Christmas Books

Review of Katherine Paterson 1979 Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories. New York:Harper Trophy By Pamela Wright, Ph.D. This book contains moving stories that might be a nice accompaniment to Christmas family devotionals. Some stories also might be a good selection for a mother-daughter reading group, provided the daughters are mature. Paterson's characters, though set in seventies America, pull us into their worlds: a confounded minister, a mother who has recently suffered bearing a dead baby, a young girl who isn't sure she likes her new baby brother, and Woodrow Kennington (child theologian), all exist like gameboard characters in various positions in relation to God. All are listening; it turns out, for that voice, that song, that metaphor which will draw them into His light. Unlike much of today's TV fare Paterson's stories do not always have pat resolutions. Instead, they teach those infinitesimally small movements in which God reworks human souls. Many characters are awkward Christians, doing good but not always knowing how to accomplish it without danger or distress. One minister's mother comes to babysit in the place of a young girl who is to play Mary in the annual church play. Her efforts at tending the young baby in the house initially provoke rage in the baby's mother. Yet this rage is smoothed out as are other difficulties of Paterson's characters, even though the total context which challenges their Christianity is not transformed. My favorite story "Tidings of Joy" is a story of a mother who struggles to explain to herself and her son the reason for her baby being born dead. It is her encounter with a creche that brings her some illumination which frees her from her agonized search for blame to a new understanding of how pain, death, and suffering touch us all. Smiles, in addition to these pictures of pain, also abound in "Angels". We warm to tough foster kids and a little girl named Elizabeth who's afraid she's going to be jailed for punching out her new baby brother. Paterson lived in Japan for many years asa missionary. She moves us Eastward to Japan in one story to remind us that the Christmas story can be told with love anywhere in the world, even in the face of persecution. Love rings round all these stories - in one story a father hunts for a lost son with the indefatigability of love to find the lost son is beginning responsible love himself. In another of these stories, a minister abandons the safe world of a mundane Christmas to search for a lost soul in a den of despair, even though his Christmas schedule is scuttled. To find this book you may end up in the juvenile section of your library or bookstore, which is where I found my copy. However this book is not for adolescent Christians but those for who mature enough to know Christmas is an unfinished gift. For these Christians we must not only receive the gift but accept the dilemma and hope that we incur in giving to others as we are given.

Once again Katherine Paterson wrote a book that's full of life and feeling and that fills your heart with warmth, love and care.

This book was a very funny and distinguished. It had a whole bunch of bad language so I wouldn't share it with your younger children. It is a christmas book so it will have a whole bunch of little stories in it. The titles incluede Maggies gift and a lot of others. I really enjoyed this book, hope you do to!

If you like angels, you will love this book. It has a variety of easy to complex projects, one includes ribbon embroidery. There are so many cute projects, you won't know which one to do first.

I bought this book because of the adorable Raphael angel on the cover. The charts are all large enough and easy to read, and all of the finished projects are a manageable size. I've seen charts of the Raphael angel before but I was discouraged from buying them because they were too large which means you would have to special order the fabric and then spend a fortune framing the finished piece, so I never bought any of them. But this book was "an answer to prayer!" The Raphael angel, of course, is my favorite piece, but there are all kinds and types of angels in here of differnt sizes and incorporating different themes. I appreciate that none of them are too large and that none of them would take very long to complete. If you know someone who loves cross stitch and angels, this book would make a very lovely gift. There is also an adorable angel alphabet. Just think of the many ways you could use that to make various gifts. I was also very fortunate to get this book used, in excellent condition, for a very low price. It is worth buying many of these books used because you can get a substantial discount.

This is my favorite cross stitch book, I've used it for so long and so hard it has compleatly fallen apart! All of the angels are adorable. The charts are clear and easy to read and the patters are easy to adapt to other projects. I stitched my moms name, JOY, with the angels on letters pattern, did the small Raphael Cherub on 32 ct brown linen and compleated the Herb Angel, each project was spectacular!! I would never lend out this book, for fear it would not come home again! Happy stitching!

Based on the French Christmas carol, this book features sumptuous artwork which pays homage to the 12th century origin of the lyrics. Ink and watercolor paintings depict the animals and their gifts to the Christ child with the final spread revealing the radiance of the baby and the animals in adoration. This is a great addition to any Christmas book collection and will be treasured for years to come.

This book is a sweet take off on our family's much favorite Christmas Carol, "The Friendly Beasts". In the well known carol, the gifts to the Christ child, as given by the cow, the donkey, the sheep, and the camel, are described. But in this book, verses are added describing the gifts of many other animals which may have been present at Jesus' birth - even the humble woodworm is included, who contributed by not chewing on the wood of the manger. The story portrays the stillness, described in the Bible, of the night of the birth of our Saviour and how all the animals, under the command of God, heralded the birth through peaceful cooperation. The illustrations are beautiful. It is a story that my children love to read over and over again. And it always helps us to remember that God chose to enter the world not only in a humble stable, but surrounded by animals as the first witnesses. The first earthly gifts to God, as man, were given by animals, not wisemen and kings. This book is a true treasure. And for variety, the words may be sung instead of just read!

Helen Ward's lavish Christmas title, The Animals' Christmas Carol, is based on the medieval French carol and provides an animals' viewpoint of the birth of Christ in the manger. The animals provide a gentle lullaby and large-size inviting, warm color photos accompany their well wishes.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to borrow this book from a friend, He suggested it for research use into the figure of Marley's Ghost which I am playing in a local production. This book is full of everything you might want to know about "Christmas Carol". It is broken into five chapter's, four of which deal with each of the spirits contained in the story. Picture's and drawing abound in this text, making it invaluable to me as an actor trying to create a character. Right down to an original drawing of Dicken's on his death bed and re-prints of sketches from the very first printing of the book, it's all there and by the author himself...what could be more diffinitive? If you can procure a copy I highly recommend it.

Charles Dickens almost singlehandedly rescued what we in the early 21st Century consider "traditional" Christmas celebrations from extinction. His crusade against the Industrial Revolution's Utilitarianism, and Mammonism (Scrooge is the archetypal Utilitarian) is part of the reason behind this story. Some folks who know something of early Victorian England see that when they read this classic. But for most of us this underlying theme, plus the colloquial 19th Century English are a mystery.
The "Annotated Christmas Carol" neatly solves this issue by fully explaining the story behind the story, and defining some of the more obscure contemporary references. Dickens basically wrote the story because he needed money quickly: his previous novel was only lukewarmly received by the public. Additionally, his desire to awaken a social consciousness in the British upper-class led him to a short story format. Given his long standing committment to keeping the celebrationsn of Christmas alive, the result is, for the English-speaking world anyway, as much a tradition as a tree and presents.
The format is exactly as that for the first edition published in 1843, along with reproductions of Leech's original illustrations. Well researched and written notes in the columns allow the reader to follow along with explanations of terms, identification of likely locations, and the development of the ongoing theme. The book could likely benefit with a new edition, as the commentary seems to be written around 1975 or so. Even so, this is a book that any Dickens enthusiast will want to own, any Christmas Carol enthusiast for that matter...
Highly Recommended.

A Christmas Carol is one of the greatest works of the 19th Century and is easier for most Americans to read then most of his novels. However, American English of today is vastly different from the English prose of Dickens. Also Dickens often makes references to events or historical figures that most Americans are ignorant of. Open up the first page of one of CD's most brillant works, MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, and see if annotated Dickens isn't a product whose time has come. Well, there was one product out there under this category and it is now longer in print -- THE ANNOTATED CHRISTMAS CAROL. The book unlocks the brillance and reality of CHRISTMAS CAROL almost as well as The ghost of Christmast Past unlocks Scrooge's long supressed childhood memories. I am not much of a writer and sometimes am not much of a reader, but I recognize the value of annotated Dickens and am amazed that this wonderful edition of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is no longer in print. Please, let's get this out in paperback, along with annotations of all of the novels of CD. I am currently struggling through DOMBEY AND SON, and the footnotes that PENGUIN provides are just not enough. Please let's make the great literature more accessible to everyone. MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT and A CHRISTMAS CAROL should be read and UNDERSTOOD by every member of Modern Civilization.

I love this collection of Christmas stories!! Beautifully put together... I only wish they were longer.

This is a nice paperback book of Archie Christmas stories to own. It is Volume One, and hopefully there will be more released. Most of the stories come from comics as early as 1956 and as late as 1963. So if you are a big fan of Archie Comics, this is a must have, because it has some rare older stories that don't get published in the new comics anymore. One of the stories is the first time that Jingles the elf makes an appearance, who has been a staple of their Christmas stories. Each story is true to character, whether it be about Veronica's wealth, or the Betty/Veronica/Archie triangle, it's generally your typical Archie stories you love with a Christmas flair. Bound to be a collectors item!

I don't collect many comic books anymore. Where I once had a collection of some 12,000 comics, I now have less than 200. I've sold off most of it but one thing I do still collect is comics that have a Christmas theme, particularly those that are pre-1970. That's why this collection of classic Archie Christmas stories came as such a treat to me. In this volume you get 14 wonderful tales from the pages of "Archies Christmas Stocking" between the years of 1956 and 1963. These are hilarious and even heart-warming tales filled with the kind of holiday cheer you just don't see in comic books anymore.

This classic volume includes:

"Christmas Socking" Veronica and Betty conspire to get Archie and Reg to kiss Moose's girl Midge under the mistletoe since Moose won't do it. But the boys and Midge start enjoying it a little too much!

"Idiots Delight" Betty wants to spend time with Archie but he's busy with Veronica. Then she hits on the perfect scheme...play the dumb blonde so well that Archie has no choice but to help Betty with everything including wrapping presents and trimming the tree.

"Ring that Belle" Veronica mistakenly believes that Archie is giving her and engagement ring for Christmas. When Archies friends find out, he finds himself repeatedly returning her gift for something else. Will it be the right gift?

"Seasonal Smooch" Reg tells Moose he has to let him kiss Midge under the mistletoe or Santa won't bring Moose any presents. But that dirty Reg uses everything but mistletoe to get his lips on Midge including hedge leaves, parsley, and carrot leaves.

"Those Christmas Blues" Archie tells his parents he's too busy to help them decorate the tree. His saddened parents reminisce about Archie as a little boy and how he loved to help. But Archie has a big surprise for his parents.

"A Job for Jingles" Archie is visited by a precocious little elf named Jingles. Archie introduces the elf to the rest of the gang and Jangles has the time of his life.

"The Return of Jingles" Jingles returns to Riverdale to see the gang again but this time he's not alone. He bragged so much about what a great time he had that two other elves, Jangles and Jeeves, follow him to Riverdale resulting in a big fight between the trio until the big man in the red suit steps in.

As mentioned, there are 14 stories in all and they are just a joy to read. All the gang is here including Reg, Jughead, Mr. Weatherbee, and Mr. Lodge. Filled with the typical Archie brand of humor and that classic Archie Comic's art-style, this will be a book that you'll want to read every holiday season. The book is a 96 page, square bound trade paperback. Highly recommend!

It is not unusual to find an anthology of spiritual poetry, especially in these days of interest in such matters. It's slightly more difficult to find poetry matched with art, and matched well. This collection combines what it calls "visionary poetry" with works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I can only say that Kate Farrell, who put it all together, must have a deft hand, a great eye, a broad heart, and a fabulous poetry collection.

The poems she chose cross the centuries (Proverbs, John Keats, Robert Bly), come from known and unknown poets (Emily Dickenson, Anonymous Chippewa Indian), and represent many countries (America, England, France, Persia, Germany, Japan, etc.), and most are matched with two works of art. The selections are astonishingly appropriate, and makes one wish that all museums would display their art with some poetry alongside instead of, or in addition to the usual dry blurbs about the artwork.

The book is broken into thematic sections, Dwelling in Possibility, Sailing to Byzantium, The Secrets of the World, and A Further Sea. The acknowledgements in the back make it easy to find the work of a poet who might have particularly struck your fancy (and is how I was introduced to the amazing work of Mary Oliver).

At $18.95, this little gem is more than worth the money, and deserves a place on your shelf!

This is a wonderful book which juxtaposes works from Poets ranging from Emilyu Dickinson to Mary Oliver to John Milton with reproductions from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, often two images to a poem. The poetry by itself is exquisite, ditto the art, but the combinations are inspired and inspiring. I bought this book as a gift but couldn't bear to part with it so I gave it to myself & keep it by my bedside.

This is a wonderful book which juxtaposes works from Poets ranging from Emilyu Dickinson to Mary Oliver to John Milton with reproductions from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, often two images to a poem. The poetry by itself is exquisite, ditto the art, but the combinations are inspired and inspiring. I bought this book as a gift but couldn't bear to part with it so I gave it to myself & keep it by my bedside.

I read The Attic to my third grade class and they really enjoyed it. A very sweet and touching story about a young boy who discovers his family history and rediscovers his Christmas spirit. Very enjoyable for adults and children.

This endearing story really captures the sense of wonder and discovery that exist in the hearts of children and adults at Christmas time. It is so exciting to read along as the main character discovers his great-grandfathers journal and reveals the "truth" of Santa Claus. The book is written in the language of a twelve year old boy who is not sure he still believes - but has held onto the belief for the benefit of his two younger sisters. As he affirms his belief through the exciting North Pole expedition of his great grandfather - so does the reader! The Attic has everything an endearing story should have - readability, adventure, suspense, love of family, and discovery. This is a great story for the whole family!

I purchased The Attic this past Christmas as a gift for my son. He was fascinated by the story as we read it aloud over his holiday break from school. The charming story captured not only my sons interest - but mine as well. I was surprised to find that The Attic was a delight for my 11 year old son, my 8 year old daughter, my wife and myself. This work is a perfect fit for youth who are too old for childrens stories - but too young for adult fiction - and it is a joy to read aloud to your whole family. I would absolutely reccommend this book for holiday enjoyment!

This bright and brilliant book won much acclaim in the book world when it was first published. The paintings are nothing less than a celebration themselves, simply bursting with joy with their rich, colorful folk art. This book goes through the alphabet, using each letter to focus on some aspect of the birth of Jesus, and the celebration surrounding it. Wonderful fun to look at, and to read.

Delightful and thoroughly biblical telling of the Nativity. Engaging pictures. Highly recommended.

I was a media specialist/librarian for 12 years and enjoyed using this book with young students. I purchased it in board book format for my young grand daughter and I was very pleased. Wonderful illustrations/wonderful text.

Fr. Rich Lewandowski has brought another wonderful story to pass along to our children, godchildren and grandchildren. I highly recommend this and his other stories to any adult or child alike (even if you had a Memere instead of a Babci - Polish Grandmother).

Babci is Polish for Grandma. This book came to my attention in December 1998 when a friend sent me an excerpt taken from the book, published in a newspaper. I am Polish and have 4 grandchildren. This little story is a gem of gems and touches the hearts of adults as well.

This is a story about 2 brothers who love and enjoy visiting their grandparents. Scott and Peter feel very fortunate to have their very special Babci (Grandmother) and Dziadzi (Grandfather) who are a little different from their friends grandparents because they have a strange way of speaking and also because they tell stories about their old life in Poland where they used to live. The boys often ask to hear their favorite story of Babci's Angel. Later, when a horrible accident takes place, the lessons of faith are remembered.

Children and adults all face tragedy and sorrow at some point, and at those times we're left completely to our faith to help us get through. This little book teaches a lesson in love and trust.

I liked this story and feel it would add great value to a child's library. I know, had it been around when I was young, my sweet little Polish Mother would have read it to her children.

Lornia has been my children's favorite author forever and I know enjoy reading her stories to my grandson. Lecia's artwork is beautiful! I have an original which was illustrated by Lornia. What a wonderfully artist family!

I have been searching for this book! My children and I used to check this out of the library every Christmas for over 5 years! My daughter, Nicole, would laugh about the big brother--and her big brother, Rob, would act just like him. Nicole and Rob were excited about me trying to find this book, even though they are going to be 21 and 25 respectively. These books are for everyone, children and adults alike. Buy it for all your favorite people!

This was a gift and became my first Lorna Ballian book. She is my favorite children's author. I read it to my children many, many times and now have to read it to my second graders. Just like my own children, they say, " Read it again!". Like many of Lorna Ballian's books, another story is going on in the illustrations.Watch that bear! Children love those tricks she plays in the illustrations!