Kendra+Oberg

Early Childhood Bibliography: Winter Holidays Kendra Oberg

Black, Birdie. 2012. Nosy Crow. Just Right for Christmas. 24. Library. Children’s Fiction

One Christmas Eve, a king went to the market and bought a huge roll of beautiful bright-red cloth. He took the cloth back to his castle and set out to make a grand cloak for his princess. After his sewing maids snipped and sewed, he wrapped the cloak and put the scraps outside the back door. One of the kitchen maids found the scraps and took them home to make a jacket for her mother. Again, after she finished making the jacket, she set the leftover scraps outside her door. After the Badger made a hat for his father, a squirrel made a pair of gloves for his wife, and a mouce made a scarf for her son, the red fabric was all used up. On Christmas Day, everyone opened their gifts which were all so soft and red a Christmassy an felt just right, just how Christmas should feel. This book is a good read aloud for the younger grade classrooms. It is a great story for the holidays and can be used just as a read aloud in the classroom. For an activity after the read aloud, students could either write or draw a picture of what they would make out of the red cloth and explain why they chose it and who they’re making it for. Durant, Alan. Candlewick. 2007. Dear Santa Claus. 24. Library. Children’s Fiction.

After seeing a man in the store dressed like Santa, Holly decides to write to Santa and ask if the man she saw was actually him. Through out the book, Holly and Santa write letters back and forth. What’s most exciting about this book is that instead of having the letters printed on the page, each of Santa’s letters are removable from the book. Holly asks Santa many questions as she tries to make her Christmas list. The book also comes with an advent calendar and a Santa Claus ornament. This book is a great read aloud and children get extremely excited when the letters are taken out of the envelope and read aloud. Since this story sparks student interest in letters, it is a great time to introduce letter writing to students. Each of Santa’s letters have a greeting, proper spacing, the date, and a signature. Each component of the letter can be touched on and introduced to students. During center time, a letter writing station can be set up for students to write letters to whomever they wish.

Kladstrup, Kristin. 2010. Viking Juvenile. A Night in Santa’s Great Big Bag. 32. Library. Children’s Fiction.

On Christmas Eve, Louis and Lamb (Louis’ stuffed animal) talked about Santa’s great big bag as they went to bed. Hearing there were more toys in Santa’s bag than in the toy store, Lamb decided he had to see inside. Lamb crept downstairs to when Santa arrived and crawled into the bag. Lamb was so intrigued by the toys that he didn’t realize Santa picked up the bag and went back to his sleigh. While in the bag, Lamb met many toys, often helping them and making them feel better, all of which Lamb enjoyed. Although Lamb enjoyed meeting new toys, he missed Louis and hoped Santa wouldn’t drop him off at anew home. Once Santa pulled Lamb out of the bag, took Lamb back home and placed Lamb in Louis’ stocking, just like he did a few years ago. On Christmas morning, lamb got to tell Louis all about Santa’s great big bag. __A Night in Santa’s Great Big Bag__ is a great read aloud for a kindergarten or first grade classroom. This book can simply be used as a read aloud during the holiday season. One possibility for an activity following the read aloud would be for students to write their own stories about crawling into Santa’s big bag. Students can describe how they got into the bag, what they saw while they were in the bag and how they got out of the bag.

Scholastic. Cartwheel Books. 2007. Merry Christmas: A Storybook Collection. 96. Home Collection. Children’s Fiction __Merry Christmas: A Storybook Collection__ is a collection of three Christmas stories. The first is a story of a Christmas tree. Neighbors continue to cut the Christmas tree in half to share with friends and neighbors to make their holiday season special. The second story is about Christmas ghosts and them watching Santa put the presents under the tree. The third is a story of what if’s. A daughter asks her mother a bunch of questions starting with “what if”. What if the wind blew the Christmas tree away? What if the snow kept falling and we couldn’t open our door? The answers her mother gives are both humorous and creative. These tree heartwarming stories are great read alouds for the holiday season. After reading the story of what if’s, students can write their what if question. After each student has written a what if question pertaining to the holiday season, students can switch papers and answer a what if question themselves. After students have had time to respond, students can share in a small and whole group. In the first story of the Christmas tree, fractions can be taught as the Christmas tree continues to be cut in half and half again.

Seuss, Dr. Random House. 1957. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 64. Home Collection. Children’s Fiction The Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, hated Christmas. No one in Who-ville knew why, but the most likely reason was that the Grinch’s heart was two sizes too small. Oh Christmas day, the Grinch decided to stop Christmas from coming. The Grinch disguised hiself as Santa and called on his dog Mac to be his reindeer. He went into Who-ville and snuck into their homes. He took every present, he ate all the food, he even took their Christmas trees. After he loaded every trace of Christmas in Who-ville, the Grinch headed back up to the top of the mountain. When he got to the top, he heard every Who in Who-ville singing merrily together even without their presents. He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming which made him realize that maybe Christmas doesn’t come from the store. This story has a great moral and can be a great reminder for students when it comes close to the holiday season that it is not all about presents. With letters to Santa and the holiday season quickly approaching, children easily loose sight of what the holiday season is all about. After reading about the story, students could write in journals about what the holiday season means to them.

Stewart, Jennifer. 2010. Sterling. The Twelve Days of Christmas in Arizona. 32. Library. Children’s Fiction. Isabelle is coming to visit her cousin Carlos in Arizona for Christmas and Carlos couldn’t be more excited. During her stay, Carlos and his grandparents have a road trip planed with surprises and tons of things to do so Isabelle could experience Arizona. Through out her visit, Isabelle writes letters home about her adventures in Arizona, all of which tie into Stewart’s version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” Arizona style. Their adventures include a trip to the Saguaro National Park, the Ramsey Canyon Preserve, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, the Heard Museum, the Lowell Observatory, and many more places. In each one of Isabella’s letters to her parents, readers are informed of the many places around Arizona and what they have to offer. When reading this book in the classroom, teachers can spend time explaining the many different places Isabella and Carlos visited. Many students and parents included aren’t aware of many of these places to visit in Arizona. Showing pictures and talking about the different places can spark students’ interest in visiting museums, observatories and learning more information about them.

Van Allsburg, Chris. Houghton Mifflin. 1985. The Polar Express. 32. Children’s Fiction. Home Collection

One Christmas Eve long ago, a boy laid awake in bed, awaiting Santa’s arrival. Outside the boy’s house, a train appeared and he boarded it, heading toward the North Pole. The train was filled with other children, all in their pajamas. The children sang Christmas carols, ate candies and drank hot cocoa. Once they got to the North Pole, the boy was granted one gift. He asked Santa for a silver bell from Santa’s sleigh, which Santa had an elf cut off for the boy. On the way home, the boy lost his silver bell. The next morning, he found a present waiting for him under the tree. In it was his silver bell with a letter signed from Santa. When the boy shook the bell, his parents could not hear it. Though most of his friends and after a few years, his sister could no longer hear the sweet sound of the silver bell, the boy still hears the ring as do all who truly believe. __The Polar Express__ is a great read aloud for the holiday season. After the read aloud, students could respond through writing. Students could start their story boarding the polar express and continue on with their own story. The students should be encouraged to be creative and come up with a story that’s different from the actual story.

Chocolate, Deborah M. Newton. Kwanzaa. 1990. Children’s Press Chicago. 31. Library. Children’s Non-Fiction.

Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that celebrates kindship and gathering. Though there are many African trimes tribes with different customs and beliefs, all African peole know the fruits of the earth bring them life and celebrate planting and harvest. More importantly, they celebrate the spirits of their ancestors by offering the first fruits of harvest to those who have gone before them. Though there are many ways to celebrate Kwanzaa, Chocolate shares about her families way of celebrating. From the day after Christams until the first day of the new year, Kwanzaa is celebrated. Homes are decorated in black, red and green, a feast is prepared and shared with relatives and gifts are shared. Each day, no food is eaten until the evening when families gather around the table to enjoy the feast. One of the seven candles is lit, each representing one of the seven Kwanzaa principles. Throughout the seven days, songs are sung, stories are shared, gifts are exchanged, and families are reminded of their purpose. After reading this book, students can be split up into seven groups for the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Working in groups, the students can do further research on their principle, learning the principle is, how they celebrate it and why it is celebrated. Students can then create a visual, a short play acting out the celebration or create any sort of presentaiton for the class.

Flanagan, Alice. 2003. Compass Point Books. Chinese New Year. 32. Library. Teacher Resource

[[image:http://eed418.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=200&h=118 width="200" height="118" align="left" caption="CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 80 "]] Starting on the first day of a full moon between January 20 and February, the Chinese New Year is a holiday that has been celebrated for more than four thousand years. Lasting fifteen days, the celebration includes firecrackers, a dancing dragon, sweet treats, and wishes of good luck, health and happiness in the year to come. Legend has it one winter long ago a wild beast attacked one of the villages. Everyone was terrified of the beast at first until they realized the beast was afraid of loud noises, the color red, and bright lights. TO keep the beast away, people painted their house doors red, set off firecrackers, and built fires until the beast ran away which is why all of these are still a big part of the celebration today. After reading about the Chinese New Year, the class can discuss the legends and how the Chinese New Year celebration came to be. Then students can discuss the New Years celebration and share ideas of how our traditions of New Years started. Students can then write about the Chinese New Year and compare and contrast it to New Years in the United States.

Fisherman, Cathy. 2003. First Avenue Editions. Hanukkah. 48. Library. Children’s Non-Fiction.

Long ago in Judea, a group of people called the Syrian Greeks ruled over Judea even though the Jews had lived there for hundreds of years. The Syrian Greeks believed in many gods, but the Jews believed in only one God. When a cruel, new ruler, Antiochus the Fourth, gained power of Judea, he sent an army of men to destroy the Jewish Temple. He made a law stating that Jews could not pray to their God. The Jewish people didn’t give up and put up a fight against Antiochus. After a long three-year battle and some believe the help of God, the Jews and their small army defeated the large, strong army of Antiochus. After defeating the army, the Jews rebuilt the temple. Jon Macabee set a menorah with only one days worth of oil. The menorah lasted 8 days, which is represented by the eight day celebration. After reading and discussing the Hanukkah traditions, students can then either make a dreidel or students can play dreidel with groups of students in the classroom. An extension to this would be for students to create their own dreidel, but to come up with their own symbols and rules for how to play. Students can then write these rules and games can then be shared and played.

Gibbons, Gail. 2001. Holiday House. Christmas Is…. 27.Library. Children’s Non-Fiction.

[[image:http://eed418.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=200&h=163 width="200" height="163" align="left" caption="CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 80 "]] Gibbons offers readers a broad, kid friendly version of the history of Christmas as well as traditions and symbols. Long ago in a little town of Bethlehem, baby Jesus was born in a stable. The three shepherds traveled to Bethlehem to find him following a bight star, which is represented by the star on top of Christmas trees. They brought him gifts and worshiped him because they believed he was the Son of God. People who celebrate Christmas give one another gifts to show they love and appreciate one another. Saint Nicholas loved helping people and giving gifts. He was said to have once thrown three bags of gold down a chimney where three poor girls lived. One of the bags landed in a stocking that was hung by the chimney to dry. He later became known as Santa Clause. This possibly why stockings are hung and people believe Santa slides down the chimney. __Christmas Is…__ is a good read aloud for the younger grades. It explains the Christmas story in a very basic way. This story can be paired with basic stories that explain Hanukkah and Kwanza. After reading all three read alouds, students can discuss the three holidays and similarities and differences between them.

Katz, Karen. 2003. Henry Holt and Co. My First Kwanzaa. 28. Library. Children’s Non Fiction.

After placing the kinara, the seven candles, the unity cup, one ear of corn for each child, as well as apples, yams, nuts and squash to the table, Kwanzaa is ready to be celebrated. Fruits and vegetables are a reminder of the end of the harvest and the beginning of planting season in Africa. On the first day, neighbors visit, the second day, hair is braided to make people feel proud of their African culture, On the third day, flowers are planted and people work together to make their neighborhoods beautiful. The fourth day food is purchased in neighborhood stores, The fifth day is for dreams of the future, and the sixth day painting pots and weaving baskets, all to make the house more beautiful. The final day is for Africans to shw faith in themselves, family future and past. Ketz shares the story of a Kwanzaa celebration through this basic, easy to follow story of Kwanzaa. After reading the story, students can go back and read about each of the seven days and what they represent (unity, self-determination, working together, etc.). After identifying what each day represents, students can then work together to come up with a symbol to represent each day.

Lankford, Mary. 1995. Morrow Junior Books. Christmas Around the World. 47. Library. Children’s Non Fiction

__ Christmas Around the World __ describes the Christmas foods, symbols and celebrations of 12 different countries around the world. Lankford sets the stage for each celebration including each country’s average weather during the holiday season, Christmas symbol and greeting. Traditions range from fly pole dancing in Guatemala, bagpipers dressed in sheepskin jackets in Italy, piñatas in Mexico or pagents in the Philippines. However, almost all Christmas traditions include family and a feast. Lankford also includes Christmas crafts, Christmas sayings, as well as a Christmas chronology in her book. This book cannot be used for a read aloud in one sitting. Each page contains a ton of information on how one country celebrates Christmas. During class, traditions of one or two countries can be shared at a time. After reading about two different countries’ traditions, students could make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting two countries’ traditions. If the teacher reads about one holiday, the students could then make a venn diagram comparing it to Christmas, Hanakkah, or Kwanza (depending on the holiday they celebrate at home) and compare and contrast it.

Lankford, Mary. 2006. Collins. Christmas USA. 48. Library. Children’s Non-Fiction.

In her book __Christmas USA__, Lankford describes what she learned about Christmas traditions while traveling across our country. Though many think Christmas celebration share the same across the US, Lankford has a different view. In the Northeast, people celebrate their history with re-creations of long-ago Christmases. In the Southeast, they hold a nighttime celebration on top of levees holding back the Mississippi River. Sugarcane, willow libs, and cardboard are burned to reflect ancient customs of burning fires to encourage the return of longer days. In Alabama, there is a festival that takes place on the river on Christmas Day. Lankford gives readers a visual of many more regions in the US including the southwest, the mountain states, the White House, and even the post office. Though this book cannot be read in one sitting, teachers can read about one region and their unique traditions. Following the reading, the students can then make one of the many crafts listed in the back of the book. This book contains tons of fun traditions, crafts and recipes, all with step-by-step directions. Following the read aloud, the students can make a craft or partake in a tradition of the holiday of the students learned about that day.

Podwal, Mark. 1998. Greenwillow. The Menorah Story. 24. Library. Children’s Non Fiction.

After many failed attempts to make a menorah, God told Moses to throw a piece of gold into a fire and the first menorah formed itself. It is said that the seven lights on the menorah represent the six days of Creation and the light in the center signifies the Sabbath. After burning for hundreds of years at the center of the Holy Temple, the lights of the menorah went out. King Antiochus commanded everyone to pray to Greek gods and created a law forbidding Jews to say God’s name. Because of this, many Jews escaped to the mountains where they lived in caves. There, they formed an army preparing to attack the enemy by surprise. With Judah Maccabee in charge and God’s help, the Jews defeated the army of Antiochus. The Holy Temple was rebuilt and with only a small amount of holy oil hardly enough for one day, the menorah miraculously burned for eight days. From there, Judah Maccabee proclaimed an eight-day holiday called Hanukkah, a time of rejoicing for future generations.

Barth, Edna. 1999. Clarion Books. Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights: The Story of the Christmas Symbols. 96. Library. Teacher Resourse.

In __Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights__, Barth explains to readers the story of each of the familiar Christmas symbols as well as their specific meaning for us and for people around the world. According to a legend, on a Christmas Eve day about twelve hundred years ago, the first Christmas tree was revealed by a miracle. Winfrid, an English Missionary, found a group of worshipers gathered at the Oak of Giesmar about to sacrifice little Prince Asulf to the god of Thor. Attempting to distract them, he cut down the “blood oak” and as it fell, a young fir tree miraculously sprang up right before their eyes. This fir tree was said to be the tree of Christ, a symbol of goodness of love. Winfrid said it should be taken into their homes and went on to tell these tribesmen about the birth of Jesus. Barth goes on to discuss the roots of many of our Christmas traditions and the different cultures they come from. This book is not a picture book and cannot be used as a read aloud. In the weeks before Christmas, stories from this book can be shared periodically in class. There are often various stories of how one Christmas symbol came to be. After reading about a symbol, students can then respond to the story.

Bernhard, Emery. 1996. Lodestar Books. Happy New Year. 29. Library. Teacher Resource.

__ Happy New Year __ explains the origins of New Years celebrations around the world. Though traditions, dates, and celebrations vary and continue to change, it is a time of hope for the future for everyone. Here in the U.S., many watch the ball drop in Times Square, Romans celebrate by giving gifts, feasting, and throwing away all cracked or chipped dishes out the window. Many cultures believe that demons have to be scared off before the New Year could be born. In order to scare off these evil spirits, a great deal of noise has to be made. In Nigeria, children run into their houses, slam the door and stay inside until the New Year is gone. If children are caught outside, the old year might carry them off when it leaves. Whether it be cleaning houses, studying the moon, honoring ancestors, thanking gods, scaring out evil spirits, or studying the flight of birds, each culture has it’s own unique way of bringing in the New Year. Though traditions vary tremendously, each culture brings in the New Year with a great deal of hope for what the future holds in the next year. After reading this book, students could pick a particular culture and research the New Year’s Day celebration further. Students could then make a group or individual project on it, write a paper, make a presentation, create a visual, or any other way of representing the culture’s New Years celebration. Final projects could then be shared with the whole class.

Dice, Elizabeth. 2009. Chelsea House Publications. Christmas and Hanukkah. 111. Library. Teacher Resource. Though Christmas and Hanukkah are unconnected, they both are associated with light, provide a sense of comfort during the dreary winter months and encourage people to look forward to the future. Dice informs readers about the history of both Hanakkuh and Christmas as well as traditions and stories. This book is filled with fun facts about the holidays as well as songs. Each year, PNC Wealth Management calculates how much it would cost to buy all the items mentioned in the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” checking with jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and all other sources needed. The second part of Dice’s book discusses the holiday traditions and customs in regions across the world. This book is particularly long and may be used in older grade levels. It is primarily a good teacher resource book. If a student were working on a research project about one of the two holidays, it would be a good resource for the student. However, parts of this book can be shared with any grade level. There are a ton of interesting facts about the two holidays that can be shared with the classroom during the holiday season. The book also contains a ton of pictures from all over the world of other countries celebrating for the holidays that can be shared in class and discussed.

Erlbach, Arlene. Enslow Pub Inc. Hanukkah: Celebrating the Holiday of Lights. 48. Teacher Resource Hanukkah is an eight day holiday celebrated by Jewish people. Jewish people follow a religion called Judaism, ne of the oldest religions in the world and the first to teach that there is only one God. The celebration includes playing games, eating special foods, singing songs and giving gifts. Hanukkah celebrates a battle the Jewish people won over two thousand years ago against the ancient Greeks, taking back the Temple. Hanukkah can be celebrated in different ways. Some families give fits to each other on only one night while others give gifts on each night of Hanukkah. Others choose to give gifts to those who are more need than they are. However, the gift-giving isn’t part of a Hanukkah custom, it came from Christmas. The book contains an in-depth explanation of Judaism, how Hanukkah began, and the Jewish culture. It also contains a timeline as well as crafts and activities. After sharing this book, the class can work in centers to complete the activities in the back of the book. The first center is a craft making a dreidel out of construction paper. The second center is a game students play using a dreidel. If a third center is needed, the activity can incorporate a menorah.

Otto, Carolyn. 2009.National Geographic Society. Celebrate Chinese New Year. 32. Library. Teacher Resource.

__ Celebrate Chinese New Year __ tells the story of this celebration of hope and promise. Long before festivities begin, lots of preparation takes place. Houses, stores and streets are cleaned to sweep away bad luck, bright colored decorations are hung to bring wealth and luck, and couplets of happy wishes and good luck are hung on doorways. Food is prepared, families travel to be together, songs, music and games are played, stories of ancestors are shared and fireworks, firecrackers and drums are played to scare away Nian. The celebration continues through New Years Day and the days to follow with parades, pageants, dancers, acrobats, and musicians. Ancestors are honored, people visit one another, and children get presents and wear new clothes. Everything is new to start off the New Year. On the 15th day, the Lantern Festival begins; lanterns light the sky as he dancers carry a dragon through the streets. Through all these festivities and celebration, the Chinese New Year starts off the New Year right for those who celebrate. Elements of this celebration are similar to how New Years Day is celebrated in the U.S. After learning about this celebration, students could make a bubble map about the similarities and differences between the two celebrations. Depending on the grade level, students could write about these similarities and differences.