Ever wonder what Santa was like as a child? Award-winning author/illustrator Jon Agee brings us the funny, playful answer in this Christmas picture book destined to become a classic.


Little Santa loves the North Pole. The rest of his family?  Not so much. So, when they decide to move to Florida, Santa is miserable. Lucky for him, a blizzard foils their plans. The only way out of the house is up the chimney. Up goes Santa, to look for help, and along the way, he meets a reindeer and a large group of elves, who are more than eager to join in the rescue!
 
With the sly humor of Jon Klassen and the read-aloud pleasure of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this tale of Santa’s beginnings is perfect for every kid’s holiday library.

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Christmas and winter holidays

It's a challenge to transform the Nutcracker Suite's romantic orchestra into jumpin' jazz melodies, but that's exactly what Duke Ellington and his collaborator, Billy Strayhorn, did. Ellington's band memebers were not so sure that a classical ballet could become a cool-cat jazz number. But Duke and Billy, inspired by their travels and by musical styles past and present, infused the composition with Vegas glitz, Hollywood glamour, and even a little New York jazz. CD recording of the Ellington/Strayhorn composition included. This book is good for your brain because: Understanding performing arts in relation to history, plot and character development, rhythm

Includes a 3-Song CD recorded by Kenny Loggins. One of the most magical of all wintertime songs gets an enchanting interpretation—including a special recording by the incomparable Kenny Loggins—in this charming new picture book. First recorded over sixty years ago, "Frosty the Snowman" became an instant holiday classic, winning children’s hearts and inspiring both an animated film and a long-running television special. Singers such as Gene Autry (the first), the Ronettes, Willie Nelson, and even the Chipmunks have recorded this simple-but-joyful tale of a snowman—with a corncob pipe and a button nose—who comes to life when a magical top hat is put on his head. To everyone’s delight, Frosty laughs, runs, and plays. And even though he melts away once the sun comes out, the song still ends happily, with Frosty waving good-bye and assuring his young friends not to cry because "I’ll be back again some day." Featuring spectacular art by Wade Zahares, whose Window Music was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, and a CD, with the title song and two others—"Cyndi" and "Fishin Blues"—from Kenny Loggins, this sparkling picture book will captivate young readers. It’s the perfect gift for under the tree or in a stocking—and wonderful for parents and children to share on a chilly winter’s night. Just pop in the CD, curl up under a blanket, look at the pictures with their bright holiday colors, and the story will work its wonder.

America's most-loved holiday poem is now presented by one of the world's favorite musical groups and a best-selling artist. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a reading of Clement C. Moore's classic verse, which has brightened the season ever since it was first published in 1823. And now this heartwarming poem is more dazzling than ever before. Acclaimed painter Eric Puybaret enchantingly captures the story's magic and wide-eyed wonder: a cozy home with stockings hung by a mantel; visions of sugarplums dancing in the dreams of sleeping children; a miniature sleigh pulled by eight prancing reindeer; and of course, jolly Santa, with his merry dimples and twinkling eyes, coming down the chimney with a bagful of toys. Along with the beautiful book comes a specially created three-track musical and narrative CD, including Moore's tale stunningly set to music by Noel Paul Stookey, an enchanting reading by Mary Travers over a special score composed by Peter Yarrow with Peter and Noel joining Mary one last time in her final performance, plus the classic Peter, Paul and Mary holiday favorite, "A' Soalin." Families will gather together to read and listen and experience Moore's wondrous world as never before. This book is good for your brain because: Sing-a-long, encourages children to express themselves through performance, introduces rhyming patterns

'Tis the season to be an artist! Ralph Masiello has taught young artists how to draw robots, dragons, dinosaurs, farm animals, fairies, and bugs. He’s introduced readers to techniques to capture creatures from the ocean, objects from Ancient Egypt, and spooky characters from Halloween on paper. In the tenth book in his drawing series, Ralph Masiello brings the spirit of Christmas alive. Starting with the snowman—a winter staple—Ralph guides budding illustrators through to the "Decoration Station" where step-by-step instructions teach them to draw trees, lights, ornaments, and wreaths. Then there’s the fireplace and the stockings—not to mention Santa and Mrs. Claus and all their friends and helpers at the North Pole! The book provides artists with the tools to create a true holiday scene. As in all of Ralph’s drawing books, there are extra steps outlined in blue for artists who want more of a challenge. Back matter includes a list of books and websites for further celebration of the winter and holiday season. This book is good for your brain because it provides: An introduction to drawing, art appreciation, exploration of a child's imagination and creativity

Horrid Henry sabotages the Christmas play; tries to do all his Christmas shopping without spending any of his allowance; attempts to ambush Santa Claus (to get more presents, of course); and has to endure the worst Christmas dinner ever!

Take a walk with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come in Little Master Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A BabyLit Colors Primer. See old Jacob Marley shaking silver chains, gold stars shining around the Ghost of Christmas Past, and a red scarf keeping Tiny Tim warm. This bright retelling of a Christmas classic will scare any “bah, humbug” feelings away. Jennifer Adams is the author of a dozen books including Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen and the popular Y Is for Yorick: A Slightly Irreverent ABC Book for Grown-Ups. Jennifer works as a writer and editor in Philadelphia. Alison Oliver runs Sugar design studio. Alison’s design portfolio includes everything from logos to packaging and product design for clients such as Chronicle Books, Citibabes, and Aerie, as well as Gibbs Smith. She lives in New York.

Llama Llama holidays. Jingle music. Lights ablaze. How long till that special date? Llama Llama has to wait. If there's one thing Llama Llama doesn't like, it's waiting. He and Mama Llama rush around, shopping for presents, baking cookies, decorating the tree . . . but how long is it until Christmas? Will it ever come? Finally, Llama Llama just can't wait any more! It takes a cuddle from Mama Llama to remind him that "Gifts are nice, but there's another: The true gift is, we have each other."

Halloween

What will cure Dragon's Halloween jitters? In this follow-up to Me and My Dragon, a boy runs into an unexpected problem when preparing to go trick-or-treating for Halloween: his pet dragon is scared silly of this spooky holiday! Zombies, werewolves, mummies . . . they all make Dragon run and hide. How will the boy convince Dragon that these things aren’t real, and what costume will the duo come up with for this unconventional pet? David Biedrzycki packs in the humor in his latest book for young readers. From the cover to cover, children will enjoy his hilarious illustrations which include a series of rejected costume ideas for Dragon. Every last detail has something for readers to giggle about, including a scene of the boy reading books with titles like Ghosts Don’t Say Boo and newspaper articles with headlines such as “Scientist Reports Monsters Would Actually Be Scared of Us,” to allay his pet’s fears. Children and adults alike will enjoy the latest antics of the boy and his pet dragon. This book is good for your brain because it provides: Fun, imaginative storyline, alternative pet selection, Halloween tips Correlated to Common Core State Standards: (College and Career Readiness) Reading Literature. Grades 1 to 3. Standards 1-7, 9, 10.

Drawing is spook-tacular! Illustrator Ralph Masiello brings a haunting twist to his popular drawing series. Step-by-step diagrams show young artist how to draw ghosts, withces, jack-o'-lanterns, skeletons, a haunted house, and more. Just follow the simple steps to create creepy critters and eerie objects. Bonus challenge steps show you how to add frightfullyfun details to your drawings. This book is good for your brain because it provides: Vocabulary development, figurative language, art education, using tools and art mediums

Meet 2 friends, Mina and Lucy, and the 5 heroes who try to save them from the dreaded Count Dracula in Dracula: A BabyLit Counting Primer. Make sure you’re wearing a necklace of 10 garlic flowers as you count wolves, ships, tombstones, and boxes full of soil in this witty retelling of Little Master Stoker’s classic gothic tale. Jennifer Adams is the author of a dozen books including Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen and the popular Y Is for Yorick: A Slightly Irreverent ABC Book for Grown-Ups. Jennifer works as a writer and editor in Philadelphia. Alison Oliver runs Sugar design studio. Alison’s design portfolio includes everything from logos to packaging and product design for clients such as Chronicle Books, Citibabes, and Aerie, as well as Gibbs Smith. She lives in New York.