|
Tales
of Santa to Tickle Your Toes
By Holly E. Newton
Santa Claus
is coming to town and do I ever have some great picture books about
him! Let me point out that all ages will enjoy every one of these
books!
 First,
let’s begins with the ultimate Santa Claus book. Santa Claus,
by Rod Green, is an oversized picture book that has large, heavy-duty
pages filled with extraordinary pictures and information about the
jolly man himself and all the facts that surround him.
The wonderful
and inventive illustrations, by Jon Lucas, Carol Wright, Simon Danaher
and Craig Sudac, are bright, fill each page and include many pictures
that unfold, with letters inside envelopes and tabs to pull. If
your little one wonders about life and magic at the North Pole,
this is the perfect book!
And what
is Christmas without the famous poem by Clement C. Moore, The
Night Before Christmas? Only this
picture book is beautifully illustrated by the famous Will Moses.
Mr. Moses' famous folk paintings bring Santa’s arrival, in the early
morning night, in full spread pages. This book is a must for all
households!
And while
we’re on the subject, A Creature Was Stirring:
One Boy’s Night Before Christmas, is a counterpart
to Mr. Moore’s famous poem. Carter Goodrich,
who both wrote and illustrated the book, placed Mr. Moore’s poem
on one side of the page and on the opposite page a youngster’s reaction
to it. For instance, on the opposite page from the part
of the poem that states The children
were nestled all snug in their beds…, the opposite page has
the youngster sitting wide awake on his bed and the text reads,
How can they sleep? I sure wish, I could, He’ll write in that
book; he’ll write I’m no good!
How about
Clement C. Moore’s poem from a soldier’s point of view? The
Soldier’s Night Before Christmas,
by Trish Holland and Christine Ford, is the perfect book for those
families with loved ones serving in Iraq,
or elsewhere overseas. The text closely follows the original poem,
but with a military slant. As a soldier hears the clatter outside
his tent, he looks out his window and sees, “More rattles and
rumbles! I heard a deep whine! Then up drove eight Humvees, a jeep close behind… Each vehicle painted a bright
Christmas green. With more lights and gold tinsel
than I’d ever seen.” The illustrations, by John Manders, perfectly match and will surely bring a smile to
all who read it!
Santa
Knows, by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, is a clever story about a young boy who is
very doubtful that Santa really exists. He goes around school promoting
this idea, writes a letter to the paper and even goes on the radio.
But something quite fantastic happens to him on Christmas Eve, making
him change his mind. The illustrations, by Steve Bjorkman, are in a cartoon-style form.
 And
what about Santa’s wife? Does she ever get to go anywhere? Mrs.
Claus Takes a Vacation, written and illustrated by Linas
Alsenas, is a humorous look at the spouse
and her view on life in the cold and snowy weather. She tells Santa
that he always gets to go all around the world. So she packs up
and leaves for sunnier weather. The pictures are hilarious as she
tries sushi, or suntans on a beach. But it’s very evident that
Mr. Claus misses her terribly.
Kids would
likely love to have Christmas come every day of the year. Or would
they? Merry UnChristmas, by Mike Reiss, and illustrated by David
Caatrow, is a very funny look at a youngster's
life where she only gets to go to school for one day a year and
only gets leftovers one day a year. And it’s the one day that she
doesn’t get a bunch of presents. And she can hardly wait! Your
little one will laugh out loud with this unique slant on Christmas
and you'll love the picture on the last page of the book.
Mary Englebereit’s
A Merry Little Christmas has her celebrated trademark
style of beautiful and bright illustrations as she takes you through
the alphabet this holiday.
 One
Snowy Night, by Beth Harwood, is a darling story about a
little lost dog. But what make this story outstanding are the layers
of pictures that seem to pop in with depth by illustrator Susanna
Ronchi.
And once
again, the last book will definitely not be last on your list.
Christmas Lights, by Marion Dane Bauer, has a sweet
message of rhyme. But it’s the bold and bright illustrations, by
Susan Mitchell, that will instantly grab your attention. Every
board-like page lights up! Wow!
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates
© 2006
Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
