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). 

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Amira is excited when she sees the crescent moon in the sky; Ramadan has ended and Eid is the next day.  There will be a big celebration, and she’ll get to skip school.  But then she remembers that tomorrow is also picture day, and she’ll miss being in the photo with the rest of her class.  Her mother assures her that she’ll take plenty of pictures of Amira at the big celebration, but it’s not quite the same.  The next day, though, Amira dons her shalwar kameez, leaving the pink dress she was going to wear for picture day hanging in the closet.  As predicted, Amira and her family have a wonderful celebration, but on the way home, Amira is feeling sad about having missed picture day.  An abundance of leftover goody bags gives her an idea, and she is able to make it to school in time for the picture and to share some of Eid with her classmates.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about Eid and a glossary.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  The colorful illustrations and realistic story make a great introduction to Eid for those who don’t celebrate it, and a story that will be relatable for those who do.  

Cons:  The author’s note states that Muslims “do not know the exact date for Eid until they spot the new moon’s crescent”.  This confused me, because I was able to Google the date (the evening of May 12 until the evening of May 13) for 2021.

Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  Muriel is excited that Passover is approaching, but sobered by the knowledge that there probably won’t be much at her Seder dinner.  It’s 1933, and her father has lost his job.  As she walks home through the streets of Washington, DC, she spies a ragged man performing magic tricks in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  When she gives him the only penny she has, he tells her to hurry home where she’ll find a Seder dinner waiting.  When she gets home, though, the house is as empty as it has been for weeks.  Her parents are trying to decide whose dinner they might be able to share, when there’s a knock on the door.  It’s the man from the Lincoln Memorial, and in an instant a magical dinner has appeared.  Friends and neighbors join Muriel and her family for the meal, which goes far into the night.  Just before midnight, Muriel remembers the wine in Elijah’s cup.  When she looks, she sees that the cup is empty, and she realizes who the mysterious stranger was.  Includes notes from the author and artist and a note on the Passover holiday.  40 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  Based on a story by I. L. Peretz (also the basis for Uri Shulevitz’s 1973 book The Magician), this story blends magic with a real time and place (Washington, D.C. in the Great Depression), offering hope in difficult times.  The illustrations, based on Marc Chagall’s art, do an excellent job with the magic realism as well.  

Cons:  The magician is a little creepy looking in a scary clown kind of way.

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary: “First day of the new year,” begins this book, showing a girl, her brother, and their parents waking up on New Year’s Day. The year of “firsts” continues: first snowfall, first short sleeves, first summer storm, first new teacher. Some events are repeated: by the end of the year, the count is up to 384 for sister-brother fights, but the two manage a gift-getting, hugging reconciliation on Christmas. The final pages show the last wake-up, last snowfall, and last bedtime stories before cycling back to the first day of a new year. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: This is a perfect book to start a new year, with charming watercolor and ink illustrations and milestones that will ring true for most readers.

Cons: 384 seems a conservative estimate for sibling fights in a year.