Knit Snit: Judy Moody: Mood Martian by Megan McDonald

She, Judy Moody was in a mood. A mad-face mood. All because school pictures had come home that day.

If Stink came into her room, he would ask to see her school picture. He would see that she looked like Sasquatch. With bird's-nest hair in hr face and in her eyes.

Mom and Dad were going to freak. "Just once we'd like to have a nice school picture of our girl," Dad had just said this morning. "Maybe this will be the year," Mom had said.

But third grade was no different.

Before she could even get home with her pictures, they get her in trouble in class. Rocky grabs the Sasquatch photos, giggles, and passes them around the class, and when Judy loses her temper and chases after them, Mr. Todd sends her to Antarctica, the solitary seat in the back of the room where he exiles students when he loses patience with them. Suddenly Judy Moody realizes that it is high time that she change her modus operandi.

Judy tries. The next morning is Backwards Day at her school, but instead of inside out, mismatched clothes and lop-sided hair, Judy works on an actual hairdo instead of her usual hair don't. She brushes her hair and smoothes it into an actual style like her frenemy, Jessica Finch, and spends some time picking out a spiffy outfit and actual matching shoe AND socks. She even nail polishes her mood ring happy purple. Judy is pleased: she is the absolute opposite of her usual ratty tee-shirt self. Perfect.

"Backward looks good on you!" said Mr. Todd.

But her friends pronounce her new persona just plain weird. Moody the Martian, they agree.

Being well-turned-out, raising her hand every time before she answers in class, keeping her room clean, smiling at Jessica Finch and being nice to Stink is not easy, but Judy double-dares herself to be a different person for an entire week. She even does measurement homework with Jessica, copies her ponytail and pink couture, and even wears cupcake-scented lip gloss.

But the strain of sticking to her regime is almost too much for Judy. The only thing that relieves her stress from smiling and agreeing with everyone is solo-finger-knitting in her comfortably untidy closet.

She, Judy Moody, was in a mood. A finger-knitting, don't-think-about school-pictures, need-to-be-alone mood. As in by-herself. Over. Under. Over, Under. Back. Loop-de-loop-de-loop. Her fingers flew. She, Judy Moody, was the fastest finger knitter in Frog Neck Lake, Virginia.

Judy sticks to her New Judy Resolution, but her anxiety builds, resulting in obsessive loops of yarn chains all over the house. When she runs out of yarn, she even stoops to unraveling the sweater Grandma handknit for her. Mom is sick of watching television through coils of knitting, Dad trips all over it, and Stink pronounces her a knit-wit. Judy stifles her anger, determined to stick to her mantra:

"When life gives you sour balls, make SweetTARTS!"

And Judy's creativity come through, in a dynamite yarn bomb measurement unit project, in Megan McDonald's latest, Judy Moody, Mood Martian (Book #12) (Candlewick Press, 2014). It's more Moody magic for McDonald and her illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds, in their twelfth collaboration, as Judy's new mood impresses her teacher, principal and even her nemesis Jessica Finch.

"Only Judy Moody!" she nodded.

Where's A Woodman When You Need Him?" Very Little Red Riding Hood by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap

Wolf thinks he's got the little girl with basket gig all figured out. He smiles, bows, checks out the contents of the basket for potential appetizer appeal, distracts the kid with some posies, and makes sure he gets into Grandmother's house for the main course.

But Wolf is not quite up to speed on toddlers in red capes. He approaches a small red-clad figure heading into the woods.

"A FOXIE!!" SQUEALED VERY LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

"AREN'T YOU SCARED?" ASKED THE WOLF.

NOT SCARED! NO TOUCH MY CAKES!"

O-kay. Not exactly as expected, but... close. Wolf moves down the checklist with the offer to pick some lovely yellow daisies for Grandmama.

Very Little Red Riding Hood stamps her little feet.

"NOOOOO! NOT LELLO!!

RED!"

Whatever, figures Wolf, picking a passel of poppies. Now to get into the cottage and he's in business! When Grandmama opens the door, she cries WOLF! But Very Little Red invites him right in for a tea party.

"OH, GRAMMA, IT ONLY FOXIE!" SHE EXPLAINS.

Three rounds of tea, a spot of tea dancing, what seems like hours of drawing and coloring, and one lo-o-o-n-g game of hide-and-seek later, Wolf figures it's time to get this folk tale back on track. Very Little Red insists that she's here for a sleepover. But sleeping reminds her of something serious.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE IS MY MUMMY!" SHE SUDDENLY WAILS.

A full-fledged toddler tantrum is not on Wolf's to-do list, but he gamely tries recycling some vaguely familiar lines.

"OH, WHAT A BIG SNOTTY NOSE! YOU HAVE," HE COOS (not without a touch of sarcasm.)

There's very little happy-ever-after for this fake Foxie in Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap's crack-'em-up fractured fairy tale, Very Little Red Riding Hood (The Very Little Series) (Houghton Mifflin Clarion, 2014), in which one gets the impression that Foxie, er, Wolf, is hereinafter going to limit his scams to little boys named Peter. Sue Heap's exuberant illustrations propel each page turn, and Teresa Heapy's narration is pure spoofy storytelling goodness. All the stars across the review firmament came out for this one. As the Bulletin for Children's Literature raves, "Heapy captures exactly the sort of afternoon very little storytime listeners long for.... Audiences will love seeing how a mere toddler can make even a mighty wolf feel sheepish."

Squirrel Cam: The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose

MOST SQUIRRELS SPEND THEIR DAYS GETTING NUTS AND CLIMBING TREES.

NOT MR. PEANUT.

Mr. Peanut is a unique squirrel. He plays his squirrel-sized piano ("Midnight Sonutta" is his showcase selection) and bakes acorn cakes in his cozy kitchen.

But even a perky squirrel finds that a solo role gets lonely, so Mr. Peanut pens and posts a letter to Cousin Squirrel, inviting him to come for a long visit:

Dear Cousin:

Please come for a visit. I promise you will have an excellent time.

Sincerely,
Mr. Peanut

The cousins have a jolly time, barbecuing on Mr. Peanut's little grill and picnicking on his hotdogs and homemade hazelnut cake, enjoying a wagon ride, and telling stories around a cozy campfire. A jolly time is had by all.

Somehow photographer Nancy Rose coaxes her squirrels into posing with her handmade squirrel-sized props--mailbox, beds, chairs, a miniature barby (with tiny catsup bottle) and wooden picnic table, and tiny hand-addressed and stamped letters, in her appealing photo picture book, The Secret Life of Squirrels (Little, Brown and Company, 2014). Twig-framed family photos and bentwood twig reading chairs, with tiny books and a knit Afghan, add to the kitchy indoor scenes, making this one a definitely adorable book. Author Rose even adds an appendix, "Ten Tips for Photographing Wildlife," which may inspire young crafters, photographers, or simply squirrel fanciers.

What Does the Scrowcrow Know? Otis and the Scarecrow by Loren Long

IT WAS SUMMER WHEN THE SCARECROW CAME TO THE FARM.

Otis, the cheerful, chuffing little old tractor, never seems to meet a stranger. That is, until the scarecrow seems to grow tall right in the cornfield. Otis huffs and puffs up to greet the newcomer staring down the pesky crows, but Otis's initiative draws not a smile or even a glance. The Scarecrow keeps scowling into the distance, and Otis' welcome is given short shrift. The other animals get the same dead-eyed stare and frown. The cheeky crows react first with fear, but finally with disdain, perching on his straw hat and overall-clad shoulders.

As the fall colors fade toward wintry shades, Otis does his chores, chugging by, pulling wagon loads of pumpkins and hay bales on their way in from the fields to the barn, but the Scarecrow never nods a scant greeting as the little tractor huff-puffs by. The farm animals recognize that the Scarecrow wants no company, and they give him his privacy gladly. No one seems to know what goes in inside the Scarecrow's head.

Then the autumn is gone, and winter weather chases Otis and his barnyard friends under cover in the cozy barn.

AND IN THE FIELD, SWAYING BACK AND FORTH IN THE COLD WIND AND RAIN, WAS THE SCARECROW.

OTIS THOUGHT ABOUT HOW THE SCARECROW MUST BE FEELING.

Slowly Otis cranks up and chug-chugs up to stop right beside the Scarecrow, sharing the heat from his warm engine. As the storm batters them, one by one the farm animals abandon their cover and come up to join Otis in a quiet circle around the Scarecrow.

AS OTIS WATCHED, HE COULDN'T BE SURE, BUT HE THOUGHT HE MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE SCARECROW SMILE.

Loren Long's fifth Otis story, Otis and the Scarecrow (Philomel, 2014), has the exuberant Otis encountering for the first time someone whom he can't quite seem to befriend. Author-illustrator Long leaves the ending ambiguous. Does the empathy of the Otis and friends draw a smile from the silent scarecrow or not? Still, Long's beautiful retro-styled pencil and gouache illustrations and ruddy autumnal palette warm the heart in this gentle tale of easy-going empathy that models concern for the outsider.

Pair this one with Long's Christmas entry An Otis Christmas (see 2013 review here).

Hand-Me-Down Bunnie: Found by Salina Yoon

ONE DAY BEAR FOUND SOMETHING IN THE FOREST.

HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE MOST SPECIAL THING HE'D EVER SEEN.

It is love at first sight when Bear spots a white bunny lost in the woods. He's the stuffed toy that Bear has always wanted, and he carries him carefully home and gives him the choice spot on his bed.

But somehow the little white bunny seems sad, and Bear wonders if someone somewhere is sad, too, missing his bunny buddy. So Bear prints out some LOST fliers and dutifully posts them on the fir trees in the woods.

But nobody claims the soft little white bunny toy, and Bear begins to feel that he might just get to keep him after all. Bear sets out for home with Bunny nestled on his shoulder.

The next day Bear celebrates his new friend with a picnic. But as they are picking berries and having a grand time together, a tall Moose passes by.

"FLOPPY?? MY BUNNY??" MOOSE CALLS OUT.

Moose hugs his long-lost toy. Bear can see that Moose is Floppy's original owner and tries to look happy for him, hiding a tear. But then...

"WAIT!" SAYS MOOSE.

Moose senses that it's time to pass his special friend on to someone just right to love him, in Salina Yoon's Found (Walker Books, 2014). Yoon's little twice-lost-and-found toy story is simple, but with a lot of heart, with two characters who gently teach that a good deed is best done just because it's the right thing to do. Yoon's illustrations are also simple, with thick dark outlines for her characters, but she artfully uses just few lines to convey a lot of feeling in their facial features and body language. This one is a warm little parable of the power of empathy, the ability to intuit the feelings of another. "A thoughtful, flawlessly executed exploration of theory of mind and emotional intelligence," says Publishers Weekly.

Wisdom of the Woods: What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon

FOREST KNOWS SNOW.

A boy, in knitted red cap and red boots, sets out to walk in the winter woods, his dog running ahead into the snow-drifted evergreens.

At first the forest seems empty except for frozen cascades of icicles. The squirrels and bugs are sleeping through the winter and the few birds are quiet, conserving energy. Not much is moving---except, just over a hummock of snow, his fox-red dog's tail wags as he breaks the trail ahead.

But time moves on, too, and soon a walk in the woods brings change.

FOREST KNOWS BUDS.

The woods are the soft green of spring, and the sounds of busy birds fills the air, And soon...

FOREST KNOWS LEAVES, HELD OUT LIKE HANDS.
CUPPING SUNLIGHT, TURNING IT INTO FOOD.
FOREST KNOWS FRUIT.

The boy, now dressed for warm weather, follows his dog through the green world, spotting the animals making the most of the season of growth. The dog runs ahead, looking for deer. But all too soon...

FOREST KNOWS GATHERING IN, LETTING GO.

George Ella Lyon's What Forest Knows (Atheneum Books, 2014) focuses on the wisdom and ways of the woods as the earth makes its annual trek around the sun.  Lyon is the master of lyric narration, as she shows in this short song of the seasons. Into a still scene, the boy watching the woods change, artist August Hall adds movement and color with his dog, always moving, appearing in part on each page--his tail, his muzzle nosing into the thicket, his front legs still for a moment, and a glimpse of his back as he follows a deer, but not fully seen until the last pages, as the two bid the bright autumn goodbye.

Hall's palette varies with the season, gray-grown trunks and snow-draped evergreens mauve and lavender and blue with the snow, soft hues of greening in the spring, dappled sun on deep green foliage, and glowing leaves and dark formations of migrating geese against the sunset in the fall. This book urges the child to be still and feel the rightness of it all. Together author and artist chronicle the turning of time in nature, but as Lyons' closing reminds the reader...

FALL KNOWS... EVERYTHING BELONGS.

YOU, TOO.

George Ella Lyon's is also the author of the award-winning The Pirate of Kindergarten. (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover))

Counting Basics: Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church

MOUTH, EARS,

EYES, NOSE,

ARMS, BELLY, LEGS,

AND TEN TINY TOES.

It's a top-down tale, from a tousled, tow-headed tot's head, his ticklish belly, and those made-for- counting toes at the bottom, in Caroline Jayne Church's best-selling board book, Ten Tiny Toes (Scholastic Cartwheel Books, 2014).

Church rhymes the names of the body parts as she goes--nose and toes, of course, but also ears that wiggle and a belly laugh that giggles.  There is plenty of movement in the mix, touching toes down low and standing straight with hands over head as up they go.  There's a sneeze from that little round nose, and at the end, a full body hug for his ever-present Teddy.

Church's illustrations, bounded by smoothly curved black line and filled in with warm palette, emphasizing the lines of the toddler's rounded face, tummy, and ten little piggy toes, make this toddler board book a jolly exercise in story sharing for parent and child. A comfortably-sized board book, with rounded edges and semi-soft cover for easy handling, Ten Tiny Toes is a must-have for little learners. And now that tots know the body parts, put some clothes on by pairing this one with Church's equally adorable Let's Get Dressed!

Pressing On: Tap to Play by Salina Yoon

TAP ME TWICE AND SHOUT "BLIP!!"

OUCH!! NOT SO HARD!

Blip, a little gamester with googly eyes, a cowlick and stick legs, needs some help getting to a blue bar (with numbers 5-4-3-2-1) on the other side of the page.  Who could resist helping out such a charming little guy!

In Salina Yoon's Tap to Play! (Balzer and Bray, 2014), Blip needs quite a bit of help--shaking the book to help him bounce, (Warning! I bleep under stress!), turning the book to slide him toward the corner, even huffing and puffing to blow Blip up, tilting the book to slip him into position for the final reward, a door with someone interesting on the other side.

KNOCK TO PLAY!

Since the publication of Herve' Tullet's highly original Press Here (Chronicle Books, 2011), there has been a mini-tsunami of picture books turning virtual experience on its head, playing with the idea of video gaming, a sort of art imitating nature (in the form of game apps), that has produced assorted sorties into the creation of story pages that act like touch screen electronic games, substituting the page turn for screen animation. Yoon's newest has an appealing little character whose goal is to game his way into finding a friend, with a touch of on-page slapstick that may appeal to the younger user. The fun of his back talk as Blip gets shaken, tapped, and tickled into success will get some readers across the finish line to Game Over.

For a taste of the anti-virtual metabook format, read reviews of other such popular books here.

Gifted: Boris and Stella and The Perfect Gift by Dana Goldman

BORIS AND STELLA LIVED IN THE CITY.

BORIS PLAYED PIANO EVERY NIGHT IN THE LITTLE RESTAURANT DOWNSTAIRS. HE PLAYED MUSIC THAT HE LEARNED GROWING UP IN RUSSIA.

STELLA ADMIRED HIS MUSIC.

STELLA WAS A BAKER. SHE BAKED CAKES IN THE LITTLE SHOP NEXT DOOR THAT SHE HAD LEARNED TO MAKE GROWING UP IN ITALY.

BORIS ADMIRED HER CAKES.

IT WAS TRUE LOVE.

But the holidays are coming and both Boris and Stella have a problem. They both want to give each other the perfect present.

Stella's purse has only a few coins, and she wants to buy Boris a special dreidel to join the ones he received from his parents for Hanukkah as a boy. She looks around her little apartment and sees only one thing of value--a beautiful pine tree grown from seeds that her father gave her when she left Italy.

SUDDENLY STELLA HAD AN IDEA.

STELLA DIDN'T NEED THE TREE THAT REMINDED HER OF HER FAMILY DURING CHRISTMAS. THEY WERE ALWAYS IN HER HEART.

The florist shop nearby is happy to buy her beautiful Christmas tree for their show window, and Stella hurries to a shop across town which sells her the perfect dreidel for her dear Boris's collection.

Meanwhile, Boris has the same dilemma. He has no extra money for the perfect gift for Stella. Then his eyes fall on his collection of vintage dreidels, the ones his parents gave him every year already arrayed on his mantle with his menorrah, ready for Hanukkah.

SUDDENLY BORIS HAD AN IDEA.

HE DIDN'T NEED THE DREIDELS TO REMIND HIM OF HIS FAMILY. THEY WERE ALWAYS IN HIS HEART.

Boris hurries out to the shops, their windows full of Christmas things. And there it is atop a beautiful Christmas tree--a lovely faceted crystal star--the perfect gift for his dear Stella.

On the final day of Hanukkah, which this year is also Christmas Eve, Boris and Stella share their favorite foods, Boris's savory latkes topped with sour cream, just as Stella loves them, and Stella's beautiful pannetone, topped with hazelnuts and chocolate, just as Boris likes it. But then Stella notices something is missing. Where are the dreidels that Boris always has on his mantle for Hanukkah?

Boris pulls out his gift, the beautiful star for her Christmas tree, and tells her how he bought it for her perfect gift--a star for the top of a Christmas tree she no longer owns.

"MAMMA MIA!" STELLA CRIED.

Silently Stella pulls forth the wonderful dreidel she has for Boris, to join the precious collection he no longer possesses.

"BOZHE MIO! (OH, NO!)" SAID BORIS.

In a deft reworking of the O'Hanry's classic American Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi, Dana Goldman's Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift (Sleeping Bear Press, 2014) retells for young readers the story of a loving pair who give up their most precious possessions to buy the perfect gift for each other. Like newlyweds Della and Jim in the original, Stella and Boris laugh together and then join hands as they understand the sacrifice behind their gifts. They place a cone from Stella's tree and the single new dreidel on the mantle as the beginning of their own holiday collection. A gift truly given from the heart is the perfect gift indeed.

Goldman's repurposed story loses none of the sweetness and meaning of the century-old classic. Hanukkah stories are few and far between, and stories that movingly combine Christmas and Hanukkah together are rare indeed. Goldman's illustrations have all the humor and joy that such a story as this deserves, the perfect gift, a fine read-aloud for the holiday season for all.

Misfits Make Merry: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Who Delivers Christmas? (Slide and Find)

Guess who is fifty years old this Christmas?

That's right! It's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, so who better than Rudolph to be the guide for finding out who brings the gifts at Christmas?

Roger Priddy Books' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Slide and Find (Priddy Books/St. Martin's Press, 2014) takes a page from Microsoft and does it with.... windows. Pridd's clever "slide-and-find" board book takes young fingers and I spy eyes through a series of 14 sliding window shades which reveal all those behind-the-scenes clues needed to deliver the goods on Christmas Eve.

Who lives at the North Pole? Slide the four windows and find out who: Santa Claus, an elf, and two reindeer, one of which has a large red nose. But who knows where Santa's cargo has gone?

Meanwhile, poor Rudolph is having his own problems. The other reindeer laugh and shut him out of their games. Rudolph and his fellow oddball Hermey run away to find the missing toys, and find themselves on the Island of Misfits. But there, cleverly concealed behind four windows with clues on their shades, there they are--a doll, train stuffed elephant, and a toy lion.

Now the sleigh load is located, but just then a huge storm blows in at the moment that Rudolph and Hermey come back, just in time for Santa to notice Rudolph's special talent.

Now who delivers Christmas? Who saved Christmas? Find the last four windows and slide to find out WHO? Fingers are exercised and the whole story is told as the windows reveal the answers to the familiar song-story in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Slide and Find.

Snowed In? Cousins Coming to Visit? Need a Nap? Best Holiday Movies for Kids from Common Sense Media

Holidays can be tiring for adults, but stimulating for kids. Sometimes too stimulating. But there's nothing like a good movie, preferably one which began its literary life as a book, to help young people chill out a while.

Common Sense Media has a spread of crafting ideas, best books, best music, and best movies for kids to use throughout the holiday season.

Their Best Holiday Movies for Kids covers ages 3 to 17 with multiple films for each age group, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerto It's A Wonderful Life, from A Very Merry Pooh Year to While You Were Sleeping.

There are the classic classics, like Miracle on 34th Street, and Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and modern classics such as The Snowman, The Polar Express, and even Home Alone. For 'tweeners, there are The Nightmare Before Christmas, Samantha: An American Girl Christmas, and Elf, to name a few of the offerings.

On screen with the listed titles are graphs which rank each movie with the familiar one to five stars. Even better, clicking on any movie icon takes you to a summary of the movie, its production date, rating (G, PG13, etc.), genre, and running time, and also ranks aspects such as positive messages, violence and scariness, sexy stuff, language, consumerism, and drinking, drugs, and smoking. For example, the review of the popular comedy The Santa Clause advises parents of Santa believers that Santa "dies" (!) at the beginning and that some of the older kids in the story insist that there's no real Santa. Other movies for young adults (14-17) point out aspects that suggest that teens should watch these away from younger relatives, which is probably their preference anyway.

Whether you stream from Amazon or other movie providers, these movies are all sure to be available.

Common Sense's complete film list can be found here.

Hai-Cool! Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka

Santa is a man of many talents--toy maker, reindeer trainer, sleigh pilot, world traveler. But did you know that he is also a poet?

Years ago, Mrs. Claus gave him a book of haiku. Santa loved these poems. He was inspired to write his own.

There are thousands of Santa stories, but not very much in the way of Santa poetry, except, of course, for that long poem about his famous visit to a house with the insomniac dad which launched St. Nick's celebrity.

But this one is rare--not written in quaint iambs, but in Santa's favorite poetic form, if we are to believe Bob Raczka, whose new holiday book, Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Junior Library Guild Selection) (CarolRhoda Books, 2014) ascribes an advent assortment of twenty-five haiku from Santa's own typewriter. Here's poet St. Nicholas-san, reflecting upon the first day of the Christmas rush:

December 1:
The wishes blow in
from my over-filled mailbox.
December's first storm.

Raczka's haiku vary as the days get over toward the big day, sometimes sweet and nostalgic, sometimes with quite poetic imagery, and one with self-deprecatory humor as Santa struggles to button up his too-tight red tunic.

December 3:
Mrs. Claus makes a snow
angel and becomes a
little girl again.

December 4:
Sprinkling sand on my
snow-covered steps, thinking
of nutmeg on eggnog.


December 24:
Which is packed tighter,
the sack full of toys or the
red suit full of me?

Raczka ghost-writes Santa's Japanese haiku with elan and his collaborator, artist Chuck Groenink, gives them a perfect setting in his warm and humorous, but amazingly striking illustrations in mixed media, showing both folksy-cozy indoor scenes of the Claus cottage and lovely snowscapes alive with beauty. Published in a snow storm of rave reviews. this one may become a new classic, perfect for reading an entry each night of the days of Christmas to come. "A rare treat," says Kirkus Reviews.

Designated Santa Sub: CC Claus: A Baseball Christmas Story by CC Sabathia and Ray Negron

IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE AND EVERYTHING WAS READY AT THE SABATHIA HOUSE.

THE ONLY THINGS MISSING WERE THE PRESENTS SANTA WOULD LEAVE UNDER THE TREE.

Oldest child Carsten is allowed to stay up late with his dad, CC, while he catches up on his fan mail. But Carsten notices a small envelope not addressed to his dad, but to Santa Claus!

Dear Santa,
We had a terrible flood and lost all our toys. Can you bring my brothers baseballs and gloves?
Love,
Anabelle

No baseball equipment? This is serious! Carsten persuades his dad that they must get Anabelle's letter to Santa before he takes off for his Christmas Eve flight.

"How do we get there, Dad?" asked Carsten.

"We go North!" said CC.

CC and Carsten jump in the car and take off in the snow for the North Pole. (This IS a Christmas story, you know.) But when they arrive at the Claus residence, things are not going well. Santa is sneezing, and the elves are swamped with unfinished toys. Who're you going to call for a rush job at the last minute before the sleigh lifts off?

CC knows. He calls THE BOSS, George Steinbrenner.

Mr. Steinbrenner is a take-charge guy, and he's on it. But even he can't manufacture baseball equipment on such short order. Who can do it?

Steinbrenner calls on... the THE GHOSTS OF BASEBALL PAST!

"Get me Ted Williams, Satchel Page, Phil Rizzuto, Bob Feller, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Tetsharu Kawakamui, Jackie Robinson, Elston Howard....!" he barks.

And the baseball greats report for action and come through in the clutch, even doing up a doll for Anabelle just in time. But by this time, Santa is seriously sick, coughing and sniffling, so CC borrows a spare Santa cap for himself and an elfin cap for Carsten, and, as Clemente serenades them with "Feliz Navidad," they are ready to pinch-hit for St. Nick.

And it's a grand slam all around the waiting world in Ray Negron's CC Claus: A Baseball Christmas Story (HarperCollins, 2014), as CC Sabathia and Carsten touch all the bases around the globe to bring Christmas home  to all.  Of course, subbing for Santa is not a new plot in Christmas literature, but Negron manages a slightly tongue-in-cheek "willing suspension of disbelief" mood in this baseball-themed holiday fantasy, greatly assisted by artist Laura Seeley's terrific illustrations, carrying off faithful caricatures of twenty-one gone-but-not-forgotten baseball legends, elves, children, Santa, his missus and reindeer, and scenic snowy landscapes which enable this fantastical plot line to, er, get off the ground.  Baseball fans will particularly enjoy this story, and if they are too young to know much about the featured baseball greats who come off the bench to save the day, there is an appendix with thumbnail biographical sketches of the careers of those twenty-one spirits of baseball history.

Gifting: Love Monster and the Perfect Present by Rachel Bright

WELCOME (BACK) TO CUTESVILLE.
HOME OF THE FLUFFY

Okay. You have been warned!

Love Monster thinks his favorite monster... is the most perfect monster in the world. Yes, they are the best of friends!

And we know what that means when a gift-giving occasion rolls around. The gift had better be something really special.

Love Monster (a little red monster as cute as they come) knows that on Present Day, his gift has got to be over-the-moon perfect.

He sets out to go shopping. The shops--BIG SPENDERS, PLANET PRESENT, WILDEST DREAMS!--on Cuteseo Drive are ablaze with lovely, lively lights. All the stores are stocked with glitz, bling, glam, whiz-bang, whoopee, and whoa-Nelly stuff! But what to get for his Perfect Monster? Love Monster needs a special gift, just the right one. He thinks and thinks.

Love monster has nothing!

None of these shiny-full presents quite says what he wants his gift to say to Perfect Monster! How can he show her how much their special times together mean?

Rachel Bright's third story about her fluffy and admittedly oh-so-cute Love Monster, Love Monster and the Perfect Present (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) is too cute for words, but hey, this is story land, and words are what we do, and Bright's story is amazingly realistic, considering her furry and modestly fanged hero and heroine. Sensible Love Monster finds the oversold over-the-top stuff in the stores insincere, and settles for his own distinctive present for Perfect Monster in a story that is, well, perfect for any occasion, even, owing to the several red hearts adorning the illustrations, Valentine's Day. When in CUTESVILLE, feel free to be FLUFFY!

Rachel Bright's other books in this series are Love Monster and Love Monster and the Last Chocolate,

Warm Welcome: Frozen: The Christmas Party by Andrea Posner

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!

ELSA USES HER MAGIC TO MAKE ICE SCULPTURES!

Since Elsa has invited the entire kingdom of Arendale to her party, everyone has to pitch in on the party prep. Anna provides the goodies, Sven helps decorate their tree, Kristoff prepares to perform the carols, and snowman Olaf bakes the cookies, while Elsa worries that he's getting too close to the oven for his own good. With presents all hidden away and the desserts all done, Elsa thinks it's time to chill out for a while.

"WE'VE WORKED HARD," ELSA TELLS ANNA.

"WE CAN HAVE SOME FUN!"

The royals and their retinue can't resist going outside for some snow time, and the princesses join forces in a grand snowball fight with the villagers who are already outside playing in the new snow.

"SISTERS ARE THE BEST!"

Andrea Posner's The Christmas Party (Disney Frozen) (Step into Reading) (Random House, 2014) offers early readers this Step Into Reading, Level 2 outing with the current most popular characters in the princess panoply. In addition to a sparkly cover and familiar illustrations by the Disney artists, this book boasts a bonus, eight pop-out ornaments featuring the Frozen gang for their readers' own Christmas tree decor.

For more glitzy holiday reading practice, stocking-stuff this one plus Victoria Kann's Pinkalicious: Merry Pinkmas! (Step into Reading, Level 2).

Home for the Holidays: A Chipping Cheddar Christmas by Katharine Holabird

IT WAS CHRISTMASTIME IN CHIPPING CHEDDAR, AND ANGELINA BALLERINA WAS VERY EXCITED.

ANGELINA PEERED THROUGH THE WINDOWS OF MRS. THIMBLE'S STORE.

"PERFECT GIFTS FOR MOTHER, FATHER, OR POLLY!"

But when she inquires about the price of the glorious Christmas tree ornaments, Angelina realizes that she doesn't have that kind of money. But Mrs. Thimble has an idea. She has a friend, Mrs. Tippytoe, who is in need of some help getting ready for the holiday. Angelina hurries over to apply.

The two hit it off immediately, Mrs. Tippytoe was once a prima ballerina at the Royal Ballet, and there is much ballet talk between them as Angelina helps put up decorations, wraps presents, and helps Mrs. T. make Christmas cookies.  Angelina has a wonderful day with her new friend.

"HERE'S THE MONEY YOU EARNED," SAYS MRS. TIPPYTOE.

"OH, NO! I'VE HAD SO MUCH FUN! THAT'S MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO YOU" ANGELINA SAYS. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

But on Christmas morning, Angelina Ballerina experiences a bit of altruistic remorse.  She is feeling sorry that now she has no gifts for her family.   But then the doorbell rings, and she finds a gift on the doorstep. What could it be and who could have left it?

It looks like Mrs. Tippytoe and Mrs. Thimble have put their heads together to play Santa's elves, in Katharine Holabird's A Chipping Cheddar Christmas (Angelina Ballerina) (Grossett and Dunlap, 2014). It's a appropriately heartwarming Christmas story, and Helen Craig's quaint English village of Chipping Cheddar is a charming setting for a story in which a good deed does not go unrewarded. This inexpensive paperback offers Angelina fans and sweet holiday story with seventeen ballet-themed and kid-pleasing Christmas stickers inside.

Reindeer Countdown: Eight Jolly Reindeer by Ilanit Oliver and Jacqueline Rogers

SIX JOLLY REINDEER, STRETCHING UP TO HEAVEN.

UP GOES DONDER, AND THEN THERE WERE...

What number comes before eight? Which reindeer does Santa urge on next?

These reindeer do more than mount to the rooftop, click, click, click! As they wait to be called to their place in harness, they limber up, stretching, kicking a soccer ball around, doing some jumping jacks, and running in place.

The countdown continues from eight down to one, from Dasher right through Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen.

With tabs for each reindeer and sturdy board book composition, this one is just right for small fingers and young minds, with the added bonus of rhyming text and the practice of guessing the next number in the countdown with each page turn. There's a bit of Christmas learning as well as fun in Ilanit Oliver's Eight Jolly Reindeer (Scholastic/Cartwheel Books, 2014). Jacqueline Roger's illustrations offer everything but, alas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in this jolly holiday book, perfect for preschool stocking stuffing.

Night Flight: The Snowman and the Snowdog

"COME ON!" CRIED BILLY TO HIS DOG. "WERE HERE! LET'S EXPLORE OUR NEW HOME!"

BUT BILLY'S DOG WAS OLD AND TIRED. HE BECAME SLOWER AND SLOWER, AND THEN ONE DAY HE DIED.

Billy's first days in his new house are sad, but as winter sets in, he explores the old house by himself, still missing his dog. Then, one day, he finds a loose floorboard, and underneath it a shoebox with some intriguing contents--a worn and floppy green hat, some lumps of coal, and a shriveled tangerine. It's a mystery, but when Billy wakes to find a deep snowfall outside, he immediately sees what to do with his find.

Outside Billy builds a snowman, placing the old hat on his head, wrapping the scarf around his neck, giving him a big smile and buttons with the lumps of coal, and placing a new tangerine in place for his nose. Then Billy has an inspiration. He shapes a snowdog, just like his own dog, to stand beside the snowman and keep him company.

Around midnight, Billy is wakened by a familiar bark and looks out his window.

SOMETHING MAGICAL HAD HAPPENED.

SNOWMAN AND SNOWDOG CAME ALIVE!

The Snowman lifts Billy and Snowdog in his arms and suddenly they are flying through the midnight blue sky, filled with stars and then with a host of soaring snowmen! Billy is dizzy with the thrill of it all. At the North Pole, he meets Santa, who gives him a special gift.

Back home again, Billy can hardly speak, but he whispers that he wishes the Snowman and Snowdog could stay with him. Then he remembers Santa's present and opens it to find a dog collar. He puts it around Snowdog's neck.

"THERE, JUST LIKE A REAL DOG," HE SAID.

AND WHERE THE SNOWDOG HAD BEEN... STOOD A REAL DOG, HIS TAIL WAGGING.

With the approval of Raymond Briggs, creator of the original 1982 The Snowman, this new companion book, The Snowman and the Snowdog (Random House, 2014) captures some of the magic of Brigg's classic, with the addition of the sure-fire kid-pleasing elements of a Christmas puppy and a visit to Santa's North Pole workshop. Artists Hilary Audus and Joanna Harrison create the look of Brigg's Snowman nearly perfectly, but as a whole the work does not quite match the charm and wry visual humor of the wordless original. To see Brigg's boy putting the Snowman to bed in his family's chest-type freezer or the Snowman fanning himself in front of the family fridge to cool off, make sure that the original is "read" first in tandem with this sequel. Not to be missed is the award-winning video of Brigg's book, Aardman: The Snowman, and there is also a new DVD of the companion book, The Snowman and The Snowdog.

Together, these books and videos make for happy holiday giving, and for go-with stocking stuffers, there are also the plush toy tie-ins, The Snowman Plush Toy and The Snowman Snowdog Soft Toy.

For more, um, "frosty" snowman fun, don't miss Caralyn Buehner's and Mark Teague's best-selling snowy series, Snowmen at Night, Snowmen at Christmas, Snowmen at Play, and Snowmen at Work. Check out my cool reviews here.