Christmas Books

First, I must say this is one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received.

The illustrations in this book are magnificent, and the words are beautiful. The book basically describes that anyone can be a kid at Christmastime as long as you believe.

I recommend this book to all fans of Mary Engelbreit's illustrations.

Attractive gift book on the spirit of Christmas. Each set of facing pages contains a bit of verse and an accompaning picture dramatizing Ms. Engelbreit's belief that you are never too old to believe in Santa.

My name is Sarah Madjlesi and I am a Senior in High School in Corinth, MS. I love Mary Englebreit and I love this book. I love all of her work and I love collecting her stuff.

Excellent! Early advanced arrangements. some have a bit of a blues/jazz twist which is fun.

I love the arrangements in this books. They are not your "run of the mill" Christmas carols. Some are jazzy and others are soft and sweet. The book is marked medium difficulty and I would say that's about right. Some I could sight-read but many would take a bit of work. There are a lot of key changes within each piece. I particularly like In the Bleak Mid-winter, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, which is a jazzed up version, Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming and Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus to name just a few. The only thing I don't like about the book is that it won't stay open. No matter how hard you crease the pages it still ends up trying to close while you're playing the song. But, in spite of that, it's a great book and I would still buy it.

Finally, a nice Christmas music book filled with lovely arrangements that are on the intermediate level! The description of this book was spot on. The arrangements are challenging and not boring or too simple. Plus they are nice melodies...not oddly constructed arrangements that have discordant notes and such. Glad to have it in my repertoire!

ISBN 0307020010 - My Christmas book collection couldn't possibly be complete without Amye Rosenberg's The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree. This edition, in paperback, isn't my favorite, only because the book gets a lot of reading and wear; I prefer the hardcover.

In the trunk of a large fir tree in the forest, there are three cozy homes. Mr. and Mrs. Fieldmouse live on the first floor and Old Gray Acorn, a squirrel, lives on the top floor. In the middle, there are the Chipmunks, a family of four, including Little Nina and Nutley. Each Christmas, the children prepare for Santa's visit - and each year, he doesn't come. This year, Mom and Dad throw a party to cheer them up. Aunt Mim, their favorite aunt, comes and, when the kids tell her why they're sad, she has a great idea. She thinks Santa doesn't come because their house just looks like any other tree, so they will decorate their tree to be sure Santa can't possibly miss it. Everyone pitches in and they all agree - it's the biggest, most beautiful Christmas tree in the world. When Santa finally does find them, a tradition is born.

As a kid, I found the book made me very sad, to think Santa could miss anyone! Even the happy resolution didn't make me feel better about it. Rosenberg is both author and illustrator and she's done a superb job. The illustrations, which take up all or almost all of every page, are engaging, fun and vivid. The details are nice, the colors are bright and they contribute so much to the story. The text is fairly simple and the story, like all good Christmas tales, does have the required happy ending, confirming that Santa doesn't overlook any child intentionally.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This is one of the best Christmas books. For some reason, Santa Claus never comes to the tree that the Chipmunk family lives in. They celebrate as well as they can, but the Chipmunk children, Nina and Nutley, always hope that Santa Claus will come. One Christmas, Aunt Mim comes to visit, and decides that Santa never comes because he can't tell their tree apart from all the other trees in the forest, and so the Chipmunks decorate their tree. The illustrations are beautiful, and very festive, and overall, this is a wonderful holiday story.

This is a great book to get you in the christmas spirit and mood. This book has great pictures and a clever storyline. Perfect for family reading!

The bones of the book involve a nice piece of archeological detective work determining a surprisingly exact time for the birth by providing a knowledge of the night sky of the times and a sympathetic understanding of the relevant cultures and thier approach to Astronomy/Astrology.

Seymour introduces many other ideas alongside the title theme, which, for my money, are the greater rewards of the book. (the nature of faith, knowledge and academia, man's place in the world, the neccessity of humility and so on...)

He writes in an accessable and interesting manner, snappy and to the point, the central ideas are clearly expressed and easily navigated.

Seymour discusses how the Earth's magnetic atmosphere is influenced by the movement of the Moon and the interplay betwen the planets and the Sun and develops a highly feasable and quite convincing argument for the confluence of biological and planetary activity.

He also looks at the statistical evidence for astrology.

'The Birth of Christ' provides a compelling challenge to the idea that all astrology is a nonsense and having been presented with a sound rationale, based on the evidence of science, i feel obliged to be more open minded than before i read the book.

Dr Percy Seymour tackles the most controversial subject of the last two millenniums - questioning some of the widely held beliefs of most of the modern world with regard to the birth of Christ. It's a scientific journey with awesome implications - an excellent read.

I have never before encountered a book which sifts the little bits of truth from all the chaff concerning astrology. Prof. Seymour takes the results of the statistical analysis of astrology done by previous scientests and applies their empirical results to a theory based to modern astrophysics. No froufrou astral influences here, this book is based on hard science.

This is the indispensable Christmas guide. I used it before the Christmas holiday last year and never had so many compliments on everything from the table and gift ideas to the chocolate ruffle cake on the cover, Give it to a friend as a gift and buy one for yourself. You won't regret it

This is one of the best cookbooks I own. My husband is a very picky eater and usually I can use just a few recipes from the whole cookbook, but this one clearly stands out. When just browsing through it for the first time, it made my mouth water and I just couldn't wait to make all these goodies.

The recipes are not intimidating and they do not require lots of hard-to-find expensive gourmet products. Some recipes are accompanied by step-by-step instructions, which I especially like.

This book is out of print, so hurry and buy one on Amazon Marketplace. Mine was listed as used, but it was in a perfect condition and at just 3$ it's a steal! Did I mention it is beautifully printed too?

This is a really lovely large format book for holiday baking, entertaining, and gifts from the kitchen. It has little, or perhaps no, redundancy from Bon Appetit magazine, so there is plenty for subscribers and non-subscribers to enjoy. The book has 17 chapters. Four chapters address one entire holiday feast each, with each meal in a different style. Five chapters provide recipes especially suited for other holiday season festivities such as a tree-trimming supper, a dessert buffet, a cocktail party, and an open house. Other chapters are dedicated to specific types of food, rather than entire meals. These include chapters on: breads, cookies and cranberry sauces as well as Christmas puddings, a buche de noel, an elaborate chocolate cake, and a croquembouche, whose chapters include step-by-step illustrated instructions on how to construct these holiday masterpieces. The "Gifts from the Kitchen" chapter offers an array of 22 recipes for cookies, candies, sauces, jams, breads and more that are easy to make and sure to impress. Every recipe isn't accompanied by a photograph, but there are many large color photos throughout the book. The paper is also of very nice quality. "Bon Appetit Christmas" is a worthy addition to the library of any cook and makes a lovely gift for those who like to bake or entertain.

I've been looking for this book as my daughter wants to get it for several gifts. I'll pass on to her that I found it. I have read it and seen the reaction of children to this book. It's absolutely delightful. What a shame that the above review from the School Library Journal is so unfavorable...
Get this book for your child or grandchild and it will become as traditional at Christmas Time as reading "Rudolph" or "The Snowman" is...... You'll enjoy it too!

This book is adorable, charming and sweet an absalute must for all you people who like to read.

This book is adorable, charming and sweet an absalute must for all you people who like to read.

An international flair to each of the stories made this charming collection such fun to read. I will definitely be buying a few more for Christmas gifts.

A Bride by Christmas consists of four heartwarming stories with a Christmas theme. Though this book in the fall, these stories would be a wonderful read while curled up on the couch during the Christmas season.

When the pressure's on the romance blooms just in time for Christmas in this delightful anthology!

In a time when so many families are struggling through job loss, this book does a beautiful job of explaining how our addiction to buying new things can rob us of the finer and more meaningful ways of giving. BONUS: The book includes a cd of beautiful narration with songs woven into the story.

The Broken Doll is not a quick read, but meaty and full of emotion and character building discussion. Points hit on include job loss, greed, new isn't always better, love of a parent for their child, the joy of giving, appreciation of family, and even bullying between the new dolls and an the old doll in the garbage can.

The out of work father longs to buy his daughter a gift but just can't. He sees on old doll (the bullying victim) in a trash can and dares to think he could "make" a present out of this old discarded object. Be careful, it may bring tears to your eyes. Don't read it alone! Enjoy it with your child. Perhaps their Christmas list won't be so long this year.

My grandchildren and I enjoyed the book very much; it was a very heart warming story. We loved all the singing on the DVD. I highly recommend this book for the whold family.:: Linda Mendez; A big fan of Diane Zuber,Thank You.

An original story creatively written by Diane C. Zuber and deftly illustrated by Mary Meehan Firtl, "The Broken Doll" is a Christmas story for young children ages 4 to 9. It is the story of a family's love for each other having more importance than the presence of expensive toys under a Christmas tree. Young Audra begs for every toy she sees but due to her father's recent lay-off from work, the family doesn't have the money to buy toys this Christmas season. Over the weeks leading up to Christmas morning Audra is a little girl who learns several valuable lessons all culminating in having the best Christmas ever for her family and herself. "The Broken Doll" is a wonderfully entertaining addition to any school or community library's Christmas picturebook collection -- and has an entertainingly presented message that children can benefit from all year long.

LOOKING FOR A BIRTHDAY GIFT, CONFIRMATION, GRADUATION, BAR MITZVAH, OR "JUST BECAUSE' GIFT?....."Buster's Christmas Letter" will fill the bill. WOW!

It is a wonderful book. Not necessarily a Christmas book, although Buster's Christmas lettere is included.

Humorous and poignant, it is the true tale of a dog and his family; a very functional family, as you will see. It should be a model and inspiration for anyone.

The story is beautiful and "Buster's Christmas Letter" is also beautiful from its cover - to the color pictures - to the last page.

BOW WOW B W.....Sanibel, Florida

Even if you aren't a "dog person," you are going to LOVE this book! Buster's Christmas Letter is the book you'll want to give to everyone you know. Wilson writes simply and clearly, with a thematic message that's timeless: feelings are more important than things. Buster's Christmas Letter reminds us what's really important in life: family, relationships, and telling the people we love how much they mean to us. My family loved reading it aloud. Buster's life, adventures, and impact on his wonderful family, the Wilsons, touched us deeply. I heartily recommend this book. Someone should be working on the movie!

I found this book at a time in my life when I was headed in a bad direction. Some have even suggested that if I didn't change my ways I might soon find myself in the "big kennel in the sky." After digging through this autobiographical account written by an Australian shepherd, I realized that maybe my problems weren't so bad. Buster's Christmas Letter is the perfect inspirational chew toy for this holiday season. Think: a canine Profiles in Courage. This furriffic book will will bring tears to your eyes and leave your howling from laughter. Take a bite out of this one if you're in need of a wake up call about facing life's troubles heard on. You won't believe all of the wisdom you can receive from this four-legged yoda.

I am a novice wood carver. I took a weekend class in Febuary, which which is the first time that I took up a carving knife. This book is an excellent resource for the beginner. Step by step instructions on two of the projects prepare you for the others that are contained in the book. It is illustrated in color, and has front and side view patterns for each of the projects. My proof that this is a worth five stars? My first carving from one of its patterns is recognizeable.

I am a novice wood carver. I took a weekend class in Febuary, which which is the first time that I took up a carving knife. This book is an excellent resource for the beginner. Step by step instructions on two of the projects prepare you for the others that are contained in the book. It is illustrated in color, and has front and side view patterns for each of the projects. My proof that this is a worth five stars? My first carving from one of its patterns is recognizeable.

I really like this book. The layout is nice and the patterns are great. Some are easier to carve than others, as usual. However, some of the patterns are perfect for a beginner to tackle (I'm think mostly of the snowmen).

Mike has a great carving style of his own and does a good job showing you step by step what he is trying to accomplish.

If you like the subject matter then this is a great book to add to your collection.