New to Youth Services: Winter Holiday Books

• Title: Little Bunny and the Magic Christmas Tree
  Author: David Martin
  Call: P MAR
  On a magical Christmas Eve,  Little Bunny falls asleep under the tree.  He wakes up in the night and the ornaments on the tree have come to life.  They can talk.  They tell Little Bunny to close his eyes and think small, so he can come up into the tree with them.  "So Little Bunny squeezed his eyes shut and thought teeny with all his might." And it worked!  He scrambles up into the tree and is just the right size to drive the fire truck, his favorite ornament. Valeri Gorbachev's ink and watercolor illustrations are full of action and fun.
• Title: The Littlest Evergreen
  Author: Henry Cole
  Call: P COL
  Grown as a Christmas tree, but too little to cut, a tree's roots are bundled up and a family enjoys the live tree for Christmas.  Later, they plant the tree in their yard, where it enjoys a long and beautiful life.
• Title: Twelve Days of Christmas
  Author: Laurel Long
  Call: P LON
  This book is beautifully illustrated.  My favorites were the nine princess-like ladies dancing in sparkling gowns, the ten lords who are knights on horses, and the eleven angel pipers.
• Title: One Starry Night
  Author: Lauren Thompson & Jonathan Bean
  Call: P THO
  This nativity storybook for the very young shows wild animals of Bethlehem in mother and child pairs. The simple tan and blue illustrations with short, reassuring phrases conclude with Mary and Joseph watching over their newborn babe, surrounded by the animals.
• Title: Over and Under the Snow
  Author: Kate Messner
  Call: P MES
  The animals in this book eat, sleep, hide, and play over and under the winter snow. A father and child glide over the snow on skis and tell about the secret under the snow kingdom where small forest animals stay safe and warm in the winter. Short and easy to read as a picture book, the end pages include information about the animals and the "subnivean zone" under the snow.

Mary A.