Recommended Reads: Holidays

"Every year at just this time,
In cold and dark December,
Families around the world
All gather to remember,
With presents and with parties,
With feasting and with fun,
Customs and traditions
for people old and young."
-  Helen H. Moore 

During the magical time of winter solstice holidays, age is no barrier to enjoying  the fun of the season with a childlike sense of excitement.  In that spirit, this holiday reading list brings together selected titles which will appeal to all age groups-- children, teenagers, and adults.  These Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa titles contain a mixture of genres including non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and even a few audio described videos. 

Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR),  large type (LT), and described video (DV)  copies of these books and movies are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books.

Prepared by Reference Services Librarian Linda Rossman

CHRISTMAS TITLES

Christmas as the great popular festival of Western Europe dates from the Middle Ages.  In the mid-nineteenth century Christmas gained its more secularized aspect of holiday gift-giving and good cheer, popularized in Dickens' A Christmas Carol of 1843 (RC 13724).

Christmas at the New Yorker: Stories, Poems, Humor, and Art by editors of The New Yorker
RC 57538
Anthology of holiday writing featured in The New Yorker magazine from 1925 to 2002. Seasonal poetry and prose highlight themes like the spirit of giving, family, Santa Claus, and Christmas carols. Contributing authors include James Thurber, H.L. Mencken, Alice Munro, E.B. White, and foreword author John Updike.

Christmas in my Heart: A Treasury of Holiday Classics edited by Joe Wheeler
RC 47455
Heartfelt Christmas stories chosen for their Christ-centered messages. In "A Gift from the Heart" by Norman Vincent Peale, a foreign girl, unable to buy presents for her employers, has a unique solution for gift giving. In "The Candle in the Forest" by Temple Bailey, a rich boy learns the meaning of love from the impoverished family next door.

A Christmas Sampler: Classic Stories of the Season from Twain to Cheever edited by E. A. Crawford and Teresa Kennedy
RC 38182, BR 9430
American authors reinforce the notion that Christmas brings mixed emotions. "Christmas Thoughts" evokes the festivity of the season and "Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor" puts a new slant on the joy of giving gifts. "One Christmas Eve" brings out mean-spiritedness towards a black child and "Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" introduces anti-Semitism.

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook  
RC 64150
Collection of more than 250 recipes for Christmas treats from appetizers to main dishes, and from breads to desserts. Also includes holiday decorating tips, make-ahead ideas, food gifts to give, and new twists to standard recipes.

Christmas Poems selected by Myra Cohn Livingston
RC 23127, BR 6299
The joys and traditions of the Christmas season portrayed in new and old poems for family sharing. For grades K-3 and older readers.

A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems  
RC 56658, BR 14121
An anthology that includes a selection from Wind in the Willows (RC 24592) depicting Mole's hospitality and Rat's resourcefulness; "Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn," a story featuring a dog who plays Santa Claus; two traditional carols; and Clement Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." For grades 3-6 and older readers.

A Family Christmas selected by Caroline Kennedy
RC 65732, BR 17454 (in process)
Anthology of Kennedy's holiday favorites. Encompasses poems, stories, scriptures, songs, and essays of the Christmas season. Includes her own 1962 letter to Santa as well as works by Irving Berlin, Robert Frost, George Washington, Langston Hughes, and other notables. Bestseller.

The Christmas Quilt: An Elm Tree Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
BR 16428
Sarah discovers an unfinished Christmas quilt, along with antique ornaments and heirlooms, in the attic of her elderly friend Sylvia. Although Sylvia prefers a quiet holiday reminiscing about her family's traditions and hardships endured, Sarah infuses the season with joy.

Christmas Around the World Vol. 1 by Emily Kelly
RC 31285, BR 8233
From country to country, Christians celebrate Christmas in many different ways. This book tells how Christmas is celebrated in Mexico, Iran, China, Sweden, Iraq, Spain, and Norway. For grades 2-4.

Christmas Around the World Vol. 2 by Emily Kelly
RC 57498, BR 15264
This companion to Christmas around the World (RC 31285, BR 8233) describes holiday celebrations in eight countries--Mexico, Ethiopia, China, Germany, Lebanon, Sweden, Australia, and Russia--that mostly were not included in the earlier volume. Also contains jokes, tongue twisters, and a recipe. Beginning chapter book. For grades 2-4.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss
RC 47536, BR 16316, DV 419
The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, tries to abolish Christmas by stealing all the presents from the people in the valley. For grades K-3.

Miracle on 34th Street
DV 67
The Christmas buying season has started and Macy's Department Store has a new Santa. He's a jolly old fellow with whiskers and a smile who also happens to be named Kris Kringle. Some people start to believe he really is Santa Claus, like six-year-old Susan, but her mother, a Macy's executive, doesn't believe in the fantasy at all. Yet Mr. Kringle insists he's the real thing. So much so that he's put on trial and it's up to a young lawyer to clear the name of Santa, once and for all! With Maureen O'Hara, Edmund Gwenn, John Payne, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood.

White Christmas
DV 88
Two talented song-and-dance men become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter they team up with a sister act and trek to Vermont for a White Christmas. The real adventure begins when the two men discover that the inn is run by their old Army General who's now in financial trouble. This holiday musical features the songs of Irving Berlin. With Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Dean Jagger, Vera Ellen, Rosemary Clooney 

Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas by Ace Collins
LT 5151
The fascinating stories and origins behind Christmas traditions such as the colors of red and green, the Christmas tree, caroling, nativity scenes, the Yule log, gift-giving, stockings, advent wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.

HANUKKAH TITLES

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is also known in the Jewish tradition as the Festival of Lights, Feast of the Consecration, or Feast of the Maccabees. Judas Maccabeus, according to Jewish history, observed the first Hanukkah in 165 B.C. to celebrate the dedication of the new altar in the temple in Jerusalem.  The lighting of candles in the home is linked to the memory of a miraculous container of oil that burned for eight days.

Celebrate Hanukkah by Deborah Heiligman
RC 64912
Explains the Jewish holiday called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights. Discusses the menorah, prayers, traditional foods, and the game of spinning the dreidel. Includes instructions for lighting candles and playing dreidel, and a recipe for latkes, or potato pancakes. For grades K-3 and older readers.

The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays by Malka Drucker
RC 40298
Arranged by the Jewish calendar, this collection of stories, poems, songs, crafts, and games discusses each of the religious holidays beginning with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Included are Sukkot, Simhat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu B'Sh'vat, Purim, Pesah, Shavuot, Yom HaShoah, Yom Ha'atzmaut, and finally the Sabbath. The history and rituals of the observance are discussed at the beginning of each section. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Hanukkah: Festivals and Holidays by June Behrens
RC 22326
A simply written treatment of a festive Jewish holiday that celebrates a great historic victory and a miracle. The celebration is described from the vantage point of two Jewish children. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Kimmelman
BR 8999
In simple text, the eight nights of Hanukkah are celebrated by an extended family. The endnote describes the origin of this holiday, and explains how, at Hanukkah, Jewish people remember the victory of the Maccabees and the freedom won to worship as they believe. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2 and older readers.

Hanukkah Lights: Stories of the Season: From NPR's Annual Holiday Special introduced by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz
RC 62028
Twelve stories celebrating Hanukkah by contemporary authors Myra Goldberg, Daniel Pinkwater, Harlan Ellison, Dani Shapiro, Elie Wiesel, Mark Helprin, and others. In Anne Roiphe's "The Demon Foiled," a new Jewish mayor attempts to light the family Hanukkah candles while he is being filmed for local TV. 2005.

The Jar of Fools: Eight Hanukkah Stories from Chelm by Eric A Kimmel
RC 51581
A story for each night of Hanukkah about Chelm, a town where the people are either foolish or strangely wise, depending on which version of the title piece-- "The Jar of Fools"--one believes. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

Jeremy's Dreidel by Ellie Gellman
RC 48390, BR 12254
Jeremy's art class at the Jewish center is making dreidels for Hanukkah. Each child can design one. Jeremy plans to use a special design for his father, who is blind. For grades 3-6 and older readers.

The Miracle of the Potato Latkes: A Hanukkah Story by Malka Penn
RC 43729
Every year when Hanukkah arrives, Tante Golda reaches into her barrel and takes out eight of her best potatoes. She peels and grates them and makes a batch of golden, crispy latkes for her guests. But this year when Tante Golda reaches into the barrel, all she finds is one tiny potato. For grades K-3.

The Stone Lamp: Eight Stories of Hanukkah Through History by Karen Hesse
RC 58358
An episode, seen through a child's eye, for each night of Hanukkah, following a chronicle of the Jewish people from twelfth-century England to twentieth-century Israel. Describes painful periods such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, and Kristallnacht. For grades 3-6.

The Story of Hanukkah by Amy Ehrlich
RC 33242, BR 8929
Retells the biblical story that is celebrated by Jewish people in the feast of Hanukkah. For grades K-3 and older readers.

Alexandra's Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah by Miriam Chaikin
RC 56463
Alexandra is unusual because she can read and write in the Jerusalem of some two thousand years ago. She tells the story of the dangers facing Jews and the events of 165 B.C.E. that are commemorated in the holiday of Hanukkah. For grades 4-7.

KWANZAA TITLES

Kwanzaa (also known as Kwanza) is a seven-day secular festival which celebrates the heritage of African-Americans.  It begins on December 26th and was first observed in 1966, having been developed by Maulana Karenga.  Kwanzaa is based in part on African harvest festivals and emphasizes the role of family and community in the African-American culture.  Each day a candle on a seven branch holder is lighted in honor of the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility. 

Kwanzaa by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
RC 33258, BR 8911
"Every year, from the day after Christmas until the first day of the new year, our family celebrates Kwanzaa." Thus begins the narrator's informative and delightful introduction to the celebration of Kwanzaa, the African-American holiday of the "first fruits." For grades K-3 and older readers.

Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking by Eric V. Copage
RC 34528
Kwanzaa is a week-long (December 26-January 1) African-American celebration of the "first fruits." The author has compiled a sourcebook for the observance. Included are selections from historical works, folklore, and biographies that illustrate the "Nguzo Saba" (seven principles of Kwanzaa,) interspersed with a host of recipes from the African diaspora.

It's Kwanzaa Time by Linda and Clay Goss
RC 42923
Collection of stories, songs, and poems celebrating the seven principles of Kwanzaa, an African American observance based on old African festivals and traditions. Also includes games and recipes. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
BR 15035
A young girl describes how she and her family celebrate the African American holiday of Kwanzaa, explaining the significance of each of its seven days. Includes pronunciations. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2.

Kwanzaa: An African-American Holiday That is Progressive & Uplifting by Haki R. Madhubuti
RC 32621, BR 8375
A guide to the meaning and observance of Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration of the "first fruits." Originated in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is celebrated annually from December 26 through January 1. For junior and senior high and older readers.

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis
BR 13078
Tale about seven argumentative Ashanti brothers, who are given the seemingly impossible task of turning spools of silk thread into gold. They join together to solve the problem, thus exhibiting the spirit of Kwanzaa. Includes information on this cultural holiday and instructions for weaving a Kente belt. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3.

Complete Kwanzaa: Celebrating  Our Cultural Harvest by Dorothy Winbush Riley
RC 42533
An anthology of essays, folktales, poems, personal profiles, and recipes on the African American festival of Kwanzaa. The selections serve to illuminate the seven principles of the event and to guide in its celebration. For senior high and older readers.