BOOK MARKED
Sharing HOLIDAY STORIES
16 Books Present Customs and
Traditions for Young Readers
BY MICHELLE HALBER, CHILDREN’S LIBRARIAN, DAVIS BRANCH OF
THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Explore several fun and informative books about
the various holidays we celebrate this month.

HANUKKAH (CHANUKAH)
STORIES “There Was a Young Rabbi:
A Hanukkah Tale”
by Suzanne Wolfe,
illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
“The Ninth Night of Hanukkah”
by Erica S. Perl,
illustrated by Shahar Kober
“Eight Knights of Hanukkah”
by Leslie Kimmelman,
illustrated by Galia Bernstein
Hanukkah (Chanukah), the Jewish Festival of Lights,
is celebrated from Nov. 28 Dec. 6 this year and
commemorates the rededication of the Temple in
Jerusalem. These three new picture books illustrate
a range of fun, family, relationships and the values of
Hanukkah (Chanukah) in rhymes and stories.

CHRISTMAS STORIES
“Pete the Kitty’s Cozy Christmas”
by Kimberly and James Dean
This fun touch-and-feel board book for the little
ones introduces readers to Pete, who puts on his
warm Christmas sweater, decorates the tree and
opens presents.

“The Great Santa Stakeout”
by Betsy Bird, illustrated by Dan Santat
This lower elementary school book features the
story of a young boy who loves Santa and spends
the entire year inventing a plan to allow him to take
a picture with Santa. Does it work?
“A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow
Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World”
by M.E. Furman, illustrated by Susan Gal
Explore the pages of this nonfiction book
28 Washington FAMILY DECEMBER 2021
highlighting how children of different countries
celebrate the Christmas holiday. Cookie recipes
from around the globe are included in the back
of the book.

“Dog Diaries: Happy Howlidays!”
by James Patterson
Middle-grade readers will love this tale of Junior,
who eagerly awaits Critter-mess day.

“Christmas: From Solstice to Santa”
by Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton
Discover this nonfiction book providing a
comprehensive look at the history of the holiday to
current celebrations around the world.

“The Afterlife of Holly Chase”
by Cynthia Hand
Teen readers meet a 17-year-old scrooge, who,
after refusing to believe her Christmas carol ghosts
about changing her ways, finds herself dead and
employed as the Ghost of Christmas Past trying to
redeem others.

“10 Blind Dates”
by Ashley Elston
This amusing story shares the joys and pitfalls
of family, as Sophie is set up on 10 blind dates by
various family members, (some successful, most
not), as she tries to recover from a breakup over
the holidays.

WINTER SOLSTICE BOOK
“The Shortest Day”
by Susan Cooper,
illustrated by Carson Ellis
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the
year, Dec. 21, a fact readers can learn about in this
lovely picture book. Appealing illustrations bring
the story to life as readers experience how people