Christmas Books

As an avid reader of picture books, I knew by the title alone I would love this book, and author Marsha Hayles Scheiber doesn't disappoint. The first page makes you want to turn the page: The mother birds/like gentle words/took flight one wintry day... Her words are so soft and soothing and lyrical, this not only makes a great Christmas gift, but also a lullaby of a bedtime story. After a long flight, the birds reach "At last warm land, a sea of sand..." where a baby who will change the world is about to be born, Jesus. The mother birds build the child a soft nest, hence "the feathered crown." I get chills when I read this book. The illustrations by Bernadette Pons are a perfect match for the text: soft, soothing, child-friendly. This is one of my favorite books, a gem of a book.

By giving us a bird's eye-view, THE FEATHERED CROWN takes a unique and touching look at the Nativity story. Hayles gentle, alliterative rhyme soars, as each stanza rises in meter. Pons soft watercolors compliment the text and are restful to the eye. Lines like, "They gathered bits/ of straw and sticks,/ and leaves to cushion best--/To build a home,/a manger throne,/a feather-softened nest." depict how loving mother birds may have helped another mother long ago in Bethleham. A bright addition to every Holiday collection!

This is the most beautiful Christmas picture book that I've seen in a long time. The soft and meaningful words flow across the pages like ribbons of silk - and are delicious to read out loud. It's good to see a Christmas book that touchs on the true meaning of the holyday.

I think Feathered Crown is a wondeful children's book. It is a lovely story, and the words flow so well. "The mother birds, like gentle words, took wing one wintry day." These gentle words are then further complemented by beautiful pictures. Feathered Crown is one of my family's favorite Christmas books.

The Rainbow Fairies are very colorful, but Jack Frost has sent them away and without them Fairyland will be grey forever. Rachel and Kirsty have found Fern and my daughter can't wait to find out what happens in the next book, Sky the Blue Fairy!

My daughter loves this series of books - the biggest problem we have is that she won't stop after one chapter. She's 5, so we do most of the reading, she'll read a paragraph or two, but we do that's it for now. It won't be long before she'll be re-reading them herself. She and her sister love playing fairies now, it's been great for her developing her imagination and her creative play has flourished lately.

We started with book 1 of the Rainbow Fairies and are now on the Weather Fairies Series. I highly recommend these books.

Fern the Green Fairy is book #4 in a terrific read-to-me chapter book series. I think 4- to 6-year-old girls are the target audience. In the series, two girls vacationing on "Rainspell Island" discover a black pot at the end of a rainbow. Through each book, they find a "rainbow fairy" and return her to the pot. Once all 7 are found, color will return to "Fairyland." A wonderful mix of two girls' determination and imagination.

These books are just right for my 6-year old girl. She loves the magic (the 2 human girls can turn into fairies and fly!), the puzzle of finding the color feathers, and also the friendship of the girls and fairies working together. I enjoy reading them too, that's important, they aren't boring to me!

We've owned this delightful, short pop-up book since our children were young, some time in the 1980s. It's always been part of our Advent tradition, and works very nicely as a weekly Advent calendar (in conjunction with Advent candles, if you wish).

The first page features the Annunciation.
The second shows Joseph taking Mary into Bethlehem.
On the third we see the innkeeper showing them the stable.
Then a glorious angel appears to the shepherds, followed by the three wise men following a bright (expanding) star and finally the shepherds and wise men coming to the stable to see Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.

This year we read this visually appealing book to our now grown-up children on Christmas Eve, still to the delight of all.

This is a lovely book that we have had for many years. Our children have worn it out looking at the wonderful pop up illustrations. It also sticks very closely to the text from the Bible. A Christmas treasure!

As usual with dePaola's books,the illustrations are fantastic. The story is Jesus in the manger...6 pages.

This is a simple story explaining the story of Christ's birth. I read this book to my children when they were small and I have ordered one now to give my daughter when she has children. I love Tomie de Paola's writing techinque and unique art.

I know...I know, thinking of Christmas!??? at this time of year! well, maybe Christmas in July! lol! This book is filled with great recipes, history and tradition for any holiday! Jeff Smith spoke about interesting traditions and origins on his entertaining PBS show. Before 'The Food Network' we had the witty and talented 'Frugal Gourmet'. This book deals with some grand feasts and some very good classic family dishes. From fancy to "just great traditional family food"! This book has a lot to offer. This one has lots of illustrations and family stories. Something the world seems to be missing these days is time spent in the kitchen with the family preparing meals for "get together". Make time for this book, your family and friends! Even if your not a "religious" person these are words to live by.

This is yet another excellent cook book by Jeff Smith! It's full of great recipes and stories by a very talented cook and writer. This one focuses on old world cooking. I have used many of these recipes and found them to be very good. Being a home grown cook myself and having had many of my grandmother's classic recipes handed down to me, I found this book to be very helpful in expanding my culinary taste buds.

Jeff Smith entertained us for years on his PBS program 'The Frugal Gourmet'. Not only did he teach us many savory dishes, he also educated us. Not satisfied with just cooking delicious meals for his viewers, he would give detailed history lessons about the origins of the dish and made it all a lot of fun!

This may be Mr. Smiths best cook book and it is a worthy edition to everyone's cook book library. I own and have read many, if not all of his cook books, not only for the man's knowledge of cooking, but his incredible wit! This guy was funny and I would have loved to have hung out and throw a few beers down with him.

Unfortunately, this man had some very seriously bad press released about his personal life and well..... I am not one to spread rumors.....he seemed like a great guy and sadly he died before he was able to clear his name.

R.I.P. Frugs!

This is the first recipe book I ever sat down and read from cover to cover. It has become one of my Christmas traditions, and one I share with friends and family by giving it as a gift.

Jeff Smith shares a lot of his personal feelings about the significance of Christmas, and his writing is obviously based on historical research. In a charming progression, he takes us through the events of the first Christmas and designates a feast including a special dish for each of the characters involved, from the Christ child Himself, to the angels, to even the beasts.

This is the first recipe book I ever sat down and read from cover to cover. It has become one of my Christmas traditions, and one I share with friends and family by giving it as a gift.

Jeff Smith shares a lot of his personal feelings about the significance of Christmas, and his writing is obviously based on historical research. In a charming progression, he takes us through the events of the first Christmas and designates a feast including a special dish for each of the characters involved, from the Christ child Himself, to the angels, to even the beasts.

This book takes you through the history and traditions of Christmas, with full meals illustrated. My favorites - The crown roast of pork, with sausage stuffing. Favorite side dishes include brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and baked onions. A great read, and a must-have for the holidays.

This book with the cd contains numerous pictures of santa so if you are looking for different types of santa's, you will love this book. If you're looking for the spiritual side of Christmas--Mary, baby Jesus and the Three Wise Men, then you will be very disappointed. The color of the pictures are great. There are also a lot of children but very few angels. For Victorian lovers for sure!

360 traditional copyright-free images from Victorian-era publications. So many Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and good old Christmas scenes! All images are included in CD-ROM in TIFF format. I love the image Santa reading Christmas Catalog and I edited it and added to my Christmas Shop web.

Dover Publications has done it again!! I love the old-fashioned christmas images. Also, the colors are "Outstanding". I would recommend the books and cd's to anyone.

These images are super Victorian style Christmas images. Perfect for your web site, web graphics or at home personal projects. Worth every penny!

These Dover book/CD ROMs are a graphic designers delight. It's so hard to find good quality graphics that are royalty free, and not end up spending a fortune. Dover has a good selection of royal free images that are presented in a book and are on CD ROM.

The images in the CD ROM is in full colour and so dazzling. 362 large images in TIFF format. Sharp images ready to use. Great for Paint Shop PRO. You don't have to scan, the images are there. You don't have to install some program. Just open them from you CR Rom Drive

Crafted in an in-your-face style that keeps you turning pages long past a prudent bedtime, Kay Jefferson's gritty tale of a tragic, bitter childhood that evolves into an adult's incredible battle to survive is one that every reader should have in his/her library.

Yes, despite what appears to be a story aimed primarily at a traditional female readership, Mrs. Jefferson's book is one read that every man (regardless of how 'emotionally sophisticated' he may think he is) should read. It doesn't demonize men, nor does it anoint women with sainthood. It does, however, smack the reader in the face with what most of us suspect happened (and still does!) in far too many families. Cross-breed ignorance and alcoholism, liberally fertilize with fundamentalist religion, raging hormones, drugs and poverty, and you get a recipe (and a person) destined for destruction.

But we humans, with all our warts and features we'd like to pretend don't exist, can sometimes (though all too rarely) rise above our worst enemies.

Especially when those enemies are ourselves.

Read "The Ghosts of Christmas Past". Do it for the one you love. Failing that, be selfish and do it for yourself.

You won't regret it.

"If you are at the end of your rope, don't tie a knot to hold on. Instead, read Kay Jefferson's great help, THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST.

In this well documented, fast paced and straight to the facts epic, you will find courage to face any addiction that you may face. Never again will you say there's no hope for your condition, however serious it may be. Jefferson gives proof that no obstacle is hopeless."

This book is truly enjoyable. From the time I started reading it, I found it very hard to put down. Kay Jefferson has a good writing style, good language and she brought her characters to life. This book will be a help to others who have had or are having traumatic lives to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ms. Jefferson takes the reader on quite a ride with this first novel of hers. I look forward to reading more of her work. This book is a delicacy for readers, it's ingredients spiced with a healthy variety of comedy and trauma as the reader is taken on a wild ride through time with Ms. Jefferson's lead character, Callie. Callie was born two days before Christmas, creating an automatic and generally unwanted link to the holiday. Callie deals with an emotionally, verbally and physically abusive tryant of a father and soon falls into the depths of hell at an extremely young age created by her addictions to drugs, alcohol and sex; a direct result of the abuse at her father's hands. "The Ghosts of Christmas Past" is a nice dose of reality for those who feel addictions receive too much attention and/or addicts are not worth saving because they "cause their own problems". It also brings to the forefront the incredible affect that abuse and poverty have on human beings. I recommend this book to everyone, no matter what genre they generally read. "The Ghosts of Christmas Past" can be enjoyed by all.

This story has earned a place on my bookshelf. It is the meaning of Christmas revisited. I'll be reading it many times in the Christmas seasons to come.

This book has it all. It shows the bond that man has with animals. It has humor, sadness and the poetry is touching. This is a book that I will read more than once. Some books I read and give away, but this will stay with me. I always keep my favorites.

The is one of the most refreshing new storys I have read in a very long time. My grandkids just love it & wanted it read to them over & over again. Being animal lovers to , it has the true meaning of love ,either thru an animal or humans eyes. This will become a new Christmas story in my family for a long time to come.This would be a wonderful animated story at Christmas time for children of all ages .

This is a wonderful story on the meaning of Christmas. The passages are easy to relate to every-day life. This is a must for anyone, of any age, seeking to understand the holiday's meaning as well as anyone who loves pets.

In the Gingerbread Baby, Mattie made the Gingerbread Baby a house to live in. In this sequel, The Gingerbread Baby is lonely and needs a friend. Where should he look to find a friend? Find out when you read about his Gingerbread Friends adventure. The Gingerbread Baby is found looking for a friend to live in the house Mattie made for him. Along the way he realizes that not all cookies want to be his friend and that sometimes home is a safe place to be. Jan Brett makes me want a Gingerbread Friend in this delicious new book! Children just eat this story up with the colorful illustrations. You can spend so much time looking at the beautiful pictures with your children. It is fun to watch Mattie at work in the side illustrations which you will find in many Jan Brett books. This is a must read for the holiday season and will be found on many k-3 classroom shelves. Be sure to check out Jan Brett's site for extensions to match this book!

Gingerbread baby needs some friends but can he make them? Can he talk to them? Where do you find friends for gingerbread babies? Well, let's go to town and find out! What a wonderful story and so charming too. Jan Brett has some secrets for us in the corners of her books. It hints at the ending but you have to pay attention to find out!

Jan Brett's story and illustrations are never a disappointment! A sequel to "The Gingerbread Baby", the Gingerbread Baby explores outside of home in search of a friend and finds that there is "no place like home"! The wonderful illustrations allow you and your little reader to follow a recipe and bake your own gingerbread baby! It's definitely a good seasonal story to read with a special child!

My first graders loved Jan Brett's new book, Gingerbread Friends. It is a great sequel to Gingerbread Baby. A must buy to add to a Gingerbread book collection

The best book I have ever read regarding the birth of Christ from an aboriginal viewpoint. Those in the pulpit need to move over and make room.

The Give-Away is beautifully written and illustrated. Mr. Buckley's story is simply the story of Christmas, based on the tradition shared by many Native people known as 'the give-away." A friend recommended this book and I share that recommendation with you. The Native people have much to teach in their tradition of the give-away.

Both the illustrations and the story are wonderful. The book artfully combines Native American spirituality aspects with Christian aspects. I used this book in a "children's church" class at our Native American / Catholic church at Christmas. The kids loved the story and afterwards made a collage of Jesus in the manager surrounded by all the animals mentioned in the story. The book could be used during Easter as well or during a discussion about Native American give-aways.

I became aware of this book yesterday when I heard Ray Buckley read it at a Christmas Tea & Tree for the Red Bird Missionary Conference. The book touched the hearts of each of those present. Small children, youth and adults were warmed with the story.

The Give-Away is for all families, with children and without. It would be an excellent resource to give to families that do not attend church.

Ray re-presents God's story of love and self-giving by sharing from his tradition the story of giving.

Clay Williams' life is falling apart. His marriage is a bit rocky. His children are growing up without a father due to his job. Clay gets to relax very few weekends and when these are come around, he likes to go pheasant hunting on his uncle's property.

One year nearing the Christmas holidays, Clay is out shooting pheasant with his old trusty hound dog and runs across an old cemetery. He sees apparitions and hears voices of the children. Upon checking the graves, he finds something a bit disturbing--all the graves are marked with similar cherubs and a statement: "Gone but not forgotten."

As Clay explores a little more, he is informed by the ghost of the young girl that one member of the family is missing. Clay sets out to find out what happened to this person, and on his journey he learns a very important lesson.

This was a very quick read.

Armchair Interviews says: A very enjoyable, ghost story set at Christmastime to bring the spirit of the season around to a family that had almost forgotten the meaning of being together.

What a wonderful book! The author perfectly sets the scene of rural Missouri, yet the story has relevance for anyone who has ever found their relationships strained by the demands of modern life. I found myself identifying and empathizing with the realistically drawn characters. Yes, I did cry at the end. This moving, elegant story can easily become a family Christmas tradition.

This book has a very important message on re-evaluating your priorities in life. It is well written and hard to put down once you start reading it.

"Mr. Wilmes has penned a book that the reader will not soon forget. His characters are real and believable. With attention to detail and vivid descriptions, you are drawn into the book that not once wanes in keeping your attention. Reading this book gave me chills and will forever touch my heart. Don't wait till Christmas to read it!"
--Katherine J Turcotte, Bookpleasures.com

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