Books for the holidays

It's not too early to start serious celebrating of the holidays by reading each day during December. Instead of waiting to give holiday books as gifts, enjoy them all month long. While preparing and decorating, learn the stories, music and beliefs about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day.

Don't forget to celebrate our own Utah authors. We have some of the best authors and artists for children and young adults in the world. Watch the literary calendar in each Sunday's Deseret News Arts Section for a schedule of their book signings at bookstores and libraries, and celebrate with a personalized copy.

Hanukkah

The youngest reader will enjoy "Hanukkah: A Counting Book in English, Hebrew and Yiddish" by Emily Sper (Scholastic). This is a board book that counts from one through eight nights of the holiday. Eric Kimmel's "ZigZak! A Magical Hanukkah Night" (Doubleday) has an old-world flavor with a moral about speaking of goodness. "Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah" by Michael J. Rosen and "Celebrating Hanukkah" by Dane Hoyt-Goldsmith (both by Holiday House) explain the origin of this holiday and highlight its importance to children and their families.

A collection of stories about Hanukkah is found in "The Spotted Pony" by Eric Kimmel (Holiday House), which may be a good family gift. Brimming with explanations of seven Jewish holidays is Jane Yolen's "Milk and Honey" (Putnam) featuring the history, customs, rituals and food for each day. Wonderful folk art complements the text and music.

Christmas

This is the time to find an Advent calendar to begin December countdowns. My choice is "Counting to Christmas" by Gillian Chapman (Simon & Schuster) with 24 tiny board books, one to be opened and read each day.

Many Christmas classics appear in new format his year. Jan Brett's fans will be pleased to find "Christmas Treasury" (Putnam), a collection of seven previously published stories including "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The oversized format would make a fabulous family book to be enjoyed all year long. Robert Jaramillo's sepia-toned photo and computer illustrations in "The Night Before Christmas" give a new interpretation of Clement Clark Moore's famous verse with new vantage points of the Christmas Eve visitor. Kevin Hawkes has also included Moore's verse in his "A Christmas Treasury: Very Merry Stories and Poems" (HarperCollins) beside other famous selections like a chapter from "Wind in the Willows."