series who are now adults with young children. Your children will enjoy "Where's My Cow?" but you will love the Easter eggs throughout this picture book for 5 to 8 year-olds.

For prank-loving 9 to 12 year-olds, "The Terrible Two" is an effortless read with lots of illustrations, including funny facts about cows, sprinkled throughout this first book in a series.

Curious 9 to 12 year-olds will enjoy this biography of Temple Grandin, subtitled "How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World". She is one of the world's most well-known and accomplished adults with autism. And we love our dog-eared copy of "Calling All Minds", the book she wrote to inspire middle-graders to be creative inventors.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Puberty - Supplementing What's Taught at School

My elder daughter has completed the Puberty segment of the health sciences curriculum that the Hong Kong Education Bureau requires all schools to teach to their fifth-graders. Her Longman General Studies textbook devotes less than 20 pages to this subject and uses large illustrations and even larger text. The curriculum is so general (literally "general" studies!) that I worry it will leave students with more questions than answers. And so, we have supplemented at home with these excellent non-fiction titles that contain age-appropriate details:

Robie H. Harris is the best-known author in this subject area and has sold millions of books. She has a whole series of books for various age groups. Her book, It's So Amazing, is stated as being suitable for children ages 7-10. It covers how babies are made, and is definitely not for reading alone because each page is filled with paragraphs of text and information. I would suggest reading it aloud to this age group only if the child is curious and has already begun asking questions. I believe this book may be easier to digest for children ages 10-12, to read with parents or alone.

Harris's book It's Perfectly Normal is for tweens, and covers changing bodies and sexual health. It elaborates on the subjects covered in the Hong Kong curriculum.

Kelli Dunham is a registered nurse AND a stand-up comic. The fifth editions of her two books, The Girl's Body Book and The Boy's Body Book, were just published last month and contain updated information relevant to tweens and teens in 2019 and beyond. Not only does Dunham cover physical changes and their accompanying emotions, she also writes chapters relevant to growing up in general. For example, she provides tips on study skills in the chapter "Your Changing Body in the Outside World", and shares advice on how to protect yourself from peer pressure and cyberbullying in the chapter "Staying Safe IRL and Beyond".

I love that her chapter on getting along with parents and siblings is titled "What Do These People Want From Me?" The tone of her books are casual conversational rather than laugh-aloud funny; she's wearing her "nurse's hat" to give tweens and teens the information they need to take care of themselves. I think the stand-up comic side of her helps enhance her connection with readers through her choice of language and the flow of the chapters.

American Girl's publications for girls, The Care & Keeping of You, are such a hit that there is also one for boys called Guy Stuff. Book 1 is for younger girls and is easy to read. The book is categorized by different parts of the body, starting from the head (braces and acne) to torso (underarms and breasts) and below (body shape & nutrition, pubic area & periods).

Because the two girl publications are mostly about physical changes, there is another book titled The Feelings Book that covers the complicated and ever-changing emotions of adolescents. It starts with "When you were little, your emotions were simple. You smiled when you were happy. You cried when you were scared or hurt," and goes on discuss being on an emotional roller coaster.

We don't have any American Girl dolls at home, and my daughters are not interested in dolls in general. All I know about this brand is that its dolls and accessories are super-expensive, so I didn't expect much from the "Smart Girl's Guide" series published by American Girl. My set is a hand-me-down from my girlfriend whose daughter loved it as a tween.

I've been reading these books with both my daughters, the younger one being only eight years old, and they are a hit in our home! The format is easy and direct, with simple language, and covers relevant topics like Drama, Rumors & Secrets. Other books in this series include Digital World, Friendship Troubles, Money, Worry, Sports & Fitness and Boys.

And finally, for girls aged 11 and older, HelloFlo: The Guide, Period. approaches puberty from an angle of empowerment. In addition to covering everything related to menstruation, including comparing the different products available, this book also explains all the other aspects of puberty. It's nice that the last chapter encourages girls to develop good friendships with other girls, and discusses the importance of girl power when girls stick together.

Was it really more than a decade ago that I read and re-read my dog-eared copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting? with all my highlights and Post-It tabs? Heidi Murkoff has so many other titles in this series, I wonder why she hasn't come out with a What To Expect The Teen Years?

Surfing the Internet, I see so many funny titles for real books on parenting teenagers:

Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall
Have a New Teenager by Friday
The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans
How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk
He's Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe in Himself
Dial Down the Drama: Reducing Conflict and Reconnecting with Your Teenage Daughter
Ending the Parent-Teen Control Battle

I have not read any of these parenting books, because I hope that my current formula will continue to work: applying my Canadian humour when dealing with my kids + spending time with husband, friends and other adults + gin & tonics.

"It Takes A Village" - Chinese version

我的孩子在本地學校上學。這不單是指教學語言為中文，更甚的是「本地學校」就是僵化考試制度的代名詞，其中所伴隨的就是考試壓力。

在芬蘭，學生們開始學科單元之前就會先測試他們對單元內容的認知，隨後的幾個星期再安排測驗，以了解其學習進度。對於芬蘭我不多說啦。我已經有一年多沒有在博客發文了，本文並不是要比較各國的教育體制。

再次發文是因為感受到同學們所承受的壓力，本星期我孩子的學校派發考試成績，我希望能夠透過本文與其他家長分享我的想法。

如果孩子的考試成績比預期好，我所稱讚的是他的努力，而不是他的智商或才能。當然，我會感到高興和自豪，但不會對他說：「哇！了不起！你真棒，真厲害，真聰明！」，專家建議應該對孩子說的是：「哇，你的努力得到回報了。可幸這次考試的題目你有溫習過，所以能夠取得好成績！」

但是如果孩子的考試成績比預期差，我當然會不滿意。但我會表達出關愛而不是憤怒。我會和他分享我的擔憂和無知：「媽媽擔心這會影響到你的呈分試。」「我真的不知道如何能夠幫助你準備考試，你能告訴我如何幫助你在下一次考試做得更好嗎？」 「跟媽媽談談發生了什麼事，如何在下一次考試提高你的分數？」

與孩子檢討和討論考試成績後，我會轉換話題至生活上和其他重要的事情：週末計劃，假期計劃，孩子在視藝課中的創作，或者在閱讀時間所看過的書... ...還有很多事情需要我去關注，我不會讓考試成績影響親子時間和親子關係。

如果有一天，學校打電話告訴我孩子對考試結果非常不滿，他在小息期間試圖自殺，那我的反應會是什麼？震驚？有不祥的預感？尷尬？

一，假如我會感到震驚，這樣即代表我不太了解我的孩子。也許，我的孩子是一個訓練有素的演員，他故意隱藏情緒。但如果我們擁有優質的親子時間，我理應了解孩子的個性，能力和應對事情的技巧。假果我會感到震驚，那就代表我和孩子都需要尋求專業人士協助。

二，假如我有不祥的預感，這樣即代表我理應已經知道我的孩子過度焦慮甚或有自殺念頭。如果我接到學校這通電話但並不驚訝，那就代表我需要幫孩子尋找專業輔導。

三，假如我對此事感到尷尬，這樣即代表我只關心學校和其他家長對我的印象。如果我所考慮的只是自己的聲譽而不是孩子自殺未遂的問題，那麼需要專業人士幫助的應該是我。

因此，似乎無論我有什麼反應，答案都是尋求專業人士幫助。需要找專業人士幫助並不等於我是一個壞母親或孩子有缺陷。找專業人士只代表想提高自身的育兒技巧，紓緩孩子的情緒以及改善親子關係，接受做家長是不可能自己處理一切。

我不能直到發現事態嚴重之後才去求助，更不應受到面子問題影響而阻礙自己求助。

食家喜歡看食評尋找好餐廳、愛練瑜伽的人會希望從導師身上改進自己的瑜伽技藝，而信眾則會聽從風水師的建議。如果我愛我的孩子，如果我關心我的孩子，如果我對孩子有信念，那麼，我就需要和其他人流交。

養育孩子需要群策群力，嘗試踏出第一步，學習更多育兒技巧，並尋求專業人士協助。

"It takes a village to raise a child." Reach out, learn, seek advice.

"It Takes a Village"

My children attend a local school in Hong Kong. This means so much more than simply Chinese being the language of instruction, because "local school" implies rote learning and standardized testing. And with that comes the stress of being tested. 

In Finland, students are tested at the beginning of a subject module to see what they know and don't know. Then they are quizzed at points over the ensuing weeks to check that they are learning the things that they don't yet know. But enough about Finland. I have not posted on my blog for more than one year, and what has spurred me to action is not a desire to do a comparative study of education systems. 

The reason I feel compelled to write is that kids at my children's school are feeling stress because this week they receive their exam results, and I want to share my thoughts with other parents.

If my child does better than expected, I will praise his efforts, not his IQ or talent. Yes, of course I will be happy and proud, but instead of "Wow, my awesome boy, so good, so smart!", experts suggest saying to him, "Wow, you really tried and your efforts were rewarded. You're lucky the exam covered things that you studied hard for, and good for you for getting such a good mark!" 

If my child does worse than expected, it's okay to be unhappy. But my unhappiness will be expressed with concern rather than with anger. It's okay to share my worries and my lack of knowledge with my child: "I worry that this will affect your acceptance to high school." "I don't know how to help you prepare for exams, can you tell me how I can help you do better on the next exam?" “Let’s talk about what happened and how you can improve your score on the next exam?”

After my child and I review and discuss exam results, I will move on to the important things in my life and my child's life: weekend plans, holiday plans, what my child has created in art class or has read during Reading Time... I have many things to focus on, and won’t let exam scores affect my time and relationship with my child.

If the school calls to tell me that my child was so upset with his exam result that he attempted suicide during recess, what would be my reaction? Shock? Premonition? Embarrassment?

(1) If I feel shock, then I don’t know my child very well. Yes, maybe my child is a skilled actor purposely hiding his feelings. But if I spend quality time with him, I should know his personality, capabilities and coping skills. If I feel shock, then it means that both of us need professional help.

(2) If I had a feeling this may happen, then I must already know that my child is over-anxious and/or capable of suicidal thoughts. If I am not surprised to receive this call from the school, then it means that I need to find professional help for my child right away. 

(3) If I feel embarrassed about what happened, then I am only focusing on what the school and other parents will think of me. If I think about my own reputation more than my child’s attempted suicide, then I need professional help.

So, it seems that, no matter what my reaction is, the answer is professional help. Seeking professional help doesn’t mean that I am a bad parent or that my child is defective. Seeking professional help means that I am willing to admit that I cannot handle everything by myself, that I want to improve: my parenting skills, my child’s emotional state, and our parent-child relationship.

I cannot wait for something serious to happen before seeking help. I should not let “face” prevent me from seeking help. 

Foodies love recommendations about good restaurants. Yoga enthusiasts love to improve their technique from good teachers. Feng shui believers want advice from masters. If I love my child, if I am enthusiastic about my child and if I believe in my child, then I need to talk to people. 

"It takes a village to raise a child." Reach out, learn, seek advice. 

Christmas Novels for Youth (Ages 10+)

I just ordered a bunch of books for December reading and just can't wait another minute to tell you about them. Never mind that Halloween hasn't even arrived yet, or that I have a hundred things on my To-Do List...

This is just a book list, please click the book cover to get more information from Amazon. No book review, because almost all of them are hot off the press.

I know these may tend to lean heavier on romance, but hey, it's Christmas and no one wants to write a dystopian Christmas story.

(Click HERE for my list of Christmas-themed picture books for children ages 3+)

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

Anthology with contributions by two of my favorite authors in the young adult field: Rainbow Rowell and Matt de la Peña.

Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig

The first book A Boy Called Christmas was a bestseller translated into over 25 languages, and it was followed by The Girl Who Saved Christmas. This third title has all the makings of an unforgettable adventure: The adopted human child of Father Christmas dealing with the challenges of Elf School faces her biggest challenge when a jealous Easter Bunny tries to destroy Christmas.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase (by Cynthia Hand)

A retelling of A Christmas Carol may not hook everyone, but who can resist a tale with a twist: Teenager Holly gets a visit in the same way as Scrooge in the Charles Dickens classic. But instead of repenting, she remains selfish and spoiled and then... dies! The suspense of this mere plot summary is already killing me. Can't wait to read it.

Nutcracked (by Susan Adrian)

As if the Nutcracker ballet isn't fantastical enough, the author has added one more layer to the timeless tale: A girl (Georgie) who dances the part of a girl (Clara) who falls into a fantasy world, also finds her own real and fantasy world becoming blurred.

Top Elf by Caleb Huett

For those who love a good laugh, how can you not guffaw when reading about Santa's eldest son, whose first name is... Klaus.

The 12 Dares of Christa by Marissa Burt

There are people who just absolutely love Christmas, and I'm one of them. So I can feel the pain of the "holiday junkie" girl in this story, who is so very *not* looking forward to her mother's plans to take her to Europe for her first holiday away from home.

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

A holiday romance to follow bestseller Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (a cute New York story about a romance that resulted from a red notebook and the scavenger hunt that ensues).

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Miracle

Three interconnected stories from three bestselling authors. Enough said.

Teenage Daughters

For parents who are experiencing, enjoying, and/or preparing for life with teenage daughters:

Two non-fiction books on my To-Read list: Lisa Damour's "Untangled" and Peggy Orenstein's "Girls and Sex".

Five years ago, Orenstein wrote "Cinderella Ate My Daughter", which was perfect for me at that time because my elder daughter was in kindergarten and going through a loooong phase of wearing only pink. And now that my and the author's daughters are growing up, she has written this new book for parents of tweens and teens. All I can say is, I'm so glad there were no camera phones and social media platforms when I was a teenager. The crazy things my friends and I did (or were rumored to have done) faded in oral history, with the only possible recorded evidence being some random diary entry in curly cursive writing buried deep within boxes of old stuff that still haven't been thrown out.

"Untangled" goes through the seven stages that teenage girls go through: (1) parting with childhood, (2) joining a new tribe, (3) harnessing emotions, (4) contending with adult authority, (5) planning for the future, (6) entering the romantic world and (7) caring for herself.

Ultimately, I think it's about girl power, a strong parent-child bond and a family that focuses on what's inside rather than what's on the surface (or whatever is the image we want to present on social media).

Nothing screams girl power more than "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls", by Elena Ravioli and Francesca Cavallo. A crowdfunding project recommended to me by a girlfriend who is raising her own little rebel girl, and illustrated by more than 60 female illustrators, this book is "the most-funded original book in the history of crowdfunding". These stories are actually one-page biographic tales of extraordinary women pioneers. There are the usual suspects such as Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Jane Goodall and Marie Curie. There are also less obvious additions like supermodel Alek Wek, rock star Joan Jett, ballerina Misty Copeland and architect Zaha Hadid. With stories of 100 women from around the world, what I appreciate most, in reading together with my daughters, is learning about women who are not household names (at least not in our household), including scientist and president of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, motocross racer Ashley Fiolek and elementary school student Coy Mathis.

"Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever." is a collection of laugh-aloud humor from some of the best children's writers today, including Cece Bell, Lisa Graff, Lenore Look and Raina Telgemeier. Published just in time for summer holidays, there's nothing more empowering and inspiring for young girls than seeing women entertain and delight audiences using the power of language and not their physical appearance.

While the above two books are great for reading aloud with the young ladies in your home, some books are best savored alone in a cozy book nook:

Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen books featuring strong female protagonists. However, the two that I feel every teen should read are Gail Carson Levine's "Ella Enchanted" and Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret".

"Ella Enchanted" resonates with me because I'm always conscious of Chinese parents' need to put obedience and good behavior above all else. Why, I often argue with my Hong Kong-raised husband, is a child a bad girl simply because she disagrees with her parents, or got up on the wrong side of the bed, or wants to be expressive by clanging on noisy toys? In this novel, Ella is put under a spell that compels her to be obedient: gift or curse? The above book cover is the 20th anniversary edition that is hot off the presses.

Judy Blume's book introduces pre-teens to the various topics surrounding sex and religion. Originally published in 1970, you can see that the current edition's book cover has been updated for the texting generation. When my daughters are old enough for this, my approach would be for them to read it first, and then we can have conversations about the story and the themes.

It's been six months since I last posted on this blog. All this talk of books and daughters has me dreaming of starting my own mother-daughter book club in a few years' time.

Happy Summer!

Our Christmas Story Book Collection... to date

To say that I love Christmas is a bit of an understatement. The consistency of my childhood Christmases means that the fond memories run deep: decorating the tree, dozens of Christmas carols that I learned to sing and play on the piano, East-West Christmas dinner of turkey stuffed with Chinese sausage glutinous rice, Nutcracker ballet, praying for snow in mild Vancouver, and annual viewings of "A Christmas Story" ("Ralphie, you'll shoot your eye out!").

When I moved to Hong Kong and had my own home for the first time, I started my own annual traditions: a 9-foot fir tree from Sophie's and fully-dressed turkey from Mandarin Oriental (for 18 almost-consecutive years), and annual viewings of "Love Actually".

When I got married and started a family, I continued and added to the above: Nutcracker ballet, visit to The Peninsula... and Christmas story books.

Here is a rundown of our family collection, which will no doubt continue to grow.

[Click HERE for Christmas-themed chapter books for children aged 10+]

We have many versions of THE NUTCRACKER; some are translated versions of the original tome by E.T.A. Hoffman while others are more digestible re-tellings for young children.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
One of the few versions based on Tchaikovsky's ballet, it's such a treat to see the characters as ballet dancers, just like the actual performances from Hong Kong Ballet.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Alison Jay
Our first Nutcracker book, illustrated in a style reminiscent of Eric Puybaret.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
I really came to appreciate the art of this award-winning Austrian when I attended an exhibition of her artwork at the Taipei Book Fair a few years back. What I love is her depiction of well-known scenes from a completely new perspective.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
This is the translated version of the original long tale, with illustrations that feel like oil paintings suited for framing and display in an art museum. My children have yet to hear the long tale in full, but they have learned from perusing our various books that, in the "real" version, the little girl is named Maria instead of Clara, and the mouse-king has seven heads.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Another original long tale, this time with the iconic illustrations of my favorite Maurice Sendak. Reading the introduction to this edition, I learned that his art was translated into the costume and set design for Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker performances. Attending this ballet in Seattle is on my bucket list.

The Nutcracker, illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat
A wonderful re-telling with images in black scissor-cut paper that are intricate and breathtaking.

FUN AND FAMILIAR STORIES FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN

My First Night Before Christmas
This is an illustrated version of Clement C. Moore's poem that famously starts with "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse." It was the perfect story for my kids to enjoy when they were very little, with tactile Santa's beard and sparkle-papered Christmas tree.

The Night Before Christmas
A more artful version of Clement C. Moore's poem is illustrated by Eric Puybaret. He is one of my favorites when it comes to beautifully rendered images of classic tunes like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Puff the Magic Dragon", to name a few.

The Stick Man
This rhyming tale by the best-selling duo of writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler begs to be read aloud. I bought the jigsaw book version when I went on my first mommy-daughter trip, and wanted to bring a book that I knew could keep my young daughter entertained when we had down time in the hotel room.

The Twelve Days of Christmas
Jan Brett's vintage style illustrations help my children visualize this vocabulary-rich song; at the very least, they know the difference between a partridge and a French hen.

Jingle Bells
Also illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat, this is a picture book version of the catchy holiday tune.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
I purchased this book thinking it contained the lyrics of the song by the same name, but this is actually recounts the tale of Rudolph in narrative prose. It is billed as "the only authorized reproduction of the original Rudolph from 1939", but I'm not sure by whom?

Santa Calls
I bought this book because of William Joyce, also the creator of "The Numberlys", one of my younger daughter's favorite picture books.

Christmas Eve at the Mellops
Tomi Ungerer is a genius when it comes to creating funny, poignant classics. This book is a great way to introduce to children the Christmas spirit of giving and spreading joy to others. We laugh aloud together at the porcine Mellops family. In our home, they rank right up there with Peppa Pig.

The Jolly Christmas Postman
A Christmas rendition of "The Jolly Postman". Created by Janet & Allan Ahlberg, these books are the only other epistolary (letter-writing as a storytelling form) books I know of, which are designed in the same format as Griffin and Sabine (one of my favorite books of art), with actual letters in envelopes on each page. In this entertaining read, the postman delivers letters (and the odd junk mail) to familiar fairy-tale characters. 

The Polar Express
This title instantly brings to mind the computer-generated image of Tom Hanks as the train conductor. I knew the movie before the book, and love our edition which contains an audio-book narrated by Liam Neeson.

The Christmas Wish
Husband-and-wife team dresses up own daughter and uses fine art photography to create winter wonderland images for an adorable holiday tale.



ORIGIN STORIES ABOUT NATIVITY, FATHER CHRISTMAS AND EVEN POINSETTIAS

A Christmas Story
This is the nativity story of the birth of Jesus Christ. If you like Brian Wildsmith's gorgeous illustrations, you will love his other books, including "An Easter Story".

The First Christmas
A master of the scissor-cut silhouette style of illustration, Jan Pienkowski's version of the birth of Jesus Christ is a favorite in our home.

The Christmas Story
Robert Sabuda is THE master paper engineer (a.k.a. pop-up book maker). Every page contains an engineering feat.

A Boy Called Christmas / The Girl Who Saved Christmas
Award-winning novelist Matt Haig has created a middle-grader classic about what Santa Claus was like as a youngster. His second novel, about a girl named Amelia and her adventures with Father Christmas, is hot off the press.

The Legend of St. Nicholas
A picture book about how a little boy grew up to become Father Christmas.

The Legend of the Poinsettia
Tomie dePaola writes and illustrates lovely, gentle stories full of love for family and for life. And this story, a re-telling of a Mexican legend explaining how the poinsettia came to become a part of Christmas holiday tradition, is no exception.

The Baker's Dozen
This re-telling of the Dutch colonial legend of why a baker's dozen means thirteen.



POIGNANT AND TIMELESS TALES FOR OLDER CHILDREN

The Little Match Girl
When my kids were young, I made a conscious decision not to buy Raymond Briggs's wordless classic "The Snowman" because it was too sad of a story. At some point in the past couple of years, I forgot about that conscious decision and we now have two versions of an even sadder story.

The Little Match Girl
Jerry Pinkney creates beautiful art that complements Hans Christian Andersen's story so well. If you love Pinkney's wordless award-winner "The Lion and the Mouse", you will fall for his heart-rending images for this sad but uplifting tale.

A Christmas Carol
I grew up with many movie, made-for-TV and cartoon versions of this classic tale by Charles Dickens, but didn't read the original story until adulthood. The small red-covered version is from the Folio Society and we also have a beautiful read-aloud version illustrated by the acclaimed P. J. Lynch.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Touted as a classic must-read, this book was out of print when I first learned of it, and was only reprinted in the past couple of years. It has the perfect Christmas formula of a family facing hardship but finding a happily-ever-after ending. The big bonus here are illustrations by P. J. Lynch. We can't get enough of his artwork in our home.

Marguerite's Christmas
I don't remember how I came across this book, but I bought it last year and I love it. It is a lovely, gentle tale with just the right dose of "Christmas spirit".

The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas
The fact that it's written by Madeleine L'Engle is all the reason I need to own this book. I know that I over-use the word "favorite" when I write about authors, illustrators and their books, but her classic "A Wrinkle in Time" is undoubtedly one of my top three childhood favorites. She has the special ability to write in the voice of a child. Written from the point of view of 7 year-old Vicky, it is a story of a big family with an imminent increase in size as they await the birth of a new baby.

Christmas Stories

Michael Morpurgo is such a wonderful yet prolific writer that it's quite a challenge to pick just one of his stories as a must-read. Thankfully, you can sample his writing style in this collection of original stories with masterful plots and a good pace that will keep children's attention for longer read-alouds.

Letters from Father Christmas
When your dad is J. R. R. Tolkien, creator of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", you can expect nothing less magical than hand-written letters from the North Pole every December. Tolkien's letters "from Santa" to his children are full of humor and love. In this keepsake book, the actual letters are also reproduced, along with his original illustrations. A bibliophile's dream.

The Gift of the Magi
O. Henry is the quintessential writer of short stories, that most challenging genre which requires a writer to create concise worlds with fully-developed characters but without the luxury of hundreds of pages of narrative. I didn't realize until I started writing this piece that this is our third holiday book with illustrations by P. J. Lynch; of course, this led me to do a quick scan around our home library to see just how many Lynch-illustrated books we have. Only four. The other is non-holiday book "Oscar Wilde Stories for Children".

Christmas Day in the Morning
Originally published in 1955, this tale perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas giving. I have not read Pearl S. Buck before, though I appreciate that she has won both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes.


CHRISTMAS STORY COLLECTIONS

Advent Storybook
I love the idea of a reading a story each night. In theory. Every year I plan to bring this book out and start reading on December 1. But with favorite Christmas stories to revisit, new Christmas books to discover and whatever non-holiday books my kids are currently reading, this Advent Storybook just keeps getting pushed down the priority list.

A Very Russian Christmas
Any Russian literature geek will enjoy this collection of stories, including those by literary giants Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov. This book was just published last month, and I can't wait to dig into it on my own this season.


I'd love to hear your feedback. Are any of the above books also favorites in your home? Do you have a book recommendation for me? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Happy holidays!