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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 6, 2012

The Christmas Quiet Book

By Deborah Underwood; Illustrated by Renata Liwska

Reading level: Ages 4 and up

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (October 16, 2012)

It’s impossible to keep quiet any longer. It just has to be shouted loudly to everyone: We love the winning combination of Deborah Underwood’s sweet and pitch-perfect “quiet” holiday moments and Renata Liwska’s gentle and charming drawings that make you wish you could reach into the pages and give each and every character a warm embrace. Make a little book bundle and include the original The Quiet Book and The Loud Book—three books and a piece of ribbon and you have the perfect gift for any young child—go the extra mile and tie a little stuffy on top, too.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas?

By Jane Yolen; Illustrated by Mark teague

Reading level: Ages 0-4

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: The Blue Sky Press (September 1, 2012)

Get ready to roar with laughter with your preschooler. The bestselling combo Jane Yolen and Mark Teague are back again with their winning “How Do Dinosaurs” series. The oversized, egocentric, juvenile dinosaurs wreak havoc through the house for the first half of the picture book—they have no regard for the special traditions of Christmas. As per usual, good behavior is highlighted in the second half and a lesson of “how not to act” is delivered brilliantly. This is a must-have Christmas book, especially for fans of prehistoric animals.

Christmas Magic

By Kirsten Hall; Illustrated by Simon Mendez

Reading level: Ages 4 and up

Hardcover: 20 pages

Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books (October 2, 2012)

With lyrical verses that have a nostalgic quality and a unique art form that allows every painted illustration to change with a simple pull of a tab, this is a Christmas book that will hold an audience captivated.

The Nutcracker: A Magic Theatre Book

By Geraldine McCaughrean; Illustrated by Kristina Swarner

Reading level: Ages 2-7

Hardcover: 24 pages

Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 3, 2012)

We can’t resist the magical movement of this new take on The Nutcracker. Large die-cut board pages have been made to be handled and allow the cast of characters to literally dance there way through the story. This Nutcracker version gets our vote based on the delightful illustrations and inventive paper-engineering—”A Magic Theatre Book” is definitely the write description.

Stable in Bethlehem: A Countdown to Christmas

By Joy N. Hulme; Illustrated by Dan Andreasen

Reading level: Ages 1-3

Board book: 22 pages

Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books; Brdbk edition (October 1, 2012)

Not just a numbers primer for babies and toddlers, the stunning artwork of Dan Andreasen and Joy N. Hulme’s gentle rhymes also introduce the littlest readers to the religious beginnings of Christmas.

Looking for more suggestions? Try our lists from previous years:

20 of the Best Kids Christmas Books

Christmas Board Books for Babies and Toddlers

Original article: Christmas Books: Five of the Best New Gift Books for Christmas

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 31, 2012

Piggy Bunny

By Rachel Vail; Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Ever had aspirations to be someone or something other than who or what you are? The piggy in this book, Liam, wants to be a bunny—the Easter bunny, to be exact. He’s willing to put in the hard work, even if it means eating salad. Nobody in his family, except for his grandma, believes he can become the Easter bunny, but Liam remains focused and with his can-do-attitude and support from grandma he makes his dream come true. Jeremy Tankard’s ink and digital media artwork are the icing on the cake (or the foil wrapper on the Easter egg, if I may) adding emotion to the story through little piggy faces and bodies. Liam is adorable and so is this story. (Ages 4-6. Publisher: Feiwel and Friends)

The Easter Bunny’s Assistant

By Jan Thomas

Jan Thomas is one funny author. In her latest book the Easter bunny is doing his best to teach readers how to dye Easter eggs, however, his assistant Skunk keeps getting over-excited and … well, let’s just say he has trouble containing himself. The combination of the bright illustrations and well-timed text create a laugh-out-loud picture book perfect for an Easter story time session. (Ages 2-5. Publisher: HarperCollins)

Peepsqueak!

By Leslie Ann Clark

From the moment Peepsqueak, a chicken, hatches from his egg he is raring and ready to fly. Even though everyone tells him he is not ready, Peepsqueak remains determined and filled with self-belief—the perfect recipe for reaching goals. Leslie Ann Clark uses rhythmic and repetitive text that begs to be read aloud; and her sweet cartoon illustrations give Peepsqueak a delightful amount of bounce. Great for spring and Easter, but definitely an all-year read that is sure to be a request over and over again. (Ages 2-5. Publisher: HarperCollins)

10 Hungry Rabbits: Counting and Color Concepts

By Anita Lobel

Anita Lobel, a Caldecott Honor Book illustrator, has created a charming little number with 10 Hungry Rabbits. 10 very hungry rabbits set out to find 10 vegetables from the garden for Mama Rabbit’s soup pot. Using gouache and watercolors, Lobel’s illustrations prime readers well with an exploration of color as each rabbit collects their chosen vegetable

My 2010 New Year’s resolution was to bake a pie every month, along with keeping fit and eating healthy. So far it’s been a challenge. Baking a pie every month has been a hard resolution to keep and in order to keep my other two resolutions, I have been giving my pies away. So far I [...]