Festivals Books

American Girl can be trusted to produce a great product. This book is well written and illustrated for the younger person in mind..however, Mothers will love this book also. Many ideas and a wide range of materials for craft making for the holidays. American Girls does it again!!

Yet another great Christmas craft book! This book has many great ideas, including snowmen you can eat! I would definitely buy this book for the Christmas season.

I think this book is one of the best ideas American Girls has come up with. The book has many, many ways for kids like me to use my creativity in a useful way at a low cost. People should buy this book because it has a lot of ideas for beautiful, useful gifts. I used some of the ideas last year, and my family loved them. They're still using them! It doesn't cost much to buy and use this book, but you get the best reward when the people you give presents to open theirs!!!!!

I love this book. It contains wonderful, quick and pretty projects. I have already choosen several to make up this year for Christmas. I organize craft projects for my mom's group at chruch and several of these project will be great and very economical for a large group of ladies. If you have a young daughter I imagine she would love this book too.

This is a great book with clear photos and directions for Christmas things from home made mint snowpeople to tree decorations, that appeal to kids and adults.

My family loves this book especially my 4 year old daughter. The illustrations are beautiful. It's the first night before Christmas story that is truly unique and doesn't focus on toys for once!

We began reading this right after thanksgiving when all the christmas stuff came out. We are still reading it with my 2 and my 4 year olds both requesting it. I read a lot of books to them and this one by far grabs their attention more than most. I do not normally write reviews but felt obligated to write something positive about something that has made such a positive impact on my children. Thank you Michael Garland.

I am 8 years old and this is my favorite book. I love the illustrations and my favorite part is when the Christmas Tree dances and when Katrina turns into a real person! I have a dog Max also so I liked when the cat and dog sing. This is a fun book and I think everyone should have this book to read at Christmas time!

Dancing on the lawn,singing cat's and dog's,mice making pies,snow men and women. You can find all of these in Christmas Magic by: Micheal Garland.
The main character is a little girl named Emily.This magical story takes place in a victorian house and her lawn. When she was building a snow woman, a new kid was moving in next door. When she was about to go to bed, she looked out the window and saw the new boy building a snow man.All of a sudden she hears a noise.What was it?Is something wrong?

You will find out when you read Christmas Magic.I recomended this book because if you like how many magical things happen in one day.

I would have given this book 5 stars if the story line had been a little bit stronger and possibly involved the next-door neighbor more into the plot. However, the illustrations are wonderful. They say you can't judge a book by it's cover but I was drawn to this book by the artwork on the front cover and was just as pleased with the beautiful illustrations inside. That alone makes the book worth purchasing.

Cliffords Halloween is about what Clifford wants to be for Halloween. The problem is, he is to big to fit into any costumes, so he decides to be a giant ghost. Emily Elizabeth finds a big sheet and cuts out holes in it for clifford to be able to see out of. This is a very cute book and its recommended for all ages and for both boys and girls.

this is a very good book for the younger readers. it is straight forward and gives good halloween costume ideas for little kids

This book is a great read to prepare your child for the fun and excitement of Halloween. It displays different American holidays and rates Halloween as Emily Elizabeth's and Clifford's favorites. They show Clifford in different costumes and let's your child interact by asking which would "you" suggest. My 3 years old really enjoys this one.

I thought this book was so adorable how on every holiday Clifford does something special like for Christmas he dresses like Santa and gives out gifts, on Easter he plays the Easter bunny, and on Halloween he always dresses up, in the book he dressed up as many different things such as the devil, a clown, a witch, and even a ghost! Hes the most adorable dog in the world!! At Emily's party he was a ghost and everyone loved him. How can't you love Clifford? I know I love him! This book is suitable from the ages 0-6. Everyone will love this book. This book teaches people to help other people and still have fun, like most Clifford books he always shows people how to love, share, and get along.

Clifford feels like he never gets to enjoy the holidays and celebrate with the other children. Halloween allows Clifford to have fun with the holiday and dress up like the other kids in the neighborhood. Clifford joins in the fun with his ghost costume. Although things don't go exactly as planned, Clifford has a good time celebrating the holiday. It is funny and cute as Clifford performs his antics during Halloween so he can be part of the crowd.

I have now tried almost every recipe in this collection. Every one has been absolutely delicious ... Instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the commentaries are wonderful. It is now my favorite present -- my non-Jewish friends who have eaten dinners chez moi with recipes from this collection have also ordered the book!

`The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking' by Phyllis Glazer and Miryam Glazer and `The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Gloria Kauler Greene are two leading representatives of a great cookbook subgenre which may be unique among all cookbook flavors in that they represent that extraordinary relation between Judaism and food. Like the exceptional `Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Joan Nathan and unlike the encyclopedic `New York Times Cookbook of Jewish Recipes', both books spend much space and words on the practice of kashrut or keeping kosher. But this is not the whole story. There are numerous Jewish culinary traditions which are not directly related to kashrut, such as the traditions surrounding the number of challah loaves baked for the Shabbat or the number of bumps on the challah loaves (The magic number here is 12, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, so the tradition is to have 12 loaves. More practical is the tradition to have two loaves each with 6 bumps created by the braiding of the bread before baking.)

There is one major difference among these three books which is evident in their titles. Ms. Glazer's book deals with `festival' cooking while Nathan and Greene deal with `Holiday' cooking. The subtle difference here is that the festival book does not cover Shabbat and the two `holiday' books do.

To a non-Jew, my guess is that since there are 52 shabbats in a year, while there are at most seven or eight major `festivals', it is much more important to have a book covering Shabbat as well as the yearly holidays. Between Greene and the Glazers, I find at least one other big difference in that Ms. Greene gives far more coverage to the creation of challah, which may be the single most important Jewish holiday recipe in any of these books, as it seems to be the one food which tradition calls for at every Shabbat. In fact, even though Joan Nathan's book combines two books, one of which is on Jewish holiday baking, Ms. Greene's treatment of challah, at least in the details she give for braiding several different numbers of dough strands is the most extensive. Among the recipes from the three books, the amateur bread baker in me prefers Ms. Nathan's recipe, as it uses the least (1 packet) yeast and calls for the longest raising time. She (and Ms. Greene) also use my preferred `active dry yeast' rather than the `rapid rise' yeast.

All three books deal in depth with Jewish holiday traditions, although Ms. Glazer and Ms. Greene seem to have better rabbinical sources and seem to be more dedicated to the details of the traditions. Of the three, Ms. Greene seems to touch me more effectively in her discussion of these traditions than the other two.

All three writers are primarily from the Ashkenazy tradition, although all three also give fair treatment to Sephardic dishes and menus. If you are really interested in Sephardic menus primarily, Ms. Nathan spends much of her space on Sephardic menus.

If you are willing to take a recommendation from a goyem, I recommend Ms. Greene's book most highly, followed by Ms. Nathan's book for her many baking recipes; however, all three are quality books.

As an avid cookbook reader who tends to like reading cookbooks more than actually using them in my kitchen, I can already sense that my life has been subtly changed by this book (a gift from a friend). It's recipes are very simple, using pure & healthy ingredients -- and absolutely delicious. The food actually feels good to eat, and the writing is both sophisticated and accessible. In fact, I've used it every day since it found me! Too often these days, it seems chefs sacrifice something profound when updating traditional recipes and mixing flavors from different cultures. Not so with Phyllis Glazer. The recipes, and the cultures they come from, are really harmonious,a nd in some sense that seems to be what the cookbook is about -- a very grounded spiritual harmony that sees food as a central way of honoring our lives and our traditions. The information about the festivals is new to me, and though I'm not observant, and thought I would skip over much of it, the truth is that the information has really enriched my experience of cooking. The food has meaning. I've spoken with other friends who are more observant, and found that my newfound information has been new to them as well.
My favorite recipe so far has been the Moshe B'Teyvah -- the little marzipan Moses baby in a cradle made out of date w/ pistachios, which I thought I would practice before bringing to a seder. I didn't need to practice at all! They were so easy, and absolutely charming (delicious, too). I also made the champagne-melon-mint soup w/ feta (meant for Tu B'Av) that was ridiculously easy and mouthwatering.

Kudos to the Glazer sisters. They're welcome at my house any time!

Where did the tradition of eating Kreplach on the Purim originate? Why were pomegranates, of all fruit, adopted for the Shehecheyanu on the second day of Rosh Hashana? You'll find all of this information in this cookbook.

Some holiday foods, say the Glazers, have rabbinic sources. For other foods it is a question of putting your prayers where your mouth is, like the Rosh Hashana honey cake for a sweet year. Other foods have become part of the tradition by word association. Carrots, say the Glazers, are associated with Rosh Hashana because the Hebrew word "gezer" is reminiscent of "gzar din" - we should be judged for a good year.

These and many other bits of Jewish food lore make this cookbook not only a treasure of Jewish traditions and a collection of great recipes, but a truly great read. The recipes are conveniently organized in menus and the ingredients are highlighted in red print. Each dish is gender-coded "M" for meat, "D"and "P" in the menu.

Like the Jewish year, The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking starts with Pesach. There is a treasure of 31 Pesach recipes in 40 pages.

The Glazers quote liberally from their mama's Ashkenazi kitchen, but Sephardic folk traditions are not neglected. Maimonides, we are told, suggesting sipping honey water as a 12th century Viagra. Find this tip in the Tu B'Av chapter, the holiday of love.

The foods of the holidays, say the Glazers, are closely entwined with the agricultural growth cycle in the Land of Israel. The fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices that abound in Israel at the time of year were integrated into the lore of the holiday. During the exile from Israel our food traditions continued to be linked to the land of Israel. This is a nice thesis, but I am not so sure about some of her examples.

This Jewish tradition foodbook/cookbook is a book that you'll use in the kitchen or you'll read curled up with on the couch and discover a thing or two about Jewish food traditions.

Organized by season and offering large dollops of tradition and history along with 200 international recipes for celebrating the Jewish calendar, this is an amazingly complete book.

The Glazer sisters introduce each festival with the history of the foods incorporated into the menu and their spiritual connections. The recipes, which follow, are each accompanied by notes on its roots, historical and familial - which foster a sense of connection and camaraderie as well as providing serving suggestions.

And the recipes! For Rosh Hashanah there's Cornish Hens Stuffed with Bulgur, Raisins and Caraway, Bulgarian Leek Patties, Quince in Spiced Muscat Wine. For Shavuot (Spring Harvest time) there's Pistachio-Coriander Cheese Balls, Classic Cheese Blintzes, Whole Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Biblical (clarified) Butter. And more, lots more.

Whether you're Jewish or not, this is a cookbook to enjoy for its rich heritage as well as its sumptuous, healthful recipes.

Rediscover Franklin! These wonderful books are full of humor, values and gentle guiding ways in everyday situations. A must for night time reading to calm boys and humor girls.

Franklin's Valentines captures the true spirit of the holiday unlike many of the valentine books I've read where friends compete for the biggest or best valentine ever. I also appreciate that Franklin's predicament is realistic. I'm sure all of us at one time, or another have forgotten to bring something to school, or have lost, or broken items along the way. Children relate to Franklin's dilemma about feeling left out and embarrassed. The illustrations are bright and bold, which are certainly eye-catching. The author, Paulette Bourgeois, does a fine job of communicating her story without stretching the vocabulary, or being too wordy. There isn't any rhyme, or cadence to her text, but her sentence structure is easy to follow especially for young readers. Definitely a winner.

My daughter loved this story as did I as the emphasis on Valentine's Day was about friendship and taking a day and celebrating friendships. As Franklin lost all of his Valentine's in the mud and didn't have any for his friends, he couldn't believe they still wanted to give him their cards and letters. He realized that friends like you for who you are and not what you can give them. As a parent, if feel this is one lesson that your kids can't learn too often.

My daughter loved this story of Frankin making his own Valentine's for his friends at school and losing them in a puddle in his hurry to get to the bus. He becomes upset and can't believe, even though he doesn't have cards to give to them, they still want him to have the ones they've made. In the end, Frankin decides to make "Friendship Day" the day after Valentine's Day with cards he's made and carefully put in his bag. It just teaches a great lesson of how nice people can be and how to appreciate the friends you have.

My daughter loved this story as did I as the emphasis on Valentine's Day was about friendship and taking a day and celebrating friendships. As Franklin lost all of his Valentine's in the mud and didn't have any for his friends, he couldn't believe they still wanted to give him their cards and letters. He realized that friends like you for who you are and not what you can give them. As a parent, if feel this is one lesson that your kids can't learn too often.

This is an adorable story about two "Goodparents" agonizing over what to get their son for a present. They make guesses based on hints from their son. My three year old loves to squeal "no!" every time the guess is incorrect. I like reading it to her because it's very easy to become animated while doing so.

Great book about what really matters. Time, affection, guidance,etc are the real values that can't be replaced by all the toys and trinkets in the world!
Should be required reading for parents!

Thoughtful and insightful writing. The message is loud and clear
to parents as well as children. Deals in a very delicate way with
the trappings of materialism as a substitute for tenderness.
Highly recommended!

I like this book so very much, with its warm and beautiful message of love. Specially in these hard times. The story and the illustrations are simply wonderful.

The Gift is a beautifully and brightly illustrated book with foldout pages that makes both children and parents remember what is truly important. In this day of expensive toys and gadgets, The Gift reminds that the best gift we can give our children is our love.

I give this beautiful book either to newlyweds on their first Christmas or as a shower/wedding gift. It is so poignant. I hope to remind them that the sacrifices you make in early love/marriage need to be continued through all the years of your marriage. Always wanting to make your partner happy often times means forgoing your own happiness. The red cover I like for Christmas otherwise the white cover for wedding gifts.

No words to describe the poignancy of this tale, gift it to everyone you treasure.

I do not know why Amazon recommended this book for me....I have been giving it as gifts since before Amazon existed....am somewhat frightened at their insight.....most wonderful treasure to carry through life

I ordered this story so the special person in my life could read it - we had a similar incident in which we both had done something for one another without knowing. I choose this book because of it's appearance. And although it is set up like a children's book, it was a neat Christmas gift all the same. I only was concerned about the story and mission was accomplished. It is a larger size book and very beautiful so we have decided to sit it out each Christmas as part of our decor.

I picked up this book out of nice-cover curiosity and for some light reading to my 2nd grade CCD class, and instead of finding simple children's Christmas book I found a literary masterpiece. Lizabeth Zewerger has transformed O. Henry's very mature adult short story about social poverty and vicarious giving into a children's tale about the true meaning of Christmas. I was awed by the delicateness of Zewerger's watercolors and amazed by the way she perfectly expressed each emotion of O. Henry's tale.
In a world where every holiday (especially Christmas) has been commercialized this book is a symbol of the true meaning of giving. Before you get lost in the hustle and bustle (or if you unfortunately already have) do yourself and your loved ones a favor and pick up this book. It's a great gift for children of all ages and adults too. This is a gift from the heart to give at Christmas.
Reconnect and STAY connected!

I really liked this book it's really funny. It takes place in December. I would explain, but that would give it away.

I dont know what to say it was great. I just finshed reading it so its still fresh in my mind. The one thing I can say is Naylor better make another!! If you raed the frist three books you must read this one. The whole book is great but what i reall want to read is one where the Benson's move back but the Mollys find a house in that same place that would be great. Like I said this is a must read!!

Having read the other three books in this series I was delighted to find this installment. Naylor's plot twists are unpredictable, yet belivable. Her hints about an upcomming relationship between Beth and Josh will draw mixed reactions from readers, but all will eagerly read on to find out what will develop. Funny, fun, fabulous reading!

The Girl's Revenge is one of many books about the Hatfords and the Malloys.I love the sieries and think that this author is a very good writer!

The Girls' Revenge is a really good book. I like the way Phyllis Reynolds Naylor can continue this series to the fourth book without having the excitement or comedy drag. I especially liked the fact that Peter keeps going over to the enemy camp, much to his brothers' anger and embarassment. I would recommend this book to any Phyllis Reynolds Naylor fan.

I received this book last Christmas and found it to be a treasure.

I bought this book on sale for several people, and I didn't know exactly what to expect. When I received it, I started reading and couldn't stop. I got to the point of tears (good ones) several times! So I am keeping one for myself and ordering an extra. This is just a wonderful book about the true meaning of Christmas - the salvation, power, and love of God for mankind. Each short story or reflection is true as well as touching, and the illustrations are warm and inviting. I am giving this book as a gift to several friends who have been Christians for a long time, and also to a friend who is a new Christian. It will be meaningful for all of them, so it really is a great gift. I look forward to pulling this book out each Christmas and enjoying the stories over and over again.

This is a gift worth giving. It gives your spirit a well deserved uplifting, and those to whom you give it, will rejoice with you.

Not a "New Age" perspective at all, Max Lucado and Chuck Colson have done an exciting job of collecting writings on the western world's biggest holiday. From a Christian, Evangelical, Biblical viewpoint you will have the information needed to get away from the commercialism and back to what was intended when the angels told the shepherds outside Bethlehem "Peace on earth, good will to men."

This book is so wonderful that I have given it as a gift to several friends who also treasure it. The writings are the very best of Swindoll, Lucado and Colson and should be read many times.

This book guides readers through the four weeks of advent with short devotionals and prayers that lead one into new and wonderful contemplations of the Incarnation. It also includes histories of feast days and every other page is illustrated with a breathtaking sacred masterpiece. I would highly recommend it as a rich pre-Christmas gift for any deep-thinking, art-loving individual.

One quote in particular by Neuhaus struck me with awe:

"God who is the fullness of Being infiltrated our world of beings in order that we might fully be. Christmas is about incarnation, and incarnation is God's becoming what he is not, in order that we might become what he is."

I discovered this book while doing some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve day. I was experiencing that familiar feeling of "missing" Christmas again this year. I found it again in this book. It has inspired me to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas for the first time. The readings are timely, thought provoking, prayer inspiring, and quite simply BEAUTIFUL! I'm already looking for copies to give as gifts for next year. I hope the authors are planning on a similiar collection for Lent and Easter. I would order it sight unseen.

My husband and I are reading through these Advent meditations and they are rich and beautiful. Of course we're only half way through, so I can't review for the entire book, but we've shared excerpts with friends and family, and very much enjoyed these readings.

I was looking for a way to focus my attention during Advent this year and heard about this book from the journal Image. As promised, the book has beautiful reproductions of art to go with each daily reading during Advent. There are also scripture passages each day and a short reflection written by one of the six contributors. Information and reflections on feast days are included, and I really like the fact that the book continues until Epiphany. I've been able to keep up so far and have been challenged and encouraged by the readings to remember Jesus in the midst of what can be a very distracting time of year. This book will make a great gift for my friends and family for next year's Advent season.

Every Christmas my wife and I think, "O my, we've done it again - Christmas is here and we've allowed the busy-ness of the season to keep us from preparing our hearts and our home for the coming of the Christ child." We started using this book at the recommendation of a friend and whole-heartedly recommend it to you. We are being prepared this Advent and this book has much to do with it. The paintings, Scripture verses, discussions and prayers have been a great help to us and those in our small group as well.