New Book Tuesdays: Week 17
10 More Days 'Til Christmas!
We're getting so excited around here! Here are the rest of the new Christmas books added to the library!
New Picture Book
Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas: A Safety Guide for Scaredies by Melanie Watts. I added Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween in October, and it has been really popular. I think students will also like this one. I think we all feel anxiety about the holidays in one way or another. It's comforting and funny to see how Scaredy Squirrel deals with his own.
See the Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas Activity Kit.
"According to Scaredy Squirrel, “Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also the scariest.” Luckily, Scaredy is prepared — and you can be, too! He's put together this “Safety Guide for Scaredies,” full of advice for dealing with all the potential dangers, hazards and obstacles one might face during the Christmas season, complete with elaborate charts, numbered lists and the necessary diagrams. Included are step-by-step instructions for building a gingerbread house (Step 2: “Get a building permit”), a shopping guide for tricky personality types (“mystical” and “hairy” types included) and a variety of safety tips throughout, such as, “When making a guest list, try to avoid inviting individuals like piranhas or double dippers.” Last but not least, at the end of the book is Scaredy's all-encompassing surefire solution: “If all else fails … play dead!”
Author and illustrator Mélanie Watt's endearing Scaredy Squirrel character is hugely popular with readers of all ages. Here she's laid out a picture book with separate chapters dedicated to different parts of the Christmas holidays: decorations, sweets, gifts and the like. With so much going on across each boldly colored spread, youngsters will spend loads of time poring over and laughing at all the details. Besides the fun appeal, this book would make a great introduction to a classroom discussion about how children celebrate the holidays in their own families. It also offers an opportunity for a character education lesson on courage, or a classroom conversation on feelings, particularly fear." -Image and blurb from ScaredySquirrel.com
New Chapter Books
Goosebumps Most Wanted: The 12 Screams of Christmas by R.L. Stine. Goosebumps books have always been popular here with 3rd and 4th graders. With the new Goosebumps movie, which was released in October, plus all of the Goosebumps books we had at the Book Fair, this book will likely be popular.
"The infamous, Most Wanted Goosebumps characters are out on the loose and after you. For the first time ever, it's a Goosebumps Christmas!
Kate Welles doesn't want to be special. She just wants to play the lead in her school's Christmas play. Her annoying "friend" Courtney is constantly getting in the way of that. Can you even call someone a "friend" if all they do is make fun of you and ruin everything all of the time? But Kate has to get along with Courtney or else neither of them will be allowed to take part in The 12 Screams of Christmas.
Kate and Courtney's teacher decides they need to find a special place to rehearse. A certain house with a special history. The kind of place that Kate would normally be pretty frightened to go into. The kind of place that gives new meaning to the term: Christmas Spirit." -Image and blurb from RLStine.com
Winterfrost by Michelle Houts. This book is a Junior Library Guild Selection.
"Christmas has come, and with it a sparkling white winterfrost over the countryside. But twelve-year-old Bettina’s parents have been called away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia. In all the confusion, Bettina’s family neglects to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse who are rumored to look after the family and their livestock. No one besides her grandfather ever believed the nisse were real, so what harm could there be in forgetting this silly custom? But when baby Pia disappears during a nap, the magic of the nisse makes itself known. To find her sister and set things right, Bettina must venture into the miniature world of these usually helpful, but sometimes mischievous folk. A delightful winter adventure for lovers of the legendary and miraculous." -Image and blurb from GoodReads.com
New Nonfiction Book
Where Did They Hide My Presents? : Silly Dilly Christmas Songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow. Students here really like Don't Say that Word by the same author and illustrator.
"It's Christmastime! While everyone else is singing "Frosty the Snowman" and "Winter Wonderland," ring in your holidays with "Our Friendly Mailman" and "Something in My Brother's Underpants"!
Songwriter and comedy writer par excellence Alan Katz roasts old Christmas chestnuts and turns them into sparkling new holiday hits that everyone will love. With uproarious pictures by illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow, this holiday collection guarantees hours of silly dilly cheer for kids and families everywhere!" -Image and blurb from GoodReads.com
