December 2000

 A Season of Blessings

December is a month rich in meaning.  As the year comes to a close, we find ourselves looking both backward and ahead and taking measure of our lives or at least the last twelve months.  It seems natural then that this is also a time of rituals and festivities -- Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.  The holidays have nothing to do with each other and yet each becomes a way to open up a bit more lovingly to the world around us. 

Here are some books that go to the heart of this season of blessings --

 HANUKKAH (beginning sundown on December 21^st, for eight days)

 ·        Hanukkah! by Roni Schotter with illustrations by Marilyn Hafner.  Occasionally rhyming text and sweet illustrations show one family’s quiet but joyful celebration of the Festival of Lights.  Warmth and love shimmer from the pages.  The book ends with a simple explanation of a few Hanukkah words, although not the origins of the holy day itself.  A National Jewish Book Award winner.

 ·        In Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Kimmelman with illustrations by John Himmelman, the family is larger, the celebration is longer, and the festivities are livelier, as day by day another candle is lit.  In this way, the story also serves as a counting book as, for example, four nephews fight like Maccabees, six uncles flip latkes, seven kittens play with chocolate gelt, and so on.

 ·        Our Eight Nights of Hanukkah by Michael J. Rosen with illustrations by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan combines a modern family’s celebration with brief explanations of Hanukkah’s historical and religious significance.  In the end, the family and their particular temple use the celebration to reach out to those of different faiths and backgrounds and to those less fortunate.

 CHRISTMAS (December 25^th)

 ·        Sister Wendy’s Nativity by Sister Wendy Beckett.  Though the title refers to the Nativity, the art in this book moves from Christ’s birth through his Resurrection, with images drawn from nine centuries of religious art.  Throughout, Sister Wendy explains why the Nativity is for Christians the defining moment of human history.  Her tender, loving, and enlightening commentary gives fresh meaning to many over-familiar images.

 ·        Joy to the World: Christmas Stories from Around the Globe by Saviour Pirotta with illustrations by Sheila Moxley.  This is a beautiful collection of legends and folk stories from Syria, Mexico, Ghana, Russia, and Malta.  Though very different from each other, each story revolves around a Christmas miracle.

 ·        A Child Is Born by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by Floyd Cooper.  Brown, of course, is the beloved author of Goodnight, Moon and many other classics.  Her lovely retelling of the Christmas story was found after her death and is published here for the first time.  Balancing the spare verse are luminous oil wash paintings that, against the traditional stable scene, show a black Holy Family and a multi-ethnic cast of shepherds, angels, and kings.

 KWANZAA (beginning December 26^th for seven days)

 ·        It’s Kwanzaa Time! by Linda and Clay Goss with illustrations by award-winning artists.  This book outlines how to have a Kwanzaa celebration -- complete with the history of this relatively new holiday, plus recipes, craft patterns, song lyrics, music, and more.  Also included are seven fabulous, read-anytime stories that each illustrate one of the seven principles.  Lush art is by the Dillons, Jerry Pinkney, Floyd Cooper, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, and other award-winning artists.  The  book is a treasure for African-Americans commemorating their rich heritage, as well as a goldmine of information for anyone who wants to know more about the meaning of Kwanzaa.

 The younger generation of Pinkneys is at work in --

 ·         Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney with illustrations by Brian Pinkney.  The celebration depicted here is on a more individual level, explaining what each Kwanzaa principle means and showing what corresponding activity a family might engage in each day.  Quiet domestic scenes of love and harmony lead up to a final extended-family gathering.

 Children's Book-of-the-Month Club author and Bergen County resident Susan Heyboer O'Keefe has written Countdown to Christmas, Angel Prayers, Sleepy Angel’s First Bedtime Story, and Good Night, God Bless.  Visit http://www.susanheyboerokeefe.homestead.com  for fun, book info, and great parrot photos.

 © 2000 by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe

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