It seems that Sophie is much like most
of us at Christmas time and especially
on Christmas Day. Who remembers
seeing a large gift under the tree for
a sibling and finding a small package
for yourself? Much like you probably
did, Sophie begins to over think it. Af-
ter all of her imagining, they open the
presents and she finds that what she got
was perfect for her. Grandma shows
her that “good things often do come in
small packages.”
While many of these books appeal
to children of all ages, your older chil-
dren might enjoy this list of holiday
options:
If you want to know more about
Hanukkah and what it was like to be
a Jewish family in the early 1900’s
in New York, All-of-a-Kind Fam-
ily Hanukkah (Schwartz & Wade
Books, New York, 2018, $17.99), writ-
ten by Emily Jenkins and illustrated
by award-winning Paul O. Zelinsky, is
the book you are looking for. This is
a picture book version of a story from
the original “All of a Kind Family” se-
ries written by Sydney Taylor, and is a
wonderful way to connect the reader to
their own heritage and to invite others
into this warm and wonderful time of
year and family. Through words and il-
lustration, we learn about what life was
like for a Jewish family in New York
City, the ways they celebrated their
faith, the importance of family, and
even learn a bit of Yiddish.
For a humorous Hanukkah adven-
ture, Meet the Latkes (Viking, New
York, 2018, $17.99). Alan Silberberg
has written and illustrated a hilarious
book that introduces us to the Latke
family who are actually potato pan-
cakes. Through their silly antics and his
clever use of language confusions, we
learn a bit about Hanukkah, Yiddish,
and the delicious food of the holiday.
Christmas spirit is everywhere…
and the main character in I Got the
Christmas Spirit (Bloomsbury, New
York, 2018, $16.99), written by Connie
Schofield-Morrison and illustrated in
an almost 3D fashion by Frank Mor-
rison, will take us on a tour through
the city to find it. This spunky little girl
knows just where to look and what to
do when she sees it. This colorful book
captures the energy of children and the
season, and will no doubt give all who
read it a seek-and-find attitude as they
go through the holiday.
For older readers and adults you
can’t go wrong with this stunning
Book-to-Table Classic cookbook ver-
sion of A Christmas Carol by Charles
Dickens (Puffin Plated, New York,
2018, $25.00). Dickens divided his
work into “staves” or chapters that are
used to represent a 5-course meal, be-
ginning with hors d’oeuvres and end-
ing with desserts. Each stave/chapter
is gloriously “illustrated” with various
food preparations and the recipes are
provided at the end of each stave/chap-
ter. These recipes and food art are cre-
ated by such noted chefs as Giada De
Laurentiis, Ina Garten, Martha Stew-
art, and Trisha Yearwood, and must
be seen (and tasted) to be appreciated.
This is one book that the whole fam-
ily can enjoy from beginning to end (or
as often said, “from soup to nuts”) in
both prose and in product. This book
elegantly embodies family, the foods,
and the traditions of the season.
So now my holiday shopping list
is complete, with a book for everyone
and even some for myself! Hopefully,
you will find these and other books
in your local bookstore or online that
will be just right to give to your fam-
ily members and friends. Don’t forget
to write a little holiday message to the
person you are giving it to and remem-
ber to date it. Years from now, when
the book is opened, the reader will
think of you and remember a holiday
past… and isn’t that what this season
is really all about?
Dr. Donna Phillips is an associate pro-
fessor in the College of Education of
Niagara University where her special-
ty is literacy and children’s literature.
She lives on Grand Island, NY and is
the mother of two adult children.
December 2018 WNY Family 13