THE AMAZING MENORAH OF MAZELTOWN
written by Hal Dresner and Joy Fate
illustrated by Neil Shapiro
Red Rock Press
ISBN: 9781933176284
Ages 5-10
32 pages

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Mazeltown, in the Cry-Me-a-River valley, was a dreary village on the dark, cold days leading up to Hanukkah. Just as the holiday was to begin, Molly and Max stumbled on a most curious object in a dim corner of their father's junkshop. It was old and grimy, but after they polished it, a most amazing menorah emerged. Night by night, this menorah changed Mazeltown --- brightening the streets, whitening the sheets, lofting the bagels, making the river glow with life, and lighting up everyone's heart.

AUNTIE CLAUS, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
written and illustrated by Elise Primavera
Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
ISBN: 9781416954859
Ages 4-8
40 pages

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Sophie Kringle had always dreamed of being the Sugar Plum Fairy in the school play. After all, Sophie is a Kringle. Her family lives at the Bing Cherry Hotel, and her favorite aunt, Auntie Claus, serves Christmas cookies at teatime --- even in July. When Auntie Claus hears that Sophie will make her debut in the school play, she decides to have her cake and eat it too. This year, Auntie Claus will be home for the holidays and the North Pole will move south to New York!

THE CHRISTMAS GENIE
written by Dan Gutman
illustrated by Dan Santat
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
ISBN: 9781416990017
Ages 8-12
112 pages

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It’s the last day of school before Christmas vacation, and Alex, Chase and the rest of Mrs. Walter’s fifth-grade class couldn’t wish more for that final bell to ring. But the day takes a crazy turn when a mysterious meteorite crashes through their classroom window and a genie pops out. He will grant just one wish for the whole class to share. Be careful what you wish for!

FANCY NANCY: SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS
written by Jane O’Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061235900
Ages 4-7
32 pages

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Christmas is Fancy Nancy’s favorite time of year. There are presents with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, Christmas cookies with sprinkles --- and who could forget the tree? Ooh la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited about decorating the Christmas tree. She bought a brand-new sparkly tree topper with her own money. But when things don’t turn out the way Nancy had planned, will her Christmas still be splendiferous?

THE GINGERBREAD PIRATES
written by Kristin Kladstrup
illustrated by Matt Tavares
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763632236
Ages 4-10
32 pages

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It’s Christmas Eve, and Jim and his mother are making pirate gingerbread men to leave for Santa. Jim’s favorite is Captain Cookie, who carries a gingerbread cutlass and has a toothpick peg leg. The captain is much too good to be eaten, so Jim keeps him close by his bed. But late that night, when Jim is fast asleep, Captain Cookie step-taps away on a daring adventure to find his pirate crew --- and rescue them from that mysterious character he’s heard about: a cannibal named Santa Claus.

HANUKKAH AROUND THE WORLD
written by Tami Lehman-Wilzig
illustrated by Vicki Wehrman
Kar-Ben Publishing
ISBN: 9780822587620
Ages 8-11
48 pages

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Take a trip around the world to Italy, Uzbekistan, Tunisia and beyond to see how Hanukkah is celebrated around the world. Try the delicious and unusual recipes for fried burmelos, latkes and precipizi.

HEART OF A SNOWMAN
written by Mary Kuryla and Eugene Yeichin
illustrated by Eugene Yeichin
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061259265
Ages 4-8
40 pages

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Every Christmas Eve, a boy named Owen builds the very best snowman he can, only to see it melt away on Christmas Day. There must be a way to make it last, he thinks. So begins an adventure that leads Owen to a magical place where curious animals study his snowman piece by piece in an attempt to build a perfect one. But in the end, it is Owen who supplies the one thing they need the most. Have they finally found the secret to making a snowman that will last forever?

HOLLY, JOLLY MAD LIBS
written by Roger Price and Leonard Stern
Price Stern Sloan Juvenile/Penguin Young Readers Group
ISBN: 9780843189506
Ages 8-12
224 pages

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Whether you’re snowed in or looking for a great holiday party activity, this oversized bind-up of four of the top-selling Christmas and winter-themed Mad Libs --- plus 21 entirely new Christmas-themed stories --- will have you laughing your way through the holidays.

HOLLY’S JOLLY CHRISTMAS: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo Super Special!
written by Nancy Krulik
illustrated by John and Wendy
Grosset & Dunlap
ISBN: 9780448452180
Ages 7-9
160 pages

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What’s better than getting one new Katie story? Getting two! Jump into the holiday by following Katie’s latest misadventures, first at a Christmas tree farm and then at a Santa’s Workshop theme park, where she switcheroos into… Well, we won’t spoil the surprise, but here’s a hint: she doesn’t have a red nose but she sure has antlers!

IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES: A Special Christmas Edition
written by Laura Numeroff
illustrated by Felicia Bond
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061762802
Ages 3-8
72 pages

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What’s more fun than spending Christmas with your family? Spending Christmas with your family and Mouse, of course! This 72-page deluxe edition of the New York Times bestseller is filled with fun things for families to do together, including three Christmas recipes, sheet music for two jazzy songs, and three holiday activities, plus letters and anecdotes from the author and artist and a sneak peek into Felicia Bond’s sketchbook. There’s also a free CD with Mouse’s favorite Christmas carols!

JINGLE BELLS: A Pop-Up Holiday Song
illustrated by Eren Blanquet Unten
Price Stern Sloan Juvenile/Penguin Young Readers Group
ISBN: 9780843189537
Ages 6-8
14 pages

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Dashing through the snow…Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…
 
The holiday classic is now a pop-up book! Vibrant art and delightful pops will make both children and adults fall in love with this song all over again.

A PINATA IN A PINE TREE: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas
written by Pat Mora
illustrated by Magaly Morales
Clarion Books
ISBN: 9780618841981
Ages 3-7
32 pages

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An award-winning author and a rising star artist have put a festive Latino twist on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," populating it with piñatas in place of partridges, plus burritos bailando (dancing donkeys), lunitas cantando (singing moons) and much more, all displayed in the most vivid colors imaginable. In this version, a little girl receives gifts from a secret amiga, whose identity is a sweet surprise at the book's conclusion. There are things to find and count in Spanish on every page, with pronunciations provided right in the pictures and a glossary and music following the story.

SANTA CLAUS IS GREEN!: How to Have an Eco-Friendly Christmas
written by Alison Inches
illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan
Little Simon
ISBN: 9781416972235
Ages 4-6
24 pages

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Santa Claus is having a green Christmas! In the spirit of Christmas giving, Santa shows boys and girls that they can give to others while giving back to the Earth --- and have fun while they’re doing it! Simple things like riding bicycles to the store rather than taking a car, turning the tree lights off during the day and before bedtime, taking the tree to the community mulching center, using discarded newspapers for gift wrap, and making decorations and presents for one another rather than buying new ones are all ways that kids can help Santa have a white and green Christmas.

Printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, this humorous story also contains a sheet of stickers made from 10% recycled paper to help spread holiday cheer and environmental awareness.

SANTA’S STOWAWAY
written and illustrated by Brandon Dorman
Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 9780061351884
Ages 3-8
40 pages

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Unlike all the other elves in Santa’s workshop, Pip is not content simply to know that Christmas Eve is special. No, Pip asks that ever-popular question: WHY? And when no one can tell him, he stows away on Santa’s sleigh to find out. Prepare to embark on a journey packed with all the trimmings of the season: an epic sleigh ride, a warm and wonderful Santa, and the wide-eyed children who stay up all night just to catch a glimpse of him.

A SEASON OF GIFTS
Richard Peck
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780803730823
Ages 9-12
176 pages

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The eccentric, forceful, big-hearted Grandma Dowdel is the star of the Newbery Medal–winning A YEAR DOWN YONDER and Newbery Honor–winning A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO. And it turns out that her story isn’t over --- not even close.
 
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Mrs. Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm --- or medicine, depending on who you’re asking --- on all of them: 10-year-old Bob, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies, his two fascinating sisters, and even Bob’s parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
 
As Christmas rolls around, the Barnhart family realizes that they’ve found a true home --- and a neighbor who gives gifts that will last a lifetime.

THE SOUND OF KWANZAA
written by Dimitrea Tokunbo
illustrated by Lisa Cohen
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545018654
Ages 4-8
32 pages

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The sound is Umoja --- bringing us together. The sound is Kuumba --- the songs of our ancestors. The sound is Kwanzaa! Through lively verse and colorful illustrations, this book guides you through the seven principles of the festive holiday. All you have to do is come close, gather round and discover what Kwanzaa is all about!

STICK MAN
written by Julia Donaldson
illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 9780545157612
Ages 4-8
32 pages

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Stick Man lives in the family tree, with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three. But one day, Stick Man is carried off by a mischievous dog who wants to play fetch. Things go from bad to worse as Stick Man is carried farther and farther away from home. Lonely and lost, Stick Man desperately wants to get home to be with his family for Christmas. And when he helps Santa Claus out of a bind, he finds the perfect ticket home!

THAT’S GOOD! THAT’S BAD! ON SANTA’S JOURNEY
written by Margery Cuyler
illustrated by Michael Garland
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 9780805087772
Ages 4-7
32 pages

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On Christmas Eve, Santa sets off to deliver presents to a little boy. But between a snowstorm, an icy roof and a dusty chimney, things don’t go as expected. Get ready to laugh out loud as Mr. Claus trips on a cat, bumps his head on a table and rips his pants. There’s never a dull moment for this accident-prone Santa. That’s bad. No, that’s good!

THE TRUE GIFT: A Christmas Story
written by Patricia MacLachlan
illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781416990819
Ages 7-up
96 pages

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All year long, Lily and Liam look forward to Christmas on their grandparents' farm. It's always the perfect trip --- walking to the lilac library, trimming the tree, giving gifts. But this year, thanks to a white cow alone in the meadow, things will be different. This Christmas, Lily and Liam will find out the meaning of a true gift.

TYRANNOCLAUS
written by Janet Lawler
illustrated by John Shroades
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061170546
Ages 3-7
32 pages

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Deep inside a volcano crater, Tyrannoclaus and his helpers are busy wrapping up Christmas presents for dinosaur children when, suddenly, the volcano erupts! How will they ever make it through and deliver presents on time? With a little ingenuity and a lot of excitement, this twist on THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is sure to bring smiles to dinosaur fans everywhere.