Stories to get you through a winter’s night
Sometimes it takes some doing to get in the Christmas spirit. Books can help to see you through even the coldest night and give you something to share with the youngsters in your life.
My favourite this year is A Christmas for Bear, by Seattle’s Bonny Becker, illustrated by Ontario’s Kady MacDonald Denton (Candlewick Press) and the newest volume in their series about curmudgeonly Bear and ever-hopeful, optimistic Mouse. By now, Bear has softened slightly in his approach to Mouse; in fact, he is hosting his first-ever Christmas party and Mouse is the sole guest. The place has been decorated, there’s a beautiful tree and Bear is hard at work preparing a feast (pickles appear to be his idea of a special treat), but when Mouse asks about presents, the festive mood fades rapidly. “Most unseemly,” is Bear’s response. “We shall sit around the tree and eat. I might even read a poem. Surely that will do.” Mouse can’t believe his ears, and turns the house upside down looking for hidden gifts. “PICKLES AND POEMS!” bellows a frustrated Bear, “THAT IS THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!” But by the time Bear starts reciting ’Twas the night before Christmas, we learn that our furry friend knows Christmas is also a time for surprises — and for the spirit of giving. Ages five to nine.
Merry Christmas, Mary Christmas!, by Florida’s Laurie Friedman (Carolrhoda Books), is about a family named Christmas whose members revel in the excesses of the holiday season — all except seven-year-old Mary, who sees no need for the biggest tree, or the most lights, or the pile of gifts, and manages to convince her family the best way to celebrate is to share their good fortune. Illustrated by Toronto’s Kathryn Durst, this picture book is best for ages four to seven.
Waltz of the Snowflakes, by Ontario’s Elly MacKay (Running Press), will speak to any child who has been introduced to the joys of The Nutcracker as a special holiday event. In her wordless picture book, MacKay gives us a girl who reluctantly accompanies her grandmother to the ballet and ends up sitting next to a boy who stuck his tongue out at her in the lobby. Both kids, restless to begin with, soon fall under the spell of the Nutcracker, make a new friend and go home in a better mood. Ages five to eight.
The Girl Who Saved Christmas, by Matt Haig (HarperCollins), is far from wordless. A sequel to Haig’s novel about the origins of Father Christmas (A Boy Called Christmas), this book has Dickensian overtones (in more ways than one) when it comes to the central character, a young chimney sweep named Amelia, whose hope and belief in Christmas helps keep the holiday alive. With black-and-white illustrations by Chris Mould, this is best for ages eight to 11.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales, by Dylan Thomas, is a holiday classic and publisher Holiday House this year reissued my favourite version: the one illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. (Full disclosure: the Caldecottwinning artist, who died in 2004, was a friend. But even if she wasn’t, this version of the Thomas text, first published in 1954 and with Hyman’s illustrations in 1985, remains my gift-giving choice.) For all ages.