Christmas Books

I needed this for Christmas around the world at my school. The book is excellent and the children really enjoyed the story.

Another great addition to my collection. Tomie's illustrations complete this wonderful book.

Such an endearing story! This book contains beautiful illustrations. It is a Christmastime favorite.

If you are looking for the true story of the legend of the poinsettia, this is not it!!! The only thing that is the same about the legend from Mexico and this story is the fact that the poinsettias were made red on christmas eve because a little girl brought baby jesus a weed for his birthday because she was so poor. the names, plot, and special saying that the little girl's brother said in the legend is not in this book, which takes away the impact of the story. the drawings although are beautiful and the story is nice if you don't know the real legend.

I love legends. I always have. I am particularly fond of legends that attempt to explain things such as why the robin has a red breast, or why it snows on Christmas, or why the donkey says "hee haw," and other things like that. That is one of the reasons I was drawn to this little book by Tomie dePaola, The Legend of the Poinsettia.

Lucinda is a young girl who lives with her parents and younger siblings in Mexico. The colorful illustrations have that southeastern feel to it. Lucinda's community is preparing for Christmas by preparing gifts for the Christ child on Christmas Eve. I loved that the focus of gift giving was for Christ as opposed to the hustle and bustle and commercialism that is so common in American households. The gifts were labors of love too and involved special crafts, skills or homegrown gifts. Lucind and her mama have been asked to weave the special blanket for Baby Jesus as the one they have used for years is very old and worn.

When Lucinda's mama becomes ill, Lucinda is unable to finish the blanket by herself and the more she tries, the more tangled the yarn in the loom becomes. Lucinda is disheartened and worried about her mother, as well as saddened that her family has no gift to give the Christ child. Suddenly an old woman appears and suggests Lucinda pick some simple native weeds and bring them to Christ. In humility, Lucinda does that, and as you can guess, these become the beautiful poinsettia plants, the flor de la Nochelbuena, that we associate with Christmas today!

The reference and picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe was a nice touch for Catholic children who are familiar with story, and it was nice to see the shrine to our lady as part of Lucinda's everyday life. My children identified with Lucinda's fears for her mother, and also her fear of being different from the rest of the community. They also felt it was very brave of her to come forward with such a simple gift in the face of much splendor. After reading the story, my kids also became more aware of the poinsettias at church and other places and we even bought our own!

Overall I think this is a very nice book to read during the Advent season in preparation for Christmas, and a nice way for the family to focus on what is most important during this beautiful holiday.

A charming book I only wish my sporadic spouse Bessie had written.

Shh! Don't tell my dog this, but you don't even have to be a cat lover to be captivated by the wit and charm Kristen Twedt conveys in this first installment of her Crazy Cat series. My children and I can't wait to see what he'll be bringing home for Valentine's Day!

Whether young or old, this book will bring a smile to your face with its gentle reminder of the true spirit of the holiday season -giving. Okay, so the gift is a dead mouse, but it's the thought that counts! Don't miss this first book in the Catastrophe Cat series. With great illustrations and witty prose, this book is the perfect gift for all cat lovers, whether two or ninety-two.

What a perfect addition to your family's collection of Christmas literature! This whimsical rhyme is so realistic for those of us who are cat lovers. The illustrations are adorable! I hope to see many more volumes on the adventures of this mischievous feline!

Beautifully illustrated children's book and the storyline will have kids (and adults) in stitches. Highly recommended!

Santa Mouse is a classic childern's story that still holds up well today. This book is a timeless and wonderful story of a little mouse that thinks enough to give Santa a present. Because of his thoughtfulness Santa asks him to be his helper. Because of his thoughtfulness the story as great meaning at this or anytime of year. The illustration are just as good as the story. If you can find the book buy it. You will not be disappointed. Makes an even better gift and chances are whom you may be giving the book to does not own this wonderful story. Appropriate for childern ages 1-8.

I got this book as a present was I was a kid and absolutely loved it. Now I have a tradition. Whenever a friend of mine has a baby, I give them a copy of this book. That way even more kids can come to love Santa Mouse, just like I did.

This is my favorite Christmas poem after "Twas the Night Before Christmas"! I LOVE THIS BOOK! It is a family favorite. The mouse is so cute. It is a story of gift-giving. How wonderful for Christmastime.

I have been reading this book every Christmas since I was a kid. Every year I leave a piece of cheese for Santa Mouse along with the cookies for Santa Claus. You and your children will treasure this heart warming story for life!

Santa Mouse has traveled with our family for over 30 years. Through joy, triumph, tragedy, births and deaths every Christmas we would break it out. As life has grown and expanded us we have all continued to return each year, gather together and read our beloved Santa Mouse. It has been a missel of love, memories and treasured times that has woven through our lifes like a thread of gold. A wonderful addition to any special Christmas library. Why we just finished it for the 34th time!

I love this book. Tells Santa's favorite story of Christmas which is about the birth of Christ. Santa is sad and tired because everyone has forgotten what the true meaning of Christmas is. I got it in hardback so it would last.

A wonderful children's story to bring the true meaning of Christmas to a child from Santa's perspective

This is a great book that helps keep the meaning of Christmas focused on Jesus, while kids can still experience the tradition of Santa Claus. Basically, Santa explains that Jesus is the real reason for celebrating Christmas.

"No, no, no," said Santa in a kindly voice, "Christmas hasn't got anything to do with me. Sit down and I'll tell you all the story of the first Christmas."

"Santa's Favorite Story" is an attractively illustrated (with watercolors) picture book for children, which helps to de-emphasize Santa's role in Christmas, and helps to place the focus where it should belong. I'm sure the real Saint Nicholas would agree that it's part of his favorite story as well! (For more on the real St. Nicholas, take a look at "The Saint Nicholas Secret," by Dennis E. Engleman, available here at Amazon.com.)

As an Early Childhood Educator, I read many books to children and value quality literature. This story is by far the best book to read to children during the holidays. The connection to Jesus is wonderful. It has become the traditional Christmas story at my school and at home. DON'T LET IT EVER GO OUT OF PRINT.

Yes, I would also like to find copies of this book. I actually ordered from Amazon a few weeks ago and then a week later was sent a message saying they no longer had any in stock. Imagine my surprise when the only one available on their site was listed for $1200+ !!!
This book has always been part of my children's Christmas. It is a very special part of our Christmas tradition. I was looking to give each of my sons one of their own to continue the tradition in their own homes when the time comes.
Does ANYONE know where to find this book?? I know some little old book store somewhere in the world has two copies sitting on the shelf ...

We had two of this set (the first one wore out!)for at least the past 10-15 years as our children were growing. The girls would gather round and read the little books to one another and then tuck them into the evergreen advent wreath for decoration each day as Christmas approached. Then last year, I reluctantly had to throw the set out since it had been fouled by rodents in storage, and was ruined. I never thought it would go out of print-I planned on getting a new set or two, since one daughter is married now, w/ her own home, this year. I can't tell you how disappointed I am to discover that they are out of print and only available used for $1200!!! Is there any way to get this title back in print? From the other reviews,it seems there is a lot of interest in it! M. Susan Sanders

I have a table top sized tree and this book beside of my Nativity. I use it every Chirstmas with my kids to help tell them the story of Christmas. Each day has a small book that tells a small part of the Christmas story...now they (10, 8, 6, and 5) gather each day in December to read the stories to each other. I love it so much, I bought one for each of my kids (yes now because you never know when they will be out of print) and for all of my siblings and in-laws.

I found this book in 1994 and it has been a favorite of our boys, now 14 and 16. We misplaced it one year and didn't get to read it and hang the ornaments. We still had Christmas, but one of our favorite family traditions was missing. I was informed that I'd better find it for the next Christmas-- and I did-- and it was Christmas once again. In fact, we love this calendar/book so much that I'm buying a new one to send to my son who is away at boarding school, along with a small tree on which to hang the ornaments. Just a little piece of home to have in his dorm room. Thanks goodness it's still being published!

We purchased this calendar/book set for our son when he was about 3 years old. He is just shy of 13 now and it is still a tradition to read this book before bed each night beginning on December 1st. When he was little and couldn't read, my husband and I took turns nightly reading to him. He has a very small tree in his room on his dresser where he would hang the book we read every night. Now that he is older, we still take turns reading every night (him included, of course). This calendar is a simple, yet meaningful way for the family to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as well as count down the days until Christmas. My son will hand it down to his children one day and I will be purchasing one for my goddaughter who is just turning one. I highly recommend this!

We just finished reading it; I had to finish it while she was eating her breakfast before school b/c she loved it so much and wanted to see how it ended! She loved it as much as i thought she would, so it was very gratifying. What beautiful illustrations and such a sweet story. It is made more charming by being set in the past, in England.... I think all of Rumer Godden's books I have tried are fantastic, and look forward to discovering the rest of them with my children.

Godden has such a wonderful literary style; it's a shame her children's stories aren't more widely known and that so many of them are out of print. This was one of my favorite books as a child, and now it's one of my daughter's favorites. I won't bother with a plot synopsis, since others have already done that. I'll just say that it's a lovely story with a sweet, absolutely satisfying ending. Adrienne Adams did the original illustrations for many of Godden's children's books, including The Story of Holly & Ivy, and I'm a big fan of her artwork, but Barbara Cooney's new drawings for this story are just as good, or even better in my opinion.

If your child enjoys The Story of Holly & Ivy, I recommend you check your local library and used bookstores for the other stories from the Four Dolls collection: Impunity Jane, Candy Floss, and The Fairy Doll; also look for Mouse House and The Mousewife. All of these are particularly good if you have a precocious reader, because the writing and vocabulary are relatively advanced, yet the content is age-appropriate for younger children.

OK, I'll admit, I'm 35 years old and this is my absolute favorite christmas story (Besides the orig. one!).

This is a long read aloud (one or two sittings) but a great one. I have used it successfully with 3rd and 4th graders (large group) and with any age above 3 (one-on-one).

I first came across the story of Holly and Ivy as a child in the school library. Nearly 40 years later, I was delighted to find it again. It is one of those stories that stays with you and it is one that I was delighted to give to my daughter.

On the surface, it's a story of simple wish-fulfillment: doll gets girl; girl gets doll and family. I realized, reading it this time, that it also Rumer Godden's revision of Hans Christian Andersen's beautiful awful tale of the Little Match Girl. In this version, though, the orphaned Ivy doesn't freeze to death and her wishes, despite all the rational reasons for them not to, come true. Godden's writing is exquisite here--balanced between the beautiful fantasy of Christmas wishes and dolls who think and the quiet, half-hidden awareness that this is just a story and that the ending could have turned out very differently. As a child, I loved it; as an adult, its poignancy surprised me by bringing me close to tears.

The illustrations are well-matched--both simple in line, but full of the pertinent details that children listening to a story love to find. Just a really nice match of story and artist.

It is a long book for reading aloud (though there are natural breaks). I've read it twice to my seven-year-old and the tension of the story is such that I didn't end up taking breaks reading it. Because of the language, it's more of a reading-aloud than reading-alone book for the younger reader set. I wouldn't give it to a child who wasn't fairly comfortable with chapter books unless I knew there was another willing reader in the house.

It is very much a doll story. A child who liked Dare Wright's The Lonely Doll would grow into this one. And if the child likes Holly and Ivy, I recommend Rumer Godden's Miss Flower and Miss Happiness and its sequel, Little Plum.

I highly recommend this children's book about the Christmas story for all ages! The story is told well for even young children to follow, but is profound enough for adults to enjoy. The illustrations are my favorite part of this book!! They are so colorful and inviting and bring the story to life. I specifically like the broad ethnicity Bettoli uses for the characters, as many cultures can see themselves in the pictures, and I believe this would allow many different people to personally relate to the story, no matter their background. The Holy Family actually looks like the region where they lived. I plan to use this book for many years with children and adults of all ages! Thank you for such a wonderful redering of the Christmas story!

This is the sweetest Christmas book you'll find anywhere. Its easy rhymes and poignant pictures will enchant you and your child. My three-year-old son has already memorized parts of it and will read it along with me. It warms my heart to hear him recite the story of Jesus' birth. I have given this book as baby gifts several times, and the parents have all loved the book as much as I have.

"This is the Stable," is one of the most refreshing books I have seen on the birth of Christ. As an adult reader looking at these enchanting pictures and reading these simple words, I couldn't wait to turn the page to the next illustration. As I read and delighted in the images, I felt a lightness of being, a hopefulness and a joy. I can only imagine the impression of what a young child would feel being introduced to the birth of this wondrous being of light through this book.

The simplicity of the words of Jesus's birth are so sweet and dear and the illustrations speak volumes.They embrace a magic and universality that is so needed in our world of separation of religions. The large voluminous angel wings wrapped around this story lets one know there is a divine order in all things. My hat is off to you Delana Bertoli and Cynthia Cotton for creating this little masterpiece that shines the light and wonderment we so need in this world for our children. A must for all young readers!

This is the PERFECT Christmas book - I bought two dozen copies to give away as Christmas gifts. The traditional Christmas Story is told in a simple yet engaging manner. The artwork however makes the story come alive - it's amazing. When one of my grandchildren (who happens to be half African American) saw the picture of Baby Jesus she said "Look Grammy, Baby Jesus is the same color as me - light brown!" and indeed he was. I especially loved the angels who appeared to the shepherds: Miss Bettoli had each dressed in a glorious bright colored flowered robe. When I saw that picture my first reaction was, "I knew my mother (since deceased) wasn't wearing a boring white robe in heaven - she wouldn't have worn bland colors when she was alive so I'm sure she wouldn't do it in heaven"! Can't rave enough about this book.

This is a captivating telling of the Christmas story for youngsters. But for me, the illustrations are what make this book stand out from others. Kids will be drawn to the gorgeous colors and the rendering of all the characters - human and animal - so that they're immediately likable and comforting. There's so much rich detail that every page encourages the creation of its own little story beyond the brief text. And there's something there for adults, too. We big people can appreciate these illustrations as artwork, admiring and enjoying the rendering and composition. I'd like to think that kids with a creative eye could learn something about art as well as experience this lyrical rendition of the Nativity, which makes it a twofer in my book.

I echo the review from "A Customer".
In addition...
I'm a preschool teacher and the kids definitely understood the story. It's a great addition to a multi-cultural program and can open up conversation about culture.
As for the book, I enjoyed the illustrations!

I bought this book for my three year old daughter. She absolutely loved the story. Now when she plays in her kitchen she makes me homemade tamales. :-)

Our family loves this book! We checked it out from our local library and soon it was my four year old daughter's favorite. When December rolled around, I checked it out again, bought tamale makings and my four year old and I made cheese tamales. We took them to her pre-school class for snack along with the book. Her teacher read the book to the class and then they all had the tamales that my daughter and I made. It was a huge hit!! Now that she is in kindergarten, we will do it again (I am buying the book since I have two girls and I think this tradition will go on for a while!). Tamales are a really kid friendly activity and it was a great experience for both of us. You should try it!

I love this story because it brings back memories of when my family would get together at Christmas time to make the annual batch of tamales. Everyone was involved and when all the work was done, we couldn't wait until they were ready to eat. The story is well told and my students look forward to hearing the story year after year.

My class of second and third graders really enjoyed this book. Many of them make tamales at home every year. They enjoyed reading about someone else that shares the same traditions. It opened up a lot of discussion about telling the truth. The only problem was all the talk about tamales made them hungry!

This is another book I purchased to use with my elementary students. What an absolutely delightful story! Any book that so wonderfully illustrates respect of many different beliefs gets high marks from me.....and this book does just that. Through this delightful story the reader learns of Christmas and Hanukkah traditions AND that they can compliment each other very nicely. I also think the story is a great example of service and being a great neighbor.

My teacher does an "author study" program and our first featured author was Patricia Polacco. My teacher read some of her books to my class and during reading I would read them to myself. I read this book and it was one of my favorites. We bought it and I love it. I recommend this book for anyone who loves to read! The author writes about the time when she was a young child and a lot of her neighbors got scarlet fever. The girl and her family is Jewish, and since they are not sick, the girl, her older brother, her mom, her babushka, and her grandpa go out and chop down trees and decorate them with colorful animal figures. I won't tell you the surprise ending, but this book is awesome! I recommend this book highly.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to overhear our school librarian recommend this book to another parent at the school book fair. There was only one copy left so I took it.

Now, each December I get out our family's box of holiday books and this is the first one we read. My youngest child handed me a tissue before I started reading it last December! She knows how this book touches my heart and warms my soul.

I have given this book to family and friends ... young and old. Great book to spread the message of what is really important -- at the holidays especially.

Trees of the Dancing Goats is a beautiful, poignant story and one of my all time favorites. Grown-ups love it as much as the kids. If you don't have this one on your bookshelf, you should get it! If you've been good, maybe Santa Claus will drop a copy in your stocking this year!

Drawing upon her own family's experience, Patricia Polacco shares a story of true holiday giving. Her Russian grandparents teach the meaning of friendship and miracles as they relate the story of Hanukkah and as they reach out to their Christian neighbors who are suffering from a deadly epidemic of scarlet fever. They adapt the symbols of their Jewish celebration to bring Christmas to those who are too ill to create their own festivities. Polacco's colorful illustrations capture the warmth and spirit of the characters and do much to enhance this wonderful story.

A Very Dairy Christmas is the story of teenaged Callie and her friends and their struggles growing up. On the surface that may sound like a very ordinary story line, but I can assure you that Callie's experiences are anything but ordinary. Callie and her posse live in a world of wealth and privilege. They attend a prestigious boarding school and enjoy all of the tangible benefits that financial security can offer. Even though she appears to have it all, self-assured Callie lacks the things that every young girl needs most--love, attention and the guidance of a caring parent. As a reknowned fashion photographer, Callie's mother travels the world and is often absent when her daughter needs her most. As a result, Callie has become demanding and self-absorbed and dominates her relationship with her friends.

A Very Dairy Christmas is truly the story of Callie's redemption. When her mother insists that she spend her Christmas vacation on her grandparents' dairy farm in Wisconsin, Callie is furious and does all that she can to make everyone around her as miserable as she is. However, through a series of funny and heart-tugging events, Callie comes to realize that giving to others can be very rewarding. When she turns her considerable intellect and resourcefulness to the good of others, her midwestern family and friends come to see a very different side of Callie.

As a former high school teacher, I found Callie to be a delightful character. Her evolution into a caring and compassionate person serves as an object lesson for young readers. I liked A Very Dairy Christmas so much that I included it in my educational resource A Novel Approach to Family and Consumer Science. Written to encourage reading across the currliculum, Callie's exploits developed into great classroom learning activities.

I highly recommended A Very Dairy Christmas! And though it's a great holiday read, don't wait for Christmas. Check it out today!

Although this was released in November of 2005, the story in A Very Dairy Christmas is timeless. It deserves to be revisited every holiday to remind us of the possibilities for all of us - the possibility to change, the possibility to help. It is especially relevant during the holiday season to give us a nudge in the direction of giving something of ourselves, not just our pocketbooks.

As for pocketbooks, Callie has a large, designer one filled with credit cards. The daughter of a famous fashion photographer she is queen of her teen group, all girls at the very exclusive private school Ridgecrest Prep. She has it all, all except a close family. Her mother is usually off on fashion shoots and rarely has time for Callie. Her mother, Zoey, does not feel good about it but it is a situation she can not change. So they are both looking forward to the Christmas holidays and a promised ski trip together to Aspen. But at the last minute these plans change and Callie is forced to spend her vacation at her grandparents' dairy farm in Deer Creek, Wisconsin.

Callie's grandparents are very happy to finally have Callie back in their lives. As a child she spent many holidays there but after her father, their son, died Zoey cut off all contact. But Elsa and Johann are shocked by the attitude and behavior of the girl Callie has become. Since their feelings are not tempered by family love, their friends and farm workers are even more disgusted by Callie. They go out of their way to make life difficult for the rude, arrogant girl. It takes a reunion with her childhood friend Amanda, who is suffering from leukemia, for Callie to realize what a brat she had become. The fact that Amanda has a very attractive brother is an asset too. With help from her ever loving and patient grandmother, Callie works to mend friendships and find a mission in life. For her it is the discovery of the children's cancer ward at the local hospital. The story of how she meets their needs is the warm, touching story line in this feel good book.

This book is marketed as a teen book because of its teenage main character but it can certainly appeal to adults also. It is a also a fun book to read, filled with many comic moments that amuse and entertain. The author is able to take a serious subject and make it accessible to all readers.

Sylvia Hysen has used this book to promote Locks of Love, the nonprofit that collects long pieces of hair to make into wigs for children who would like them due to hair loss caused by a variety of diseases. She emphasizes not only the need for donors but also to get the word spread that this is available.

The author is planning a sequal "A Very Dairy Summer" where we hope to be reunited with Callie and her new found family.

This is the story of Callie Michaels and her pals the ABC debutantes. It is a story of contrasting social acceptance and generational differences. It is a story of a teenager's desperate attempt at winning a parent's affection and attention. After years of separation from her estranged German grandparents, Callie is coerced to spend Christmas vacation with them on their Wisconsin dairy farm.

From the moment of her arrival Callie creates an atmosphere of conflict, resentment and attitude. Isolated and alone Callie is confronted with a sense of guilt as her grandfather recovers from a near death accident caused in part by her selfishness.

Reconnecting with a childhood friend, who is suffering from leukemia, Callie assesses her priorities as she tries to make amends with her grandparents. After visiting the children's oncology ward with her friend, "She thought about her life at Ridgecrest and compared it to Amanda's. All the things she and her friends considered important seemed so petty compared to having leukemia. And yet it didn't stop Amanda from helping others. Callie had never witnessed such altruism."

Sylvia Hysen is brilliant writer. She has incorporated, into the plot of this story, a touching message. Hysen introduced the work of "Locks of Love". This is an organization that provides children undergoing chemo-therapy treatments hair pieces, made from real hair. This hair is donated by concerned individuals. Callie sacrificed her long tresses to provide Amanda with a new sense of normalcy, dignity, and self confidence.

Callie's mother, Zoey, joined the family for Christmas day at the dairy farm. As healing gave birth to reconciliation Callie's mother saw a new maturity in her daughter. "Looking at her without the bias of a mother, she saw a beautiful, compassionate young woman."

Hysen kept a balance of conflict, compassion, and romance throughout the story. I hated to have it come to an end and am looking forward to the sequel. "A Very Dairy Summer" is due to come out soon. This novel is written for a young adult audience, however; the author's sensitivity to parent-teen relationships makes it a good read for parents of teens as well.

Top notch!

You can't help but fall in love with the characters from A Very Dairy
> Christmas by Sylvia Hysen. It is heart warming to watch Callie Michael's
> dynamic character develop from a spoiled little rich girl to a generous
> caring teen. Callie leaves all her indulged comforts in the Big Apple
> to spend Christmas on a dairy farm in Wisconsin with grandparents she
> barely remembers. While she thinks she is heads above all the people she
> meets in Wisconsin the locals can't wait to see her leave. I appreciated
> the mishaps the farm hands played on Callie, she deserved them all and
> more. Despite how poorly she treats her grandparents and their friends,
> her grandparents stick by the girl they loved as a little girl and they
> give her time and opportunity to grow and come to her senses on her own.
> Just when you are ready to throw Callie out with dirty dishwater, she
> does a 180 degree turnaround and realizes that people from varied walks of
> life should be valued and respected. This story also has a just the
> right amount of romance. Casey is a handsome young boy that is connected
> to the grandfather's dairy farm. He definitely is a match for Callie and
> eventually she has to convince him to give her a chance. You can't help
> but fall in love with him.
> I think girls ages 12 - 15 would enjoy this book. I also enjoyed it and
> would recommend it to others.
>
> Lillian Armijo
> Reading Specialist
> Ranch View Middle School

Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (3/06)

Teenager Callie lives a luxurious life bouncing between New York City and her prestigious prep school, but she's forced to spend her Christmas holiday with grandparents in Wisconsin whom she barely knows. She arrives with a chip on her shoulder having been disappointed by her over-achieving, guilt-ridden mother, Zoey, and makes sure that everyone is as miserable as she is.

But as in all entertaining books, twists and turns deliver a very different teen by the end as she learns valuable life lessons about the importance of family and friends. We also meet a variety of entertaining characters, from the farm hands that reminded me of those on the Wizard of Oz to Callie's outrageous friends. And we know exactly what kind of girl Callie is when the staff at Tiffany's knows her by her first name!

Admittedly, I didn't expect to enjoy this novel for several reasons. First I only read Christmas books in December. Second, designer and brand names are dropped right and left which makes it either more realistic or more like one big advertisement, depending on your perspective. And I'll confess I am many years removed from wearing a teenager's shoes. But I told myself each night just one more chapter, and then found I had read ten more before I put the book down. Ample dialogue and short chapters kept the story moving as it delved deeper and deeper into Callie's family history and that of a potential love interest and his family.

Sylvia Hysen is a screenwriter and this contemporary family comedy is an adaptation of her own award-winning screenplay. I can easily see how it would translate to film. Plenty of details make it a visual read. As a writer, I enjoyed learning how she took a personal interest in the Locks of Love organization, which uses donated ponytails to make hairpieces for ill children, and incorporated it into the story.

While we can't all relate to prep schools or dairy farms, most of us can understand family conflict and the importance of resolving it. It is always compelling to read abut a female character with brains, spunk and heart. A Very Dairy Christmas amuses and warms our hearts. And it's not just for the holidays either!