Festivals Books

I am something of a collector of Hoffmann's Nutcracker stories. Especially the illustrated children's picture books. I have two criteria. One: The full Hoffmann text must be used in the text--no abridgements! Two: The illustrations must be fantastic--in every sense of the word.

The three very best, in no particular order:
1. Maurice Sendak's version. Sendak designed the costumes and sets for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker Suite. The designs were also used for Nutcracker:The Movie (which, sadly, is not available on DVD. hint!). It is filled with endless color sketches that communicate the strange atmosphere of Hoffmann's text--and Tchaikovsky's music.

2. Carter Goodrich's version. Most notably known for his whimsical New Yorker cartoons, Goodrich's soft, yet dream-like images give his imagination free-reign. The world of the Nutcracker has never been so accessible to young and old alike.

3. Of course, Gennady Spirin's version. Jewel-like, yet with an old-world patina, each painting glitters with the magic of Christmas. Every image can (and should) be poured over to examine the breathless detail of Spirin's baroque dollhouse universe.

There are too many uninspired or bowdlerized versions of this tale littering the market. If I may, I'd like to make some suggestions of others who would be worthy to take a "crack" at this Christmastime masterpiece:

Edward Sorel, of "The Saturday Kid" fame.
David Wiesner of "Sector 7".
Peter Malone, who did an excellent job with "The Magic Flute".
Brian Selznick of "The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins".
Peter Sis, who created the haunting "The Three Golden Keys".
and Marc Sutherland, who made the deliriously animistic "MacMurtrey's Wall".

This book belongs in any serious Christmas book collection. The story may be well known, but the illustrations are of extraordinary beauty! Russian born artist Gennady Spirin won several awards for his work on this book. It is like leafing through a book from times gone by. It also makes a great gift for a Christmas enthusiast.

This is my favorite book of all of Mr. Matotts books because it is fun to read with my little sister. The pictures are really cool and the names of the raindeer are really funny too. All in all this book is good and you can read it when it isn't christmas too.

After reading Oliver Kringle with my two kids we have had much discussion about Santa Clause. My son said oh, now I get it. I understand how Santa does all of that now. My son is at a very curious age and Matott's humorous angle on Santa's brothers continues to generate questions. This is a great book which will be read many times over by both kids. The illustrations are outstanding!

This is an inspiring allegory which moves well beyond the agebounds of4-8 years old listed in the ad. Our 3 year old loved it. Because it is only pictures, Dad supplied the narrative, with Larisa adding details to the story. We ordered a second copy of this book to send to a 6 year old girl we sponsor at an orphanage in Korea. The message of hope and inclusiveness says that Santa thinks of everyone and has lots of help (in the form of little fairies) in overcoming obstacles to delivery. Beautifully expressive illustrations. A great gift book for the child in all of us!

This book is phenominal. Until you see the illustrations you can not imagine this book. The store is told with illustrations, that are so detailed, that the story is told by the youngest reader in the same detail. It is a book that can be given to a young child, to read the story of Santa, and can be re-read over and over and be just as fresh each time it is told. I have purchased one for every niece, nephew and God Child and will continue to do so.

Cathy Goldberg Fishman's On Purim will reach ages 5 and older with a fine picturebook story of a young girl who wonders why masks are worn on Purim. Her family acts out the Purim story and provides her with newfound understanding of God.

This book is a great introduction and explanation of Purim. My 6 year old enjoyed it throughly- especially the interaction with Haman's name. The storytelling is both delightfully clear and detailed. It is companioned with beautifully flowing pictures. I especially appreciated the gentle smattering of Hebrew words throughout. Having a word glossary with pronuciation prompts makes this a complete resource book on Purim.

I read this book to my little sister when we got it from the library. The story is well-written and conveys a great message. It's pace and wording flows easy when reading aloud, and I highly recommend it for younger kids.

This is a very gentle story, enthrallingly soothingly told, with illustrations that make you feel cozy despite the preponderance of snow depicted on every page. The parallel between Martha the cow's birth story and the sparely told Nativity is just right--not overdone, never preachy. The willingness of the human couple to exercise concern for Martha is a nice touch and lends a magical feature to the story. My 15-month-old son is just beginning to develop an interest in story time, and this is one he insists on almost every night!

"The Origins Of Christmas" by Joseph F. Kelly, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2004.

This book covers exactly what the title says, "The Origins of Christmas". Professor Kelly presents the establishment of Christmas as an important feast day in the Christian Church, with both eastern and western roots. Drawing heavily on the scriptural nativity stories, found in the Gospels of St Mark and St. Luke, the author shows the roots of story of the Three Kings, then Star over Bethlehem, the Flight into Egypt and many more commonly held aspects of Christmas as the present age knows it. Using historical analysis, Dr. Kelly makes it clear that Christ was probably born between 6 B.C,. to 4 B.C., (based upon the records for the death of Herod) and that the ancient Church chose December 25th as the date for celebrating the Birth of Christ as a holy remedy to Roman extravaganzas in that month of the year. Kelly shows how Christmas and Epiphany developed as competing feast days for the Nativity of Christ in Orthodox Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christendom. He also devotes some little time to St. Nicholas and how that saint's feast day metamorphosed into a gift giving day in certain countries (e.g. The Netherlands).

This is not, however, a book that deals with the tinsel: the origins of Christmas trees, or Christmas decorations or Christmas lights. Christmas carols are hardly mentioned, and the more modern aspects of Christmas, such Prince Albert's introduction of Christmas trees to England, are not emphasized in Kelly's book. If you want a bible-based analysis of the origins of Christmas, and how the biblical story grew into today's modern story of Christmas, then this is the book for you.

In The Origins Of Christmas, Joseph F. Kelly (Professor of Religious Studies at John Carroll University) deftly traces the evolution of Christmas in Christian life and western culture. Readers will learn when Christmas was first celebrated as the birth of the Christ; how December 25th became the official date for Christmas; how the three "magi from the East" became the three kings known as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar riding on camels and coming from three different continents to worship the newborn in a manger; why medieval and Renaissance artists tended to portray Joseph as an old man; when Christmas music first made its appearance; the real St. Nicholas and how he became the most well known of all the Christian saints. The diverse origins of Christmas will come as a fascinating surprise to most who know only the Sunday School version of the Christmas story from their childhoods. The Origins Of Christmas, is very highly recommended and informative reading in which Professor Kelly begins when Christmas did not yet exist, and concludes when Christmas had become an integral part of the world culture in general, and Christian communities in particular.

Beautifully illustrated with gloriously vivid colors, this book and ALL the others in this series/collection are wonderful. The adaptations in text and in the illustrations are masterful and clever. I wish these books were available when I was growing up!

This book is wonderful, as well as all the others from this publisher. MY daughter goes to an African-American school and I let her take it to school. The teacher adored the book so much!

The kids to whom I gave this book found it interesting. Keeping in mind that this book is for children 5 - 8, the parents found it interesting as well.
They liked the plot. It gave them an idea of what Christmas is like in another part of the world the way that "The Children's Film Festival" used to do on TV during the 1960s. They also liked narrative because the kids really enjoy reading it aloud.

Pablo's Christmas is a wonderful addition to multicultural Christmas stories. As a Spanish teacher, I am always searching for stories that will convey to students what life is like for others in the world. Pablo's Christmas tells a touching tale of family sacrifice, bravery, and strength. The lovely illustrations enhance the story by showing life in a small Mexican village. I will enjoy reading this story to my students every year.

Told through the journal of 12 yr. old Becca, the book is written in mountain jargon, warm, friendly, the kind that makes the reader want to drop in and sit a spell with them. After the loss of their MOm to consumption (probably TB), the children continue on living, attempting to make Papa laugh. This is what they feel their mother wants them to do. However, Papa is not in the mood for laughing, in fact, suicide is more on his mind. His fiddle has been silent, his social contacts nonexistent. The Christmas part is touching, when the children attempt to have a Christmas and papa rages that it will not happen. I was happy to see this made into a movie for TV as well, but of course, it is more touching to read the book.

It's hard to believe "Papa's Angels" wasn't written by Becca, the 13 year old girl who narrates the story. Becca, who can't speak, writes to tell the story of her 1930's Smoky Mountain family. With journal-like entries in "Becca's Book," she "says things with writin' that most of us can't say when we talk." She teaches us things that were never our own, without feeling we are being taught, and then they become ours. We learn that some people see nothing but their own misery and we learn about losing someone dear to us but being blessed with another. Gary Carden, authoring 70% of the story, skillfully weaves countless sayings and anecdotes into short narratives of interesting, entertaining and sometimes tear-evoking accounts of a family's struggle. He writes with such a smooth, natural mountain dialogue, the reader isn't offended. "Papa can't tell Santa Claus what to do." "His voice sounded like it had tears in it." and "Raise your head and open your heart." are memorable phrases made by Becca's brothers and sisters about their recently widowered father. "Papa's Angels" might be fiction, but it isn't make believe. You'll laugh in places and if you don't pause somewhere in this book because of the tears, you just ain't folk yet. A definite for children and adults.

Inside this wonderful little book you will find these kinds of stories... A boy finds a magical feather in Frankfurt, Germany. A homeless woman sings a carol to an Irish girl on Christmas Eve (see the "read an excerpt" link here on Amazon). Two angels turn the Golden Gate Bridge into a cathedral. An older woman tells a story to her great granddaughter about a man who tried to capture angels on film with his camera. And a whole gaggle of silly goblins spread Christmas joy. If you want to put something a bit different under a friend's Christmas tree you should check out Paper Angels.

Paper Angels is a thought-provoking, enlightening collection of holiday-themed stories. The stories, all of which are well written transport you at once to their varying locales. Through various themes and story lines, the author is able to convey heart-warming tales that are well suited to the holiday season.

Throughout the book, the author employs illustrative techniques which enable the reader to immediately identify and empathize with his characters. I have never read short stories that enveloped me so quickly within the first few sentences - usually it takes a couple of paragraphs or pages to engage this reader. This book is unusual in its scope and is well worth the price.

This book contains at least ten short stories of varying length, that could easily read out loud to children, but can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults.

My favorite tales, (so far)are "Strings", which to summarize it rather unfairly, is about a girl and a sought after violin; "A Doll for Christmas", which is set in San Francisco and "To Hear the Angels Sing" which is set in Dublin. What makes the latter two tales so intriquing is that the author is able to quite naturally and unassumingly describe these two cities in such a way that we are there - on their streets and at home with the characters.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to more collections from this author.