Best Children's Religious Holiday Books
This festively designed boxed set of five Little Golden Books doesn't even need gift-wrap!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"gift for a child."
"Every child should have at least a few of these books."
"He is fascinated by the Nativity Story as well as the Elf story."
"I bought the bundle and split them up to give to my two, two year old granddaughters at Christmas."
"These books are great!"
With breathtaking illustrations and informative text, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns magnificently captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Hena Khan has written children's books on a wide variety of topics, and she takes particular interest in writing about her Muslim culture.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My kids love the fact that they are so many Islamic kids books out there "for them" I bought this several times for my kids' friends also."
"The illustrations are beautiful and it's a great easy read to keep children interested."
"My two year old son enjoys looking at all the pictures and images even though he may not fully understand it right now."
"With perfect rhyme and gorgeous illustrations, this book provides a simple introduction to the world of Islam as seen through the eyes of a young narrator."
"I want to raise an open minded child capable of choosing her own beliefs (or lack thereof). To be able to do so I'd have to introduce her to all religions since they've began introducing her without my consent (and against my wishes). This book is a great introduction to Islam for a 5 year old ."
"Fantastic book, my 2 year old loves it."
"This book was purchased to add cultural awareness to my classroom."
"My 2 year old loves this book."
One of the most beloved and celebrated traditions of the Swedish people, Lucia Day also signifies that the Christmas holiday is getting close. Ewa is very active within the American Swedish community.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a darling book."
"This had a lot o great information about Lucia morning."
"lovely story for Swedish Americans and Christmas around the world."
"Sweet story, fun pictures, and helpful history, patterns, recipes, and music to assist in the traditional celebration of the feast of St. Lucy."
"Such a joy to share the story with my little ones!"
"This book was the perfect way to introduce the charming tradition of serving cookies and coffee to your family while singing and wearing the candle-wreath crown."
"Love this story!"
"Beautiful illustrations plus excellent and informative text."
Best Children's Non-religious Holiday Books
Since 1959, Happy Birthday to You!-Dr. Seuss's joyous ode to individuality-has allowed readers to experience firsthand the thrill of celebrating a birthday as it is done in Katroo.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Each year, i plan to have everyone sign a page when they come to visit or if we have a party for his birthday."
"Really cute book!"
"Bought this book for my Kindergartner's first school birthday and asked all his classmates along with a couple of teachers to sign."
"It is a bit long so I definitely recommend it for an older toddler/preschooler and even then you may need to split up reading to keep their attention (at least if your child is incredibly active like mine)."
"We love this book!"
"I hoped this was the special edition of the book with pages for the child to fill in at the back."
"I love Dr Seuss but some of the books, this one included, are very difficult to read and are way too wordy."
"Luckily I have some time before the party, so hopefully the replacement item is not damaged or incorrectly put together."
Best Children's Jewish Holiday Books
A traveler rids a village synagogue of goblins by outwitting them. Using his wits and a few props--pickles, eggs, and a dreidel (a square-shaped top with Hebrew letters on each side)--Hershel manages to outwit all the creepy critters and break the spell.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I usually don't like goblins and witches stories or anything scary for that matter and I don't do Halloween, BUT I really enjoyed this book immensely."
"My kids (6 & 9) love this story."
"Before giving it, I admit—I reread the book, and it definitely holds up even as an adult."
"A wonderful book I read to my library students!"
"I am confused by the review that says this book advocates violence as Hershel tricks all of the goblins without physically hurting them (though I suppose he does threaten one of them)."
"I ordered this book to be a part of our Hanukkah unit, and the kids loved the story so much that we read during free time every day through the month of December."
"When I retired from teaching, I gave my copy to my daughter who is also a teacher."
"This is my favorite book to read to my classes around Hanukkah time!"
Best Children's Valentine's Day Books
With short and simple rhyming text, the Llama Llama board books introduce Llama Llama to babies and toddlers before they’re ready for longer full-length stories. Her passion for creating extended to home and garden and she lovingly restored an 18th century farmhouse in southern Vermont.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm a sucker for rhyming books and the "llama llama" phrase always gets and giggle out of him."
"I purchased this classic not realizing that my grandson's parents had purchased it also for a parents' read aloud day at his school."
"As always Llama llama books are simply yet sweet and this one is no exception."
"I picked these up for our daycare friends as a Valentines day gift."
"More exactly, my 2 year old grandson loves it - along with ALL the Llama Llama books!!"
"I love these little board books."
"Just adorable son isint super excited about it weird i got this one and the nighty night one , he seemed to like nighty night one more either way its a cute book."
"Its not one of the top favorites of my almost 2 year old but she does enjoy it nonetheless."
Best Children's Halloween Books
A mouse is taking a stroll through the deep, dark wood when along comes a hungry fox, then an owl, and then a snake. The mouse is good enough to eat but smart enough to know this, so he invents . Julia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's longer than you'd think would hold a baby's attention, but with wide eyes she giggles and kicks her feet with excitement."
":-). UPDATE 4/20/16: We LOVE this book... our daughter is now 18 months old and she just loves the Gruffalo, Gruffalo's Child, Stick Man, Tabby McTat... ok... all of Julie Donaldson's books... you can actually find the Gruffalo somewhere in all almost the books she writes...."
"The best part about it is the rhythm and repetition throughout the story- just love how it reads (and enjoy the illustrations that go with the story too)."
"This book is my son's favorite book."
"It is a favorite around this house and our little one picks it time and time again for story time."
"Our favorite book! Julia Donaldson, you nailed it!"
""Knobby knees, turned out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose" are all times when I would touch my son's knee, toes and nose to add emphasis to the story."
"Not only does my 2.5 year old like this story, her one year old brother sits through the entire thing and often asks us to read it to him."
Best Children's Christmas Books
1986 Caldecott Medal Winner A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical trip to the North Pole . “Allsburg's mix of meticulousness and mysticism is his own, and his quiet Christmas bell, now run, will not stop ringing.”—Adam Gopnik, author of The King in the Window.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This nice larger book is great for a coffee table as decoration during Christmas and for easy access to read."
"It is filled with music from the movie and combinations that mix the scores together especially with the songs a) The Polar Express sung by Tom Hanks and b) Suite from the Polar Express."
"We were all pleased with this lovely book and the extras, including my own kids---who read the book before the 'grands' read it."
"This is probably a book for the older kids- 7-10, but it's definitely a fun book to read to the little ones for the holidays."
"I bought this book for my 5 year old son this year because I bought tickets for the GSMR train ride."
"The story is so magical, you can really feel the spirt of Christmas in this book."
"First edition."
"This is a beloved children's book."
Best Children's St. Patrick's Day Books
But never fear, Pinkalicious is here with her magical wand, lots of love, and pinktastic rhymes to turn the trash into an Emeraldalicious paradise. / What I would love is a pretty throne.” Six wishes later, they have turned the ugly dump into a “greentastic garden.” As a follow-up to Pinkalicious (2006) and its three sequels, this is adequately diverting, and the mixed-media illustrations do catch the eye, especially with the dizzying amount of very specific junk strewn across the page.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My daughter loves the pinkalicious series."
"They create a magic wand that helps them recycle and re-use the junk in the park. I really like Pinkalicious' cape, wand, and tiara that were made from flowers and plants."
"My 4 year old is a huge fan of these books and so I added this one to her collection."
"I love all of the Pinkalicious books."
"Not my favorite out of all the Victoria Kann books."
"My whole family likes the Pinkalicious series of books but this one is probably my least favorite."
Best Children's Easter Books
For generations, Pat the Bunny has been creating special first-time moments between parents and their children. Golden Touch and Feel Books are irresistible first books for toddlers.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With so many wonderful interactive, texturized books today that appeal to a small child who's just beginning explore their five senses, it's so easy to forget that they were a rare novelty back in the late 30's when Dorothy Kunhardt wrote this book for the youngest of her four children, a then 3 year old daughter named Edith (originally published in 1940), who would grow up and become a children's book author/illustrator herself (including expanding on her mother's gift to her with 1984's Pat the Cat, 1991's Pat the Puppy, and 1997's Pat the Pony.). The only sense not covered in the Deluxe (referred to as Hardback on this listing) edition of the book is taste, since there are flowers to smell along with "Mummy's button box" to hear rattling upon shaking, and the squeak of "dolly's ball" when pressed (with the last two - covering 4 pages - restored from the original 1940 version - referred to as Spiral Bound on this listing - pages which are NOT included in what's being referred to as the Plastic Comb edition on this listing... even though the Deluxe Hardback ALSO has plastic comb binding! The measurements shown on this listing (8.1 x 1.5 x 9.2) for the Deluxe Hardback (with its imprinted $14.99 US price on the back of the partial box it comes in, with a hard plastic overwrap enclosing it) are of the box, while the book itself is 7-7/8" x 1-1/4" x 9", which is larger (but not double the size) of what's called Plastic Comb edition (shown as 5.1 x 1.1 x 5.6)."
"This was a gift, and she loved it!"
"Great books, but for the target age, I feel like the quality could be a little better."
"It arrived on time and was just what we wanted."
"I seriously do not know why the publisher/ manufacturer of this book chose this kind of terrible binding."
"I had this book as a child, and was looking to purchase it for a friend's new baby. This book was a classic in it's FULL form, to exclude classic things from the book to include others ( Daddy's scratchy beard as another example), is disappointing."
"My 15 month old would tear this up."
"Very poorly made."
Best Children's Independence Day Books
An inspiring and patriotic tribute to the beauty of the American flag, a symbol of America’s history, landscape, and people, illustrated by New York Times bestselling and Caldecott-honor winning artist Kadir Nelson Wonderfully spare, deceptively simple verses pair with richly evocative paintings to celebrate the iconic imagery of our nation, beginning with the American flag. Kadir has received three additional Coretta Scott King Awards and five Coretta Scott King honors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Don't let the few words in the book cause you to hesitate to read it to children."
"This book took me by surprise."
"A perfectly realized book."
"Gorgeous images, not a lot of text."
"While this is a beautifully illustrated book, which juxtaposes amazing images of our country (from coast to coast) with patriotic images of the flag and our nation's symbols. Sarvinder and Kadir wove iconic images of America - The Statute of Liberty, The Grand Canyon, an Eagle, and the moon landing - with diverse images of strong, proud, Americans of all ages working together toward freedom through - the Civil War, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement."
"BLUE SKY WHITE STARS filled me a sense of pride."
"Very simple patriotic text allows the illustrations by Nelson to shine on the page. They are filled with the faces of America, symbols of our nation, and the beauty of the land."
"And I was able to help her relate to the "all American" spread by pointing out that the man is a veteran and fought for our country by pointing out it was kind of how Mulan fought for China....with a 3yo i'll take whatever comprehension I can get :) we also discussed the people in the book, how old were they, what were they thinking, happy or sad or serious. Brought tears to my eyes.. At the end of the book there was a notation that further information could be obtained on the author's website."
Best Children's Kwanzaa Books
In an African village live seven brothers who make life miserable with their constant fighting. This latest title is an original folktale that will help introduce children to the holiday's seven principles, while also suggesting how Kente cloth was first created. Working together, the brothers create a tapestry of Kente cloth, the first multicolored cloth the village has seen, which they sell to the king's treasurer for gold, before returning to their village to farm and live harmoniously.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's a great story to read aloud and would make a super gift for any young reader."
"This was a wonderful book - read it to my 3rd graders during Kwanzaa unit!"
"Wonderful approach to the Kwanzaa celebration and many other life lessons!"
"I bought this book to teach about Holidays around the world."
"daughter uses it in her class."
"Great story and glad we added it to our Kwanzaa book collection this year."
"My students and I loved this book!"
Best Children's Thanksgiving Books
Turkey is in trouble. The kind of trouble where it's almost Thanksgiving . He ties a brush on the back of his head and wears a tiny saddle because surely no one would eat a horse for dinner. When he hears Farmer Jake tell his wife that if they can't find the turkey, maybe they should eat the rooster for dinner, the protagonist comes up with the perfect ruse.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great read aloud for around Thanksgiving."
"Enjoyed both the story and the illustrations in this timely tale😀. All the disguises then a perfect solution made me smile."
"My grandsons loved this story."
"My almost 3 year old loves this book."
"Easy to follow plot line that I have used to help teach prediction and summarizing."
"Funny Thanksgiving story that my students all enjoyed."
"Adorable book."
"This book is pretty good with a cute story."
Best Children's Around the World Books
For 12 months, Barnabas and Anabel traveled around the world, meeting children and talking to them about the celebrations and festivals they enjoy. Grade 2-6?A rich, multicultural look at holidays around the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I truly believe this book was part of that early inspiration. Can't wait to see their eyes light up the way my girls did!"
"The pictures an information in this book are amazing."
"My grandson has a birthday coming up and will give him the same book with pages all about him at the end."
"My mom bought me this book when I was young, only 8 or 9 years old - it was FASCINATING, just a wonderful look into the lives of all these children - even though their lives are VASTLY different from each others, the same questions applied and it was just so interesting seeing how they write their name, who their best friends are, their favorite toys, their favorite food."
"Sweet little book from DK with the quality and whimsical fun you'd expect from their fine publication house."
"Ties in nicely with my "UNDERSTANDING ALL KIDZ CULTURES TEACHING UNIT" . .. CREATIVE DISCOVERY LEARNING APPROACHES helping kidz use their MULTI ~ Intelligences and various hands-on senses ."
"LOVE this book!"
"There is a set of "tin children" from the book available that really looks like the childrent in the book."
Best Children's Chinese New Year Books
Celebrate Chinese New Year is the latest, timely addition to National Geographic’s popular Holidays Around the World series. Carolyn Otto brings the historical and cultural aspects of the Chinese New Year into focus, and young readers experience the full flavor of an event celebrated by over a billion people in China, and countless others worldwide. A back section entitled "More About Chinese New Year" includes clear and simple directions for making a Chinese lantern, a fortune cookie recipe, information on the Chinese calendar and Zodiac signs, a game, a glossary, and more resources to explore.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So it is a book for american born Chinese (ABC)."
"I have several books on Chinese New Year which I share with my son's class every Lunar New Year and this book tops them all!"
"Bought for our daughter we adopted from china 5 years ago."
"Cute, informative, well written."
"I used this in my pre-school (as a point to look and discuss) as well as my son's kindergarten class (I skipped over some of the longer paragraphs), but my 8 year old enjoyed reading it in entirely."
"I'm Chinese and I think this book is very well written."
"This book had beautiful illustrations that really show the essence of Chinese New Year and make you want to celebrate it."