Published by Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Carla is excited to be going to her grandparents’ house for Christmas with her sister and mother.  The anticipation builds as the family enjoys Christmas Eve dinner, including Granny’s delicious cornbread.  Carla and her sister get ready for bed, deciding to do a puzzle before they go to sleep.  As her sister lays out the puzzle pieces, Carla takes a big bite of a sugar cookie she sees out on the table.  Too late, she realizes the cookie was meant for Santa, and worries that she will now be on the naughty list.  Granny saves the day, assuring Carla that Santa still loves her and probably gets tired of so many cookies; she helps Carla make a small skillet of cornbread to leave instead.  In the morning, the skillet is empty except for a single slice left behind for the baker.  Includes recipes for cornbread and cinnamon butter.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Another heartwarming Christmas story featuring a Black Santa, this one by celebrity chef Carla Hall.  The illustrations place the story in the early 1970’s, but the family holiday story has a timeless feel to it.

Cons:  When you realize that the interior design fashions of your childhood have really not stood the test of time.

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Deja’s excited about Christmas, but not all of her friends share her belief in Santa.  But all their reasons why the jolly old elf can’t possibly exist are countered by her mom, who offers one explanation after another throughout the season.  At a family Christmas Eve celebration, other relatives back up Mom’s logic.  Finally, Deja, like so many children before her, decides to wait up for Santa, but ultimately falls asleep.  When she wakes up Christmas morning, she finds a pile of presents…and a photo of a smiling Santa.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A heartwarming Christmas story that makes Santa accessible to children of color and those who live in city apartments.  The brightly-colored digital illustrations bring the warm family holiday scenes to life.

Cons:  It wasn’t clear to me how the photo of Santa was created.  Christmas magic, I guess.

Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Violet fondly remembers the table where her family used to gather to cook and eat meals.  Lately, though, her mom, dad, and brother are busy–usually with screens–and the table often stands empty.  One day, Violet is shocked to see that the table has become smaller; the next day it has shrunk even more.  By the end of the week, the table is small enough for Violet to hold in the palm of her hand, and in the blink of an eye it disappears altogether.  But Violet is a resourceful girl, and she comes up with an idea.  Pretty soon she’s recruited the family to build a new table.  Those screens come in handy for doing the research, and before long everyone is working together.  Finally, the family comes together for dinner at “a table stronger, more beautiful than ever.”  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A great reminder of the joy of sitting around a table with loved ones–perfect for the holidays.  The illustrations go from monochromatic purple when Violet is feeling alone to a bright palette of colors when the family is together.  

Cons:  The shrinking/disappearing table was a bit disturbing.

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Summary:  “I love, love, love Santa,” says the narrator, whose house is filled with Santas as Christmas gets closer.  When Grandma and Grandpa arrive on Christmas Eve, they have a present for the kids to unwrap.  It’s another Santa for the collection, this one holding a list that includes the names of both the boy and his sister.  When Grandpa recounts how their mom tried to stay up and take a picture of Santa, the boy gets the idea to try that himself.  He falls asleep and gets carried off to bed by someone dressed as Santa.  Too tired to take a picture, he sneaks a quick peek and sees that Santa is just like he hoped, because “Santa looks just like me.”  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The Christmas portrayed in this book will generate plenty of excitement:  lots or presents, a big tree, gingerbread cookies, and lots of Santas, all of whom have brown skin.  Black children (and their parents and teachers) will welcome this story that shows them that Santa looks just like them.

Cons:  The storyline of trying to wait up for Santa and falling asleep isn’t really a new one. 

Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  A girl narrates her family’s annual trip to visit both sides of her family West Virginia and Florida.  In West Virginia, her father’s family hosts them at their home in the mountains, feeding them toast with blackberry jam and sausage for breakfast and some sort of banana pudding for dessert.  Three days later, they visit her mother’s Puerto Rican family where they eat tostones, arroz, and flan.  There’s a big party for the whole family before they head back home.  The girl misses her extended family, but feels better when her parents whip up some waffles, then tuck her and her two siblings into bed.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Although this book looks like it takes place in the summer, it would make a great Thanksgiving read to get kids thinking about their families and the food they like to eat.  Readers will enjoy poring over the richly detailed illustrations; I loved the endpapers, depicting West Virginia in front and Florida at the end.  

Cons:  It seemed like the story should have been divided evenly between West Virginia and Florida, but Florida got more coverage.

Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  “Five Little Pumpkins” gets a slightly scarier reworking, starting with ten spooky pumpkins, and moving on from nine black cats down to two skinny scarecrows.  They all get together for a big Halloween party until one full moon sends everyone off to bed.  A little girl in a clown costume witnesses the whole thing, finishing off her evening asleep, her trick-or-treat candy scattered around her bed.  Don’t miss the patchwork-inspired endpapers and the rhyme and illustration on the title page.  Includes an author’s note telling about his childhood inspirations for his artwork.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This rhyme is perfect for preschoolers, and the macabre illustrations provide just the right amount of spookiness for Halloween.

Cons:  So many new Halloween picture books to read aloud this year, children are going to be begging me to stop.

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A house that has no one living in it suspects it may be haunted.  She worries that no one will want to live there.  “If I’m on my very best behavior, maybe no one will notice how spooky I am.”  So she tries to suppress her squeaks, creaks, and groans, and almost succeeds.  But a wind blows through, bringing all the spooky sounds back to life.  It’s fun!  And the house realizes she likes being haunted, and she just has to find the right inhabitants.  When a family of ghosts heads up the hill, she realizes she’s about to go from haunted house to haunted home.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Perfect Halloween reading for preschoolers, who will enjoy making sounds just like the haunted house’s, with a nice message about self-acceptance thrown in.

Cons:  Those looking for something even remotely creepy better stick with Poultrygeist.

Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  “We give thanks for mittens and for coats and boots and hats.  We give thanks for yellow dogs and yellow kitty cats.”  A frog and a rabbit show their gratitude for different aspects of their lives, like food, family, and nature.  They travel around their neighborhood, then end up back at home where they prepare a feast as friends and relatives start to arrive.  “Bless our nights and bless our days and bless all those we meet.  We give thanks for everything, and now…it’s time to EAT!”  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  With many of those Pilgrim and Indian Thanksgiving books feeling more problematic each year, I am thankful for books like these that focus on gratitude and make perfect Thanksgiving read-alouds.  Cynthia Rylant’s rhyme is bouncy and fun, and Sergio Ruzzier (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite illustrators) has done an outstanding job creating an animal world to complement the text.

Cons:  The Thanksgiving feast seems to be a little light on vegetables (although some may consider that a pro, not a con).