Winter Holiday Books to Inspire Family Traditions

Christmas
"Follow a family as they prepare to host a night filled with laughter, love, and Latino tradition."

Christmas
“With all the wonderful, unhurried charm of the old world, the Rolands celebrate a family Christmas. Their Yuletide customs, though strange to us, are deeply rooted in Norwegian tradition.”

New Years
"Maomao's father works far away and comes home only at Chinese New Year. When Papa arrives, Maomao hardly recognizes him at first. This poignant, vibrantly illustrated tale is a bittersweet portrayal of love that endures time and distance."

Christmas
"Everyone's invited to Christmas in the little red barn in this celebration of the simple pleasures of family, community, and making things by hand."

Christmas
"Here, Tomie dePaola imagines what it might have been like for a German family, with its rich Christmas traditions from "the old country", to move to a small New England town that shunned the holiday."

Christmas
"On the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Christmas means singing and presents and families celebrating together. As Island Christmas is fragrant and festive and warm and wonderful and special, like Christmases everywhere."

Christmas
"Trinka Hakes Noble's moving and nostalgic story, illustrated with glowing watercolor paintings, reveals the joy of a very special present and the love that a father and daughter share."

Hanukkah
"On the first morning of Chanukah, Beni the bear eagerly prepares for the evening's festivities. He cooks latkes and doughnuts with his family. He plays in the snow with his sister Sara. Later, he visits his friends the squirrels, Sasha and Christopher, and helps them decorate their beautiful Christmas tree."

Las Posadas and Christmas
"Here is the perfect tribute to how little gifts of love can span great distances."

Christmas
"Carla loves Christmas and she really enjoys celebrating her favorite holiday at Granny's house, where there is family, lots of presents, and, best of all, her grandmother's delicious cornbread."

Las Posadas
"The centuries-old tradition of Las Posadas forms the backdrop for a suspenseful, satisfying story filled with the Christmas spirit."

Kwanzaa
"Popular author and illustrator Dolores Johnson has fashioned an attractive and easy-to-follow guide to celebrating Kwanzaa, a holiday created in 1966 which celebrates the African American people, their heritage, and culture. She invites young readers to actively participate in the festivities, and offers guidance and suggestions on how they and their families might create their own special Kwanzaa celebration."

Christmas
"The Christmas Carp captures the spirit and the traditions of Czech Christmas. Yet Thomas's feelings will seem foreign to no one who reads this moving story."

Christmas
"Christmas Tapestry is a poignant holiday tale of two families, two faiths, and two lonely people united by a beautiful twist of fate."

Christmas
"Snow blankets the cranberry bogs, the scent of pine is in the wind and, in the tiny village of Cranberryport, Mr. Whiskers sits, steeped in gloom. Christmas is fast approaching, and his pond—frozen smooth—should be aswirl with skating children. Mr. Whiskers himself ought to be darting delightedly among them. But not this year..."

Winter Solstice
"On December 21, the shortest day of the year, a grandmother writes to her granddaughter Rebecca. "Winter is here," she writes, "but you can't touch it or serve it snacks." Yet winter makes its presence known in very tangible ways. "

New Years
"Ava Gabriela and her parents are visiting relatives in Colombia for the holidays. Ava's excited to make (and eat!) buñuelos and help build el Año Viejo with her cousins."

New Years
"Freedom Soup is a celebration of family, of history, and of passing down cultural traditions from one generation to the next."

Christmas
"This sweet holiday book offers inspiration for readers to become cheerful givers themselves and shares the true tale of Jesus' birth."

Christmas
"Every year, Eric spends his winter break with his grandmother in El Barrio while his parents are at work. There's much to do to prepare for Christmas, including buying all the ingredients for Grandma's famous pasteles, a special Puerto Rican holiday dish."

Hanukkah
"Take a trip around the world to see and taste how Hanukkah is celebrated in different countries."

Hanukkah
"Featuring one especially stubborn moose and the northern lights as the best-ever menorah, this is the story of a family celebrating Hanukkah, Alaska-style."

New Years
"Of all the holidays you know, which do you think was the very first one to have its own special celebration? Birthdays? Christmas? Easter? The Fourth of July? Actually, it was New Year, and in this book you'll see how children and adults celebrate the New Year holiday in twenty-five different countries."

New Years
"Describes New Year greetings and customs from twenty countries and includes games, recipes, and crafts projects."

Christmas
"To find the Christmas spirit, all you've got to do is look around—and look inside yourself."

Hanukkah
"'Grandma,' said Rosie, 'do you know that you have your clothes on inside out?' Grandma certainly does! For that is her special way of reminding herself to buy the oil to fry her famous potato latkes for Hanukkah."

Hanukkah
"At the dreidel-making workshop, Jeremy's friends think he's molding a secret code on his clay dreidel. But he's really making a special gift for his father, who is blind. How will he get his friends to appreciate his special dreidel."

New Years
"Korean Celebrations takes young readers through season after season of holidays and festivals and explains how some of these holidays began, why they're important and how people celebrate them."

Hanukkah
"Long ago and far away, the Menashe family was ready to celebrate Hanukkah. But suddenly there came a furious blizzard that covered all the apples and potatoes. And alas, there would be no latkes and applesauce this year..."

Christmas
"Peter discovers the meaning behind the hanging and filling of Christmas stockings and learns a heartfelt lesson in kindness and generosity."

Mexican Folk Tale
"A Mexican legend tells how the poinsettia came to be, through a little girl's unselfish gift to the Christ Child."

Christmas and Hanukkah
"December is the season of shining lights for Emma, who celebrates two happy holidays with her family and friends."

Hanukkah
"December is summer in Antarctica, and the warmer temperatures and constant daylight make it the best time for scientists to work. Diving for sea urchins at the bottom of the frigid sea, marine biologist David Ginsburg wonders, "How can I celebrate Hanukkah when there is no nightfall?"

Christmas
"Inspired by the true story behind the first Macy's Parade in 1924, this heart-warming tale celebrates a treasured American pastime."

Christmas
"The best part of Christmas is the whole family savoring Mim's belly-hum jam. But Saraleen's and Royce's bellies aren't humming this Christmas..."

Christmas
"Did you know that the Yule log, carols, flaming pudding and other customs came to Virginia long ago...?"

Christmas
"Small boys and girls will laugh with delight over this original story of how Barnaby Bear, Frisky Fox and the other forest animals come to share Mr. Willowby's Christmas."

New Years
"A New Year, a new day, a new morning. New clothes. A new year is the start of... everything!"

Las Posadas and Christmas
"Christmas Eve in Santa Fe is celebrated by the traditional procession Las Posadas. Sister Angie arranges for the people of a nearby mountain village to re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter the night baby Jesus was born."

Christmas
"...And deep in the quiet of the moonlit forest the family celebrates, joyfully sharing the true spirit of Christmas."

Las Posadas
"Mother said that Ceci was old enough now to stay up for the posadas—the special Mexican parties given, one each night, for the nine days before Christmas."

Hanukkah
"One Candle reaffirms the values of tradition and family, but also shows us that by continuing to honor the tragedies and the triumphs of the past there will always be hope for the future."

Las Posadas
"In this charming story of friendship, family traditions, and sharing, children will see how celebrating our differences can bring us together."

Hanukkah
"Selma comes to realize that Chanukah—and especially latkes—will never be the same without Mama. But Selma can still remember her and still celebrate."

Christmas
"It was just before Christmas and frosty and cold, And the castle, though drafty, was bright to behold, For the girls and the Duchess had gathered some holly..."

Christmas
"Overcoming her own feelings of frustration, Emma works to create a special Christmas that the two young children won't forget."

Kwanzaa
"When it's Kwanzaa time, everyone in the family helps to celebrate. Read all about this great holiday, which is based on African traditions."

Winter Solstice
"The Shortest Day captures the magic behind the returning of seasonal light, the yearning for rituals that connect us with the generations that have gone before..."

Winter Solstice
"In lyrical prose and cozy illustrations, this book explains what the winter solstice is and how it has been celebrated by various cultures throughout history. Winter solstice activities at the back of the book will inspire new celebrations of this special time of year."

Christmas
"In Appalachia each Christmas, a boy named Frankie waits beside the tracks for the Christmas Train, which will bring presents to the children who live in coal towns and hollows. "

Christmas
"In this radiant tale, a young boy in Japan celebrates his very first Christmas. Two cultures joyously combine for the day as the boy's mother shares a glimpse of her American childhood with her son."

Hanukkah and Christmas
"Based on a long cherished childhood memory, this story celebrates the miracle of true friendship."

Christmas
"Twenty-three holiday offerings from poet Nikki Grimes showcase many facets of Christmastime."

Christmas
"This is the year Ruthie's family has the honor of giving Pine Grove its tree. Last spring before he left for the war, Papa chose the perfect balsam tree from high on a rocky crag. But now, as Christmas draws near, Ruthie and Mama wait impatiently for the Appalachian mountain train to bring Papa home..."

Christmas
"A determined Yoon realizes that she must use her own 'Shining Wisdom' to convince her parents that they can indeed be a Christmas family."