I have had the "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" since I was a child. This is the original first edition with a copyright date of 1932. I have no idea where it came from, but I know that I took it out every Christmas to re-read the tale of how one young boy would grow up to become Santa Claus ... and I still do. It has become a family treasure.
The preface reads as follows:
Draw close to the fire, all those who believe in the spirit of Christmas, whether you call it Santa Claus, or simply good will to men; and listen to the story of Nicholas the Woodcarver, a lover of little children. Follow him through his first years as a lonely little boy who had the knack of carving playthings for children; then as a young man, busy over the little toys; then a prosperous, fat, rosy old man who overcomes all sorts of difficulties in order to attain his ambition: a toy for every child in the village. Learn how he started to drive a beautiful sleigh drawn by prancing reindeer; why he first came down a chimney; how he filled the first stocking; where the first Christmas tree was decorated; and finally how he came to be known as "Saint Nicolas" and "Santa Claus".
Apparently, you can now buy a paperback version of this classic for just $8.95. I highly recommend that you do :)
I also recommend the following Christmas / Winter titles:
Diane Goode's American Christmas : we especially love this one, as the artwork depicts people of all colors. It contains various Christmas songs, stories, poems, etc.
Prancer : Meaghan loves this story. For years, she had an imaginary pet reindeer named Prancer :)
Uncle Vova's Tree : a book that celebrates the preservation of our Christmas (holiday) traditions. Also deals with death in a positive manner.
Olive the Other Reindeer : a sweet and zany dog who believes that Santa needs her help.
Dream Snow : sweet interactive book that is great for a toddler. Introduces the concept of gift-giving.
A Child is Born : Our favorite! This book could be about the birth of any child - but it certainly assumes to be about the birth of Jesus. And Jesus is black :) Isaac thinks the baby is him... which is probably why it is my favorite! "Mama, look ... it Baby Isaac." .... "It sure is Baby."
Santa's Kwanzaa : given that my son's biological roots are based in Africa, we have decided to incorporate Kwanzaa into our holiday celebrations ... and this book not only gives a very basic introduction to it, but it also includes a black Santa :)
Winter Poems : this is such a refreshing book. Full of beautiful poetry by some of the best. And the illustrations depict children of all colors (see a theme here?). A gentle and wonderful book. Gorgeous illustrations.
Is That You, Winter? : a funny and quirky book that celebrates winter. Has a surprise ending.
Snow : a gentle book that follows a child on a walk through the snow ... discovering all the wonder and beauty that is created and revealed by a snowfall.
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I hope you enjoyed this list.
Have you pulled out your holiday / winter books? What are they?
Love,
Jodi
