BEST BOOKS

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WONDERFUL BOOKS FOR CHILDREN WE HAVE COME ACROSS THIS MONTH. WE HOPE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME YOU HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE AND ALSO INTRODUCE OTHERS BEING RELEASED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. ENJOY.

by Emma Dodd Emma Dodd’s joyful celebration of this wonderful time of year, as seen through the eyes of two reindeer, is a pure delight. An enchanting celebration of the true meaning of Christmas, featuring two adorable reindeer—now available as a padded board book! Ages 0 mos - 3 yrs candlewickpress.com

by Kate DiCamillo When Stella gets the sudden idea to go caroling, she has a little trouble getting someone to join her. Her brother, Frank, is not good at spontaneity. The Watsons are very involved in a precarious fruitcake attempt (but happy to send their pig, Mercy, out for the occasion). Eugenia Lincoln declines, a bit rudely, to accompany on her accordion, and Horace Broom is too busy studying planetary movement. Will Stella need to sing by herself—with enthusiastic contributions from the pig, the cat, and the horse she picks up on the way? Or does the evening hold a miracle Stella hadn’t expected? Ages 3 yrs - 7 yrs candlewickpress.com

by Juana Martinez-Neal If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all—and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. Ages 4 yrs - 8 yrs candlewickpress.com

by Holly Sterling Stretchy leggings on? Ballet shoes in the bag? Let’s go! Join Thomas and his fellow dancers as they’re welcomed into the studio for their Saturday ballet class. There are feet positions to perfect and steps to learn—first position, plie, up on your toes, relevé—and turns and jumps, too. Everyone is getting ready for their first performance, The Nutcracker—and now it’s time to pick out costumes! This warm celebration of dancing, a companion to Holly Sterling’s Karate Kids, is inspired by the author’s time learning ballet as a young child. It’s sure to be a hit with little ones taking a class, free-form dancers at home, and those who are hoping to be a ballet kid one day, too. Ages 3 yrs - 7 yrs candlewickpress.com

by Jonathan Emmett Everyone is busy on Christmas Street! Who is baking gingerbread? Who is wrapping presents? And who’s that coming down the chimney? Find out in this follow-up to Alphabet Street. And after you read the rhyming story, lift the flaps to learn the letters of the alphabet and seasonal words. Then flip the book and have fun with the giant snowy concertina play-scene on the reverse! With two large, sturdy flaps on every spread; bright, cheerful artwork from Ingela P. Arrhenius, illustrator of the bestselling series of lift-the-felt-flap board books and the Peekaboo board book series; and a clever rhyming text from Jonathan Emmett, this is a charming Christmas alphabet book that little ones will return to again and again. Ages 2 yrs - 5 yrs candlewickpress.com

Animal Families: Snow Find out the different names for mother and father animals that live in snowy climates— then lift the flap to find the babies and learn what they are called. This striking, satisfying introduction to animal families features screen-printed artwork and bold neon ink to capture the attention and imagination of babies and toddlers. Ages 2 yrs - 5 yrs candlewickpress.com

Jarvis Deep in the jungle lurks Alan the alligator, descended from a long line of very scary alligators. He prepares carefully—polishing his scales, brushing each of his big, scary teeth, and practicing his frightening faces—then sneaks into the jungle to terrorize the other critters. But after a long day of scaring, Alan loves to enjoy the crossword, run a warm mud bath . . . and take out his teeth, which nobody else knows are false. Until one morning, that is, when Alan wakes up and finds that his teeth are gone! Without those teeth, he’s just not very scary. And scaring is the only thing he knows how to do— or is it? Witty, charming, and playful storytelling in this 2017 Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book will have preschoolers cheering for Alan as he discovers a new way to fit in. Ages 2 yrs - 5 yrs candlewickpress.com

by Carlie Sorosiak Leopold the goat owns a delightful bookstore, and he has a talent for matching his customers with the ideal book—an adventure story for the girl in the rain boots, a novel about gnomes for the man who loves to laugh, and a book of birds for the woman in the feathered hat. But one day, another goat arrives and proceeds to eat every book Leopold offers. Can Leopold find just the right one to tempt this reluctant reader? This funny, charming tale of the transformative power of books is a celebration of that first special story that sparks a child’s love of reading. Ages 4 yrs - 8 yrs candlewickpress.com