Advent Books

Molly's Surprise
By Valerie Tripp

Molly is trying hard to be excited about Christmas. With her dad gone to war, it doesn't seem like Christmas will ever be the same, in the McIntire household. Molly wonders if her dad will send a Christmas package, and, if he does, will it get arrive on time? It isn't as important for Molly to have her father's gifts, as it is to know that her dad is alright.

Molly, her sister Jill, and her brother Ricky, put their money together to buy the family a Christmas tree.

Molly discovers the first snow, and can't wait to make snow angels. But, she has a hard time enjoying the snow, while anxiously waiting to see if her father will send a package.

My daughter Karen enjoyed her Molly doll so much, that I enjoyed giving her Molly gifts for Christmas and Birthdays. Imagine her surprise on Christmas morning when she had her very own Molly package under the tree with Molly's Christmas surprise. It came in a box addressed to Molly McIntire from Molly's dad. This item can be ordered in the American Girl section on Amazon under Molly's accessories.

Molly Fashion Studio (American Girl)

"Molly's Stocking" for 18" American Girl doll

"Molly's Party Treats - Retired Version" for 18" American Girl doll

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

ISBN 0937295256 - The American Girl books are quickly becoming favorites of mine, mostly for sentimental reasons. I'm not sure that that reason translates for young girls, but their little consumer-driven hearts will enjoy the "real" stories of their dolls anyway. With a war going on now, this book seemed very appropriate, so I bumped it up the to-be-read list.

The McIntires, like most of America, faced the Christmas of 1944 with a combination of hope and worry. Molly's older sister, Jill, was encouraging everyone to be "realistic", and not waste time hoping for fun presents because they'd be disappointed when everything they got was practical. Their father was off in Europe, in danger every day, but it was still hard to believe that the magic of Christmas would wane this year. No gifts had arrived from Dad and Molly, for one, was certain they would show up soon. In the meantime, the McIntires will have to learn to make do and create their own special surprises for one another.

There are some spectacular moments in this story, including the conversation between Molly and Jill, where the girls reveal their real concern about the lack of gifts from their father: if he hasn't sent anything, not even a card, how can they know he's okay? The current wars don't really equate to WWII, and the level of patriotism and sacrifice are not exactly the same, but the belief in Santa, the joy of Christmas, the love of family and the worries for the people serving our country... those are always the same. Molly's Surprise captures them very well - I think adults will even find themselves enjoying this one. The educational material at the end of the book is a nice bonus.

- AnnaLovesBooks

In this book Molly McIntire's Dad is in the war so she thinks he won't send presents for Christmas. Of coarse the famly sent him presents but Molly isn't sure her dad will. Then she and her sister Jill find a package from their dad saying not to tell any one about until Christmas. To find out more read the book.

This is another in the American Girls series about Molly McIntire, a ten-year-old girl living on the home front during World War 2. With Christmas coming on, Molly begins to feel a bit depressed. Her father won't be there, the factories are making armaments rather than toys, and her father's special surprise gifts won't be there. But, Molly remembers that her father told her that Christmas is a time for surprises, and as she and her family begin to make their own merry Christmas, she finds that her father was quite right!

This is another great Molly story! Valarie Tripp does an excellent job of telling a story that is realistic, and yet uplifting and fun. Nick Backes' illustrations are wonderful, and add a lot to an already great story. My twelve-year-old daughter loved this Molly story, and so did I. We both highly recommend this book.

I got this book for Christmas and it is very good.Molly is my favorite character. In this book she almost gave up all hope on her christmas gift from her dad but still had a little flame of hope that kept that gift from getting lost or stollen. But all through still she kept the Christmas spirit which is very important. I would recomend this book to any one. Thank you.

Amy is my cousin and I must say her book is great. She is very creative and humorous, and her writing proves this. Amy is very talented.

i am not yet finished w/ my american adventure but it is the most ^ lifting book my dream was to go on an "american adventure" and this summer my family is going to try to get on the road . and my goal is to record everyting and write a book about it. thats when i found my american adventure i was so excited that there was a book about somthing similar dream that i could read about!!! thanks amy,jon,emily,and kurt

This is a nice book for teens and adults about a year-long tour around the fifty states by a pre-teen in an RV with her folks and younger brother. Amy's tour teaches her about geography, the confort of home, the jealousy and withdrawal of friends, and the value of persistence when governors of the fifty states cannot meet with her. I will not tell how she finally gets the last five governors to sign her sweatshirt mementoes of the trip, but her determination and luck pays off. I am a church librarian and bought this book because it has many lessons and is just plain fun reading for our teens. I hope I can get them to read it--they need a lot of pushing to read any kind of material. The fact that Amy mentions her religion throughout the book helped make the sale for me. I am always lookiing for books that have a religious backfround without hitting you over the head with it. This book fits the bill. Thanks, Amy, for an outstanding book.

I got this book for Christmas last year, and I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely!! Amy tell story after [interresting, funny, heartwarming] story, and the spririt of adventure in this books inspires the readers to "reach really high" themselves!! After reading of Amy's accomplishment, I too wanted to get out and DO something!!

Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was written by a 13-year-old, which gave it interesting insights, yet was extremely well written. We read it aloud during a recent 1,000 mile trip and were inspired by Amy's courage and dedication. The ending was truly inspirational. It's a great book to give to any teenager (my 13-year-old daughter did most of the reading) to inspire them to have goals and reach out to achieve them. Highly recommended!

What's more fun than a pop-up book? And this one is not only delightfully crafted with tabs to pull and wheels to turn. Its colorful, folk-art illustrations have an innocent reverence that is warm and appealing. We see and interact with scenes of the angel appearing to Mary; no room at the inn; the birth of Jesus in the stable; the angels appearing to shepherds; the wisemen following the star; and the wise men presenting their gifts. The brief text is surrounded by lovely, decorative borders. A treat for young and old!

This is a lovely book to share with children. The artwork is beautiful and the pop-up pictures are great to use in recalling the message of Christ's birth. It holds the young child's attention and allows the child or reader to expand on the details of what is portrayed on each page. We enjoyed this book and will continue enjoy it for years to come.

This is another example of beautiful pop up paper art. It truly is art, so wonderfully done. My almost 5 year old enjoys pop up books and is responsible enough to know that you have to be very careful with them. We added this one to our collection right before Christmas this year. The corresponding story is short enough to hold his attention also.

Fantastic Book, I can use it for my Sunday School Class. They can enjoy the story while looking at the pop Ups. You know the old saying "One picture is worth a thousand words", and in this case it is so true. thanks, Muriel Carter

This book is a real gem! The pictures are like Renaissance art tableaux. They 'move' when the slides are pulled, so small children are very intrigued by the book and eagerly waiting to see what will move next. (The pictures are sufficiently fragile that we do not let our 2- and 4-year-olds pull the slides yet.) We have included this book in our Advent activities. It is my favorite of the ten or so Nativity-themed books that we use.

The other book that I love:Who Is Coming to Our House? (Board Book) is told from the perspective of the inhabitants of the stable. Who is Coming to Our House's unique perspective and its lovely rhymes that won me over -- not the artwork. (It tells only a portion of the Nativity story.)

FYI.... While the art in The Nativity is truly awe-spiring, it is probably not the best book for conveying all of the 'facts' of the Christmas story. This book is more of a supplement to other event-by-event chronicles of the tale.

Don't worry if you don't reside in New York. This book is a must have if you like the images of christmas.

The book and it's many wonderful pictures depict christmas that many of us share no matter where you live.

If you want a real christmas mood setter and a beautiful coffee table christmas book to share with your visitors over the christmas holidays (and you and your own family too), then this book is one to get.

A most recommended christmas book.

This book truly captures the essence of New York at Christmas. Mr. Crosby has done a remarkable job of capturing the known and the unknown, both of which make Manhattan a spectacular place to be.

The presentation is wonderful, the content is great, and the author/photographer is to be thanked for sharing his art with us.

I look forward to future books by Mr. Crosby.

Being in New York at Christmas is one of my favorite things...and now I can relive that time whenever I pick up this book. The selection of subjects for the photographs is fascinating, the quality of the photography is excellent and the comments throughout the book are illuminating. I recommend New York Christmas as an ideal book for your library or as a gift.

This is an amazing piece of work which deftly displays a wintry charm that I never knew New York City possessed. It's funny that only by looking at familiar places through someone else's eyes can we really see what's there. Whether you're a New Yorker, a transplanted New Yorker, or just an occasional visitor, this wonderful collection of Christmastime photos surely deserves a prominent place on your coffee table. Hats off to Mr. Crosby for a job quite well done.

I like the red ribbon. My favorite picture is the polar bear

As an elementary literacy coach I found this book to be a wonderful addition to my December booklist. This story tells the tale of one family's Christmas Eve tradition of placing food on and around a special tree in the forest each year for the animals. Beautiful illustrations add to the story. This book lends itself to discussion of other family traditions. I used it with all elementary grade levels and we made food for the birds to be hung in the trees around our playground, wrote class and individual poems, and the upper grades wrote personnal narratives about their family traditions. A great way also for parents to think about a family tradition of their own.

I'm a 3rd grade teacher and my kids loved the setting and language of the story. It was an excellant book to enhance future writings about holiday traditions.

This is a neat story about a family's Christmas tradition. Every year, they troop out into the forrest to decorate their night tree, a living pine Christmas tree. The night tree is festooned with edible decorations. After the family enjoys the magic of the decorated tree, they depart, knowing that the friendly critters who inhabit the woods will enjoy the decorations as a Christmas time snack.

The book introduces an interesting family "tradition" and teaches the concept of tradition as well as doing for others (the gifts of food for the animals). It is a warm story that brings smiles to young faces.

This lovely book is a favorite at any time of the year, though it centers around one family's Christmas Eve tradition. My kids have asked if we can start decorating a tree in the woods, too! The illustrations are gorgeous (Ted Rand is one of our favorites) and the writing makes you slow down and savor the unfolding of this simple, but sweet story.

I'm an elementary ed. major and this book is also good to read to kids who don't celebrate Christmas because although the family decorates a tree there isn't any mention of a particular hoilday. The title even lends to this fact.

Old Dog Cora is a wonderful Newfie story about a family learning the importance of respecting and encouraging the spirit of an older dog.

We borrowed this book from the library for our 3 yr old, and immediately fell in love with the artwork, wonderful descriptions, and the heart-warming story of an old dog in with a puppy attitude. We just had to own a copy! For anyone who's ever owned a dog or cut your own Christmas tree in the forest (or hopes to do either), this is a great book.

This is my favorite Christmas story featuring a dog.The spirit of the season is love and understanding,and that is shown so eloquently as Cora is not left out of the annual pulling of the Christmas tree sleigh in spite of her aging body. She is allowed to have her traditional role,but without the weight of the sleigh on her harness, sparing her from overexertion,or worse---from failure. It is a beautiful lesson in compassion and in the importance of feeling useful and needed, especially as we age. And if you have ever loved an aging dog, this story will bring a tear to your eye. This book is worth seeking out despite its out of print status.

I had purchased a book, "The Wreck of the Ethie" that my 11 year old son had absolutely loved. It was recommended to read by a list from Courtney Lewis. Since the entire family had enjoyed that book so much, we decided to try "Old Dog Cora". We were not disappointed The illustrations were lovely and the story heart-warming. This book is a welcome addition to our family library.

Consie Powell should be commended for this fabulous work. The pages filled with her woodcut illustrations could be framable art, and they truly enhance the compelling story. Cora, the oldest of three Newfoundlands, wants to help with pulling the annual Christmas tree home on a sled, but her people won't let her! They don't understand her attempts to help. This would be a great book to discuss the importance of inclusion and how sometimes people (and dogs) can misunderstand each other. The Newf enthusiast will appreciate the artistic depictions of this noble breed.

Before you buy this book, consider whether your child has doubts about Santa Claus and how much you are going to let them in on the secret. This book may plant a seed of doubt that you may regret.

This is the story of a boy who is swept away to the North Pole, gets to meet Santa and his elves, and receives a very special gift which he treasures his whole life. The gift is a sleighbell that rings for anyone who believes in Santa. His parents could never hear the ring. His sister one year didn't hear it ring anymore. And some of his friends never heard it ring either. But he, being taken face to face with Santa, always believes and therefore always hears it ring.

But the flip side of the coin is that everyone else eventually stops believing. If your child is immersed in the tradition, then it may be too early to read the book to him. If your child is already clear on the subject, it might be too late. If your child is on the final step of finding out the truth, it might be a fantastic story to share with them to show how Santa exists for those who believe in him and there is no shame either in believing or disbelieving.

The art is fantastic and the story is very well constructed. It's only problem is finding the right moment to lay this on your kid.

I gave this book 5 stars because it was a good book. The book is about a magic train that travels to the North Pole. The train took little boys and girls to the North Pole. When the children arrive at the North Pole, they learn that one of them will receive the first gift of Christmas.
This was a fun book for me, I really enjoyed the train because they had good treats. I also like the pictures of the train.
Westly
7
1st grade
Germany

I gave this book 5 stars because it was a good book. The book is about a magic train that travels to the North Pole. The train took little boys and girls to the North Pole. When the children arrive at the North Pole, they learn that one of them will receive the first gift of Christmas.
This was a fun book for me, I really enjoyed the train because they had good treats. I also like the pictures of the train.
Westly
7
1st grade
Germany

What this book speaks to me about is the magic of Christmas, not the commmercialism, something I try hard to capture each year amid the avalanche of enticements to buy and consume. I grew up not believing in the Santa that just brings presents but in the magic and spirit of giving and receiving and the joy and wonder of the season and by reading and sharing this book with my family each Christmas, I hope to capture some of that magic and wonder, for each of us to hold in amongst the chaos that surrounds us at this time of year.

I am a huge fan of books and loved this as a child, so I got it for my 17-month-old daughter to share with her the joys in this masterpiece. I have yet to see the movie, but the captivating story and artwork makes the book well worth it. You will teasure it for years to come!!!

My son had learned his ABCs. He could sound out words. He just couldn't take the plunge.

I bought this book from Amazon and added it to our rotation of bedtime reading. My son connected with Edward, the central character, who helps Santa make his Christmas deliveries by reading from the book of names.

You could argue that I've rated this book a star higher than it deserves but since it was the book that inspired my son to read, I'll stand by my rating.

My frien loved this book great book for people who deal with children and to show children a variety of names.

This book was very interesting. It all started with Edward not being able to read. His father would always read him a story on Christmas Eve. Edward wanted to read really bad. This story tells how Edward goes from being doubted, to actually being able to read. It brings about a conflict with the losing of Santa's glasses. I think that that was the opportunity that Edward needed to learn how to read. His parents woke him up on Christmas morning. They wanted to read the book to him. He ended up reading it to them. I would definitely recommend this to any kid that wants a good story to read.

I cried as I read this book for the first time - it is an endearing story about Edward, who is having difficulty learning to read. His teacher suggests he undergo more "tests", but his parents insist "no...more patience". When Santa delivers gifts to Edward's house on Christmas Eve, it happens that he can't read his book of names of boys and girls. Christmas is at stake and Edward must step up to the plate and read the names for Santa. Edward goes with Santa in his sleigh and saves the day by reading aloud the names in Santa's book. He gains his self-esteem and self-confidence in reading, and saves Christmas too!
This is one of the best Christmas books I have read and I ... hope it becomes a classic. This author has written two other books about Edward, just as charming: "Edward and the Pirates" and "Edward in the Jungle".

Edward cannot read. He almost can...but not quite. His teacher tells his parents that there are many tests he can take that will find what the problems are. However, his mother insists on "No tests...just patience."
It is Christmas Eve and Edward struggles to read his favorite Christmas story when he hears a noise. He runs downstairs to find a large, old book. "It must be Santa's!" he thought.
Santa comes back for the book, which happens to be his "Book of Names," but looses his glasses, and needs Edward to go along with him to help him read the names. Edward struggles at first, but Santa helps him. In the end, Edward does fine reading and Santa returns him home, thanks him, and rewards him with a new book.
On Christmas day, Edward reads his new book to his two happy parents.
I believe that this story is really inspiring. Edward gains self esteem, self confidence, and he saves Christmas! This book seems to be an instant classic. The story is good and the illustrations are beautiful. People of all ages will enjoy reading about Edward's memorable Christmas.

I bought a copy of Santa's Reindeer a few years ago and I've been sharing it with my classes and with other teachers. Everyone loves it but has never heard of it before. I even sent an e-mail to Scholastic suggesting that they consider for their book clubs. I have wanted to get in touch with Judy Schrecker because the bookcover mentions a play script which I would like to obtain. And I want her to know how much I like her book. I enjoy the illustations as well but I think that Santa should be fatter! L. Fletcher

This was a great book!Mrs. Shrecker is my Math and Science teacher. She is awesome! She is very nice..but strict only when she needs to be! Which isn't often! She has a great imagination and is one of the best teachers i've ever had! This book is a great kids book and i think kids would love it! And since i'm in 6th grade and love it all adults should love it too!It's awesome how she combined the Bible Christmas Story and the whole Santa thing. I would have never thought of that! I'm very glad i own that book!

This book is a good book writen by my teacher Judie Shrecker. Mrs. Shrecker is a good teacher as well as a good wrighter.

When I was in kindergarten, Mrs. Schrecker was one of my teachers and I can proudly say that I was one of the first kids that ever heard this wonderful book. I even remember giving up my time outdoors to draw pictures of the story! It is wonderful and very creative. I will always think of it as one of my favorite Christmas stories.

Our daughter checked this book out of her public school's library. We thought it would be another cutsie Christmas book, appropriate for the season. To our complete surprise it turned out to be quite a gem. It is often difficult for parents to connect the celebration Christmas morning (gifts brought by Santa) with the birth of Jesus. We tell our daughter that Santa brings gifts to remind us of the gift that God gave us, his Son. It was wonderful to see a children's book make a similar connection in such a sweet and entertaining way. Our daughter loved the book, and we are ordering one to have for next year.

Santa's Snow Cat is a great Christmas book to share with family and friends. It has become a new family tradition for me to read Santa's Snow Cat to my kids on Christmas Eve. It's a grand mix of fantasy, traditions and truth. The story is set on Christmas Eve and takes place in New York City. Many of the famous places in NY are pictured in the book like The Twin Towers, Empire State Building, St Patrick's Cathedral, and the giant snowflake that hovers above 5th Avenue during Christmas season.
I think everyone will enjoy this book. It's absolutely my favorite book all time.

DON'T NEED TO LOVE CATS TO ENJOY THIS NICE LITTLE STORY! WE JUST R IN LOVE WITH ALL ANIMALS... WE LIKE THE PICTURES as well. IT'S NICELY WRITTEN & I LOVE WHEN U CAN TELL THAT SANTAS SMILING WITHOUT EVEN BEING ABLE TO see his mouth! IT'S A KEEPER! (SON'S AGES 9 TO 4YRS.

Nice Xmas Story for the cat lover, and anyone who love NYC

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

This book is a must for Christmas, and anyone who loves New York. Snow Cat falls out of Santa's sleigh one Christmas and is dropped into New York. Unhurt she visits different landmarks such as the Twin Towers, Rockefeller Center, and more. Snow Cat meets up with many "look-alike" Santa's, but never hers. Eventually Santa finds Snow Cat and brings her back to the North Pole.

This book is beautifully illustrated, and a must for any cat lovers or anyone looking for a new Christmas story.

I purchased this book for my daughter after falling in love with Anne Mortimer's illustrations in Pussycat's Christmas. As expected the illustrations are beautiful and crisp and will be especially appreciated by cat lovers. This is a lovely and quiet holiday bedtime story.