With Christmas soon approaching, here are some books that spread the message of togetherness, cheer, and sharing in keeping with this season of giving.
Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds
Holidays are special because they bring families together. Bringing her family together, especially around the dinner table like they used to, is exactly what Violet wants. There was a time when meeting around the dinner table, sharing food and love, was something her family did regularly but now her family has been drifting apart, and with nobody to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller. Can Violet remind her family of the warmth of time spent together, and gather around the table once more? This is a heartwarming picture book that conveys its message of togetherness both in words and in pictures. Starting with monochromatic, the images transition to full colour as Violet’s family is reunited around the table. This is a tender, lyrical story of multigenerational love, tradition, and family coming together with gratitude and thanks. Grades Preschool-3
A Cabin Christmas by Glynnis Hood, illustrated by Ardis Cheng
The holidays can sometimes be a difficult time of the year, even for the most optimistic of people. Author Glynnis Hood writes about one such person, a little girl, who lives in a cabin in the woods and is always cheerful and happy. Christmas makes her especially happy and she leaves her cabin every morning greeting her forest friends, the moose, the beaver, the squirrel, and the bear. Her forest and wetland friends are happy to hear their friend as they get ready for the winter. Everything seems right with the world, but when the girl and her family are faced with an unexpected challenge, all the forest and wetland friends of the girl come together to make it the best Christmas ever! It is the girl’s love and respect for the animals that bring their love and respect back to her doorstep. Grades Preschool-3
Strum and Drum: A Merry Little Quest by Jashar Awan
In this enchanting picture book, author Jashar Awan images the Christmas tree as an enchanting forest where all the ornaments and decorations are animated. Strum and Drum are two such decorations. They’re both musicians and are making their way to the North where the Great Star rises. Strum strums his guitar and Drum drums her drum and they’re making their merry way up the forest when some mysterious obstacles fill their paths . . . flickering lanterns, bubbles of glass, a silver waterfall, a tiny house, dangerous animals . . . and a wooden man with a toothy grin warns them of a beast with green eyes lying in wait. All the creatures are Christmas ornaments and it is Christmas eve. When the green-eyed beast strikes and sends them tumbling out of the “forest,” Strum and Drum’s quest to reach the Great Star seems doomed . . . until a little boy setting out milk and cookies for Santa spots them. This is a delightful picture book that will spark the imagination of young readers and get them to imagine entire worlds and stories around the inhabitants of their Christmas trees. Grades Preschool-2