by Lara Neel, Trade Marketing Manager
The end of the year is quickly approaching! Here’s a list of book display ideas or selections for your readers advisory group for December, to help you bring 2019 to a close.
Hanukkah Begins December 22
Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah
Interest Level: Preschool
Neigh! Oink! Bah! Whimsical farm animals leave presents for Bubbe during Hanukkah. What will Bubbe do with these thoughtful gifts?
Grover’s Hanukkah Party
Interest Level: Preschool
At Hanukkah, 8 is especially great! Use this fun board book to count party guests, candles, latkes, and more!
Dreidel Day
Interest Level: Preschool
A sweet and playful cat encourages the reader to count to eight to celebrate Hanukkah. Can you spot the hidden objects? Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the brave Maccabees over the mighty armies of Syrian King Antiochus, and the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. Celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, with Dreidel Day!
Hanukkah Delight!
Interest Level: Preschool
Whimsical bunnies celebrate Hanukkah in this charming rhyming board book describing all the Hanukkah rituals beloved by Jewish kids.
The Count’s Hanukkah Countdown
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 1
At a Hanukkah party on Sesame Street, Grover and the Count welcome visiting Israeli Muppet friends Brosh and Avigail, tell the story of Hanukkah, feast on latkes, and learn that EIGHT is the perfect Hanukkah number.
Crayola ® Hanukkah Colors
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
Glowing candles, silver stars, and blue ribbons—Hanukkah is full of light and color! Learn about the culture and customs of this eight-day celebration through vibrant photos and engaging text. Crayola ® colors and a reproducible coloring page inspire readers to notice and celebrate the colors of their world.
Kugel for Hanukkah?
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
As each of Hanukkah’s first seven nights brings an unusual new present to a little girl, the mystery deepens. While the gifts grandma receives add up to a delicious Hanukkah treat, her granddaughter’s gifts don’t seem to make much sense. Until the eighth night they finally do!
Light the Menorah!: A Hanukkah Handbook
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 5
In this Hanukkah manual for the contemporary Jewish family, holiday history, rituals, activities, songs, and recipes provide tools for creating meaningful family moments in the light of the menorah. The book includes brief reflections to read aloud before reciting the candle-lighting blessings on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.
A Dreidel in Time: A New Spin on an Old Tale
Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 7
Devorah and Benjamin are excited to open their Hanukkah present from Bubbe and Zayde, which turns out to be an ugly old dreidel. It’s a big disappointment—until the dreidel transports them out of modern Los Angeles to join the ancient Maccabees! Once they convince a suspicious Judah Maccabee and their new friends that they’ve arrived to help, they use what they know about the Hanukkah story from Hebrew school to aid the Maccabees in their battle against Antiochus. The kids know that the miracle of Hanukkah relies on finding the special oil for the Temple menorah, but where can it be?
Hour of Code
For a non-religious event in early December, consider an Hour of Code. The 2019 Computer Science Education Week will be December 9-15, but you can host an Hour of Code all year-round.
Dive into the fascinating world of coding languages with Lerner’s Mission: Code series! These titles walk new programmers through the basics of creating their own code. Hands-on learn-to-code activities accessed through an online Page Plus link add to the fun!
An updated, searchable list of our coding books is available here.
Christmas is December 25
Merry Christmas, Mary Christmas
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
Every year, the Christmas family puts up the biggest Christmas tree. They hang up the most lights. And their dog, Rudy, barks “Jingle Bells” for the entire neighborhood to hear. The Christmas family LOVES Christmas!
That is, all except for seven-year-old Mary Christmas. Mary wants to love it. But how do you make a Christmas celebration better when it’s already as big as can be? With some help from her family—and Rudy—Mary just may find a way to make this year’s celebration the merriest yet.
With oversized humor and heart, this story of spreading Christmas cheer is sure to become a holiday classic.
Crayola ® Christmas Colors
Interest Level: Preschool – Grade 3
Green, silver, white, and red—Christmas is full of color and cheer! In this book, young readers discover the many colors and symbols that fill Christmas with cheer. Vibrant, colorful photos and lively text highlight the colors, symbols, and customs of Christmas. Crayola ® colors and a reproducible coloring page inspire readers to notice and celebrate the colors of their world.
Dino-Christmas
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
Have yourself a merry Dino-Christmas! Dinos big and small deck the halls and enjoy snowball fights, hot cocoa, a parade, and more. Share in the dinosaurs’ delight as they eagerly await the arrival of everyone’s favorite…Santa Claws!
Santa Clauses
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
“December 1: White envelopes float / from my overfilled mailbox— / December’s first storm.” You know that Santa can fly a sleigh, squeeze down chimneys, and circle the globe in a night. But did you know that another of his talents is writing haiku? These twenty-five short poems—composed by Santa himself—give you a peek into life at the North Pole as the December days tick down to Christmas. See the hustle and bustle of the elves’ workshop, feel the serenity of moonlight on fresh snow, and find out how Santa and Mrs. Claus keep busy as Santa’s big night draws near.
The Nutcracker Comes to America
Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5
Every December, The Nutcracker comes to life in theaters all across the United States. But how did this 19th-century Russian ballet become such a big part of the holidays in 21st-century America?
Meet Willam, Harold, and Lew Christensen, three small-town Utah boys who caught the ballet bug in the early 1900s. They performed on vaudeville and took part in the New York City dance scene. Russian immigrants shared the story of The Nutcracker with them, and during World War II, they staged their own Christmastime production in San Francisco. It was America’s first full-length version and the beginning of a delightful holiday tradition.
Want More?
For a blast from Christmas past (ok, from 2010), check out I’m Dreaming of a Blue Sunset.