Scuppernong Bookshelf

Holiday Treasures

Some ol d, some new. All burst ing with m ag ic

CoMPiled By sh annon P ur dy Jones Growing up, one of the things I most looked for ward to about the holiday season was rediscovering the Christmas books my mother had packed up with the decorations in the attic. Stored out of sight for most of the year made them fascinating, almost other worldly. They weren’t like all the other books on the shelf; they were special. Dreamy, snow-dusted illustrations and gentle rhymes worked their magic on me back then, and years on, they haven’t let go.

Now, with k ids of my ow n, I realize that par t of what made those book s so special was the memor ies attached to them: the time my brother and I stained the page of a family heirloom with red f rosting (because who can be bothered to wash up while decorating cookies?). Or reading ’Twas the Night Before Christmas before bed ever y Chr istmas Eve. (T he ver y same edition I now read to my children.)

We still have some of my most treasured childhood holiday book s, and each year my k ids add to the collection, creating their ow n memor ies of cook ies and reindeer and snow. Below, you’ll find my favor ite holiday book s of 2021 — some brand-new, some re-releases of old favor ites. No matter what holidays you celebrate, you can star t — or g row — your ow n we-keep -these-forever stack of threadbare but well-loved book s.

T he Star Tree by Gisela Col le (Nor t hsout h Book s, $17.95) A timeless classic back in pr int with a f resh, new look. In a little house in a big cit y, an old man remembers Chr istmases long ago: when f r iends and family gathered to tell stor ies and sing carols, and children made gold paper stars to welcome visitors. Now the cit y is filled with sk yscrapers, br ight lights and flashy sig ns. W ho would even notice old-fashioned paper stars hang ing in a window? But when the old man decorates a park tree with his basket f ull of paper stars, the whole communit y rediscovers the simple power and beaut y of the Chr istmas spir it.

Santa in the City by Tif fany D. Jack son, i l lust rated by R egg ie Brow n (Dia l Book s, $17.99) It’s t wo week s before Chr istmas, and young Deja is wor r ied that Santa might not come to her house. A f ter all, as a cit y k id, she doesn’t have a chimney for him to shimmy dow n and none of the park ing spots on her block could fit a sleigh, let alone eight reindeer! But with a little help f rom her family, communit y and Santa himself, Deja discovers that the Chr istmas spir it can find its way into any cor ner of the world. With bold, color f ul illustrations that capt ure the joy of the holidays, this pict ure book f rom awardwinning author Tif fany D. Jack son and illustrator Regg ie Brow n is a holiday g if t to be treasured for years to come.

T he Shor test Day by Susan Cooper, i l lust rated by Ca rson El lis (Cand lew ick , $17.99) A s the sun set on the shor test day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. T hey built fires and lit candles. T hey played music, br ing ing their ow n light to the dark ness while wonder ing if the sun would ever r ise again. Wr itten for a theatr ical production that has become a r it ual in itself, Cooper’s poem capt ures the mag ic behind the ret ur ning of the light,

the year ning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before — and the hope for peace that we car r y into the f ut ure: So the shor test day came, and the year died. R ichly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Carson Ellis, this beautif ul book evokes the joy, universalit y and communit y found in honor ing and celebrating the ongoing myster y of life. Welcome, Yule!

T h e Chr istm as Owl by E l len K a l ish & Gide on Sterer, i llust r ate d by R a mon a K au l it zk i ( L it t le Brow n, $17.9 9) W hen L it t le O wl ’s home is c ut dow n by people say ing it w i ll ma ke a beaut if u l Chr ist mas t ree, she’s not sure she wants any t hing to do w it h Chr istm as, whatever t hat means. But t hen she is saved by a woman named Ellen, whose house is mer r i ly decor ated for t he holiday — and fi lled w it h birds who need someone to c are for t hem. Sur rounded by k indness and helpf u l new f r iends, L it t le O wl beg ins to wonder if Chr ist mas might not be such a bad t hing af ter a ll. C o w r it ten by Ellen K a lish, c aret a ker of t he real owl found inside t he R ockefeller C enter Chr ist mas Tree, T h e Chr istm as Owl is a char ming stor y of f r iendship, compassion and t he t r ue meaning of t his specia l t ime of year.

Red and Green and Blue and W hite by L ee Wind, i l lust rated by Pau l O. Z elinsk y (L ev ine Q uer ido, $17.99) It’s a holiday season that both Isaac, whose family is Jewish, and Teresa, whose family is Chr istian, have looked for ward to for months! T hey’ve been counting dow n the days, playing in the snow, mak ing cook ies, drawing (Teresa) and wr iting poems (Isaac). T hey enjoy all the things they share, as well as the things that make them dif ferent. But when Isaac’s window is smashed in the middle of the night, it seems like maybe not ever yone appreciates dif ference. Inspired by a tr ue stor y, this is a tale of a communit y that banded together to spread light.

T he Snowflake by Benji Dav ies (Ha r per Col lins, $17.99) From Benji Davies, the award-winning creator of Tad and T he Storm W hale, comes a da zzling wintr y tale about tr ust and serendipit y. Exquisitely wr itten and beautif ully illustrated, T he Snowflake tells the separate stor ies of one snow flake and one little g irl. Both long ing for their ow n special place in the world, they spin together into a mag ical ending. T he snow flake and Noelle discover that, wherever we go — and however we fall — in the end, we all find a way to shine. Per fect for fans of T he Night Before Christmas (illustrated by L oren L ong) and Dasher by Matt Tavares.

Jan Brett’s T he Nutcracker by Jan Brett (GP P utnam’s Sons, $18.99) Jan Brett’s str ik ing illustrations and the Chr istmas classic, T he Nutcracker, are a match made in pict ure book heaven. Brett makes this classic her ow n by setting it in snow y Russia and adding whimsical touches to favor ite elements of the traditional ballet. Enjoying this book will be an instant Chr istmas tradition for families who love the ballet or for those new to the stor y. A s per fect a g if t as Brett’s classics, T he Mitten and T he Night Before Christmas. OH

Shannon Purdy Jones is store manager and children’s book buyer at Scup pernong Books.

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