Holiday Gift Guide: Day 2

If you play with a book, is it also a toy?

Suppose a book could be a little of both, something to read and something to do.

Now wouldn't that be grand!

For this holiday gift list, I've pulled together 23 books that look or feel like toys.

Some of them move about or pop up, or have soft things to pet.

Others invite readers to play: make up a story, color a page or build a Lego.

A couple are stories about toys who want a child to love.

Below are live links to the titles of each post. Click the link to go directly to a review or scroll down the page.

To see Day 1 of my Holiday Gift Guide, click here.

21. Mad Science 101

Alien Robots Kit

Created by David Eckold

Dorling Kindersley, 2011

$24.99, ages 7-12, 48 pages.

Monster-eyed paper robots scuttle and spin back to life, in this fun adventure kit that teaches the basics of power and motion.

Imagine that an alien robot ship has crashed on Earth and the bots are looking to you, the owner of this kit, to gather up their pieces and do repairs, writes the kit's author Eckold.

First you'd need to reconstruct the spinning bots that protect the other bots. Then you'd have to repair the robot's handyman, a pink, one-eyed fellow that vibrates to move, and reassemble the bot that communicates signals into space.

That leaves just two more aliens to patch up: a blue spinning bot that can drill for resources and a yellow propeller bot that filters toxic gases out of the atmosphere.

Along the way, you, the cosmic scientist, will learn a glossary of science terms from atom to insulator.

Each kit comes with two motors, one axle, two battery holders, a propeller, two rivets, four foam disks and 25 card parts, as well as a science book with instructions, definitions and tips for making robots perform smoothly.

Just the thing for the child who takes electronics apart and tries to put them together again.

22. Dolce, Gabbana and You!

My Fabulous Look Book

Created by Karen Phillips

Klutz, 2011

$19.99, ages 8 and up.

Doll up drawings with the latest in-things in a drawing kit that's sure to elicit squeals when it's opened.

The kit, a fashion diary and lesson in one, comes with pen outlines of posed bodies, faces, hands and feet, and accessories to color in.

A packet of five double-ended pencils offer 10 colors to style with, from lipstick red to cool indigo, and tucked into the back of the book are silver stickers to add bling to faces and shoes.

Readers receive mini fashion lessons in how to shade in a ruffled camisole, draw a pleated skirt, or accessorize with drawings of pumps or handbags.

They also learn how to draw different hair styles, textures and coloring, and apply pencil like makeup, to add blush, mascara and lipstick to model's face.

Then readers flip through their body of work, gather their best looks and display them in scrapbook-style frames in the back of the kit.

Get ready Michael Kors. The next generation is already practicing in the wings.

23. Snicker and Doodle

Mega Mash-Up

Draw Your Own Adventure! series
By Nikalas Catlow & Tim Wesson

Nosy Crow, 2011

$6.99 each, ages 7 and up, 96 pages

Crash, smash, kapowwe.

It's music to a boy's ears and when those words appear in books for reluctant boy readers, they're brilliant.

Fresh from Britain, this silly new series is a perfect fit for boys who'd rather be tearing it up than reading.

Catlow and Wesson think like boys and write as boys want to write: with lots of nutty scenarios and mash-ups.

In the first book, Robots take on gorillas. In the next, Romans clash with dinosaurs. And in the third, aliens tangle with mad scientists under the ocean.

Not only are there lots of bold sound words in the text, but there are plenty of burps, Kabooms and invitations for boys to join in the silliness.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011 - Day 1

HO, Ho, HO! Here we go!

This holiday my stocking runneth over. There are so many incredible books to share and so little time to write.

So, to try to get in as many books as I can, I've divided up the guide among four days.

Today, the first day, I've posted my 12 favorite holiday stories with full reviews. (Each title appears at the end of this post as a live link. Click the link to go directly to a review or scroll down the page.)

On Dec. 14, I'll spotlight books that look and feel as good as toys. This list will include pop-up books, crafts books, drawing books and books about, well, toys!

Then Dec. 29, I'll share a few of my favorite things. Among them Bumble-Ardy, the first book written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak in 30 years.

I'll wrap up the guide the first week of January, with my lists of the best books of the year, from the best illustrated picture books to the most fun read-alouds.

To get as many in as I can, reviews will be Twitter-style, short and quick.

I hope you enjoy this year's guide and it leads you to just the book you're looking for!

Happy holidays everyone!!!

1. Kangaroo for Christmas

Written & illustrated by James Flora

Enchanted Lion Books, 2011

$16.95, ages 4 and up, 40 pages

A little girl gets a kangaroo for Christmas that takes her on a rollicking ride through busy city streets, in this joyful reissue, originally published nearly 50 years ago.

James Flora's gem will have readers in stitches as Kathryn holds on for dear life to the back of her skittish new pet, and the pair bounce and crash through obstacles to Grandma's house across town.

When Adelaide pops out of a crate from her uncle on Christmas Eve, Kathryn can't believe her eyes. A kangaroo from Australia -- just what she never knew she always wanted!

She must show grandma.

So the two leap out the door with matching pink-and-black scarves, ready to brave the nippy air, with Kathryn chirping out the first lines of Jingle Bells.

But before she can get to "Oh what fun," she's gulping down a big "Oh no!" A beefy dog with an even bigger bark has startled poor Adelaide, and she's shot off like a rubber band.

2. The Carpenter's Gift

Written by David Rubel

Illustrated by Jim LaMarche

Random House, 2011
$17.99, ages 4-8, 44 pages

A wish made on a paper star one chilly Christmas Eve long ago leads to a magical sequence of events, in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Recalling back to childhood, an aging carpenter tells of how an act of kindness in 1931 inspired him late in life to pay that generosity forward.

That year, the carpenter, then a boy named Henry, and his parents were at their lowest. His father had lost his job, and their house had deteriorated into a drafty shack.

It was the Depression and as with many families, jobs were sparse and people had to eke out a living however they could.

So the night before Christmas, Henry and his father cut down trees in the woods, then drove an hour to New York City to try to sell them. 

Pulling off a city street, they saw a construction crew and asked if they could share their lot to sell the trees.

The crew could see from their worn faces and clothes that Henry and his father were down on their luck, and welcomed them in.

Soon, the workers were also hurrying over to help unload trees, unaware that the next thing they would unload would change Henry's life forever.

3. The Littlest Evergreen

Written & illustrated by Henry Cole

HarperCollins, 2011

$18.99, ages 4-7, 32 pages

A young tree digs his roots into forest soil, never imagining that he'd ever grow anywhere else, in this beautiful, tender story about a little Christmas tree.

The tree, an evergreen with fine, stubby needles, is the littlest one in the forest, at first no taller than a sparrow. Every day, he pushes his way further up through the grass to find the sun.

Though all the other trees on the hillside are much taller, the Littlest Evergreen doesn't mind because he's happy just where he is and he feels a part of something grand.

Every spring, the Littlest Evergreen inches a little more skyward, stretching the tip of his crown to try to catch up to other trees. And each day into summer, he soaks in the smells and sounds around him.

He marvels at the heat pulling the scent out of his needles and the crackle of lightning in the air. He delights in the downpour that follows, the feeling of rain washing away dust from his bows.

And when fall comes and his sap slows, he sleeps, with his roots tucked under a blanket of snow until titmice and chickadees herald spring once more.

Living there, in a carpet of trees, is serene -- and for a time, safe. But then one day, a terrible sound rips through the air and his companions begin to fall to the ground around him.

4. The Third Gift

Written by Linda Sue Park

Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Houghton Mifflin, 2011
$16.99, ages 7-10, 32 pages

A father and son walk a desert collecting tears of sap for market, not yet knowing that the largest of those pearls will become a gift for a baby named Jesus.

Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park joins with renowned illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline to weave a captivating tale about myrrh, the third gift given by the wise men to the Christ child.

Imagining a father teaching his son how to gather the treasured resin, Park describes the two walking with a basket, water-gourd and an ax across a landscape almost entirely of sandy rock to a grove of stunted and spiny trees.

The boy's father kneels by one of the gnarled trees "to see inside."  Gently, he feels the bark with his hands, and plucks off a leaf and sniffs, to determine whether its myrrh is ready to be harvested.

5. The Money We'll Save

Written & illustrated by Brock Cole

Margaret Ferguson Books, 2011
$16.99, ages 4 and up, 40 pages

In this rollicking read-aloud, a cozy family of six attempts to room with a turkey while they plump him up for Christmas dinner.

But as feathers begin to fly, it's not clear who's getting the better of whom.

One afternoon Pa returns home from market with a brilliant way to save pennies for Christmas dinner.

He'll fatten up a turkey poult and keep it in a wooden box by the stove of their tenement apartment.

But with five children, himself and his wife packed inside, the family's flat is already feeling crowded.

And much to Ma's chagrin, the turkey doesn't like to keep to one spot, and soon, he's also much too big for his box.

Suddenly Alfred, their turkey, must be shifted somewhere else, but where do you put a boisterous young fowl?

6. Christmas Eve at the Mellops'

Written & illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
Phaidon Press, 2011
$12.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages

Four little pigs brighten the rooms of a cold, dilapidated house with the spirit of Christmas, in this charming reissue of a German classic.

When each of the Mellops brothers surprises their papa with a Christmas tree, they find they've all had the same idea and they burst into tears. Oh no, "what a to-do."

Four trees are just too many. And it wouldn't be fair to pick one brother's tree over another, so Mr. Mellops suggests that the boys look for people in need to give them to.

The problem is everyone they ask already has a tree -- at the orphanage, hospital, prison and military barracks.

Poor Casimir, Isidor, Felix and Ferdinand, they really want to help someone and as the lug their trees back home, their ears wilt with disappointment.

But just as these well-meaning fellows resign to throw away their trees, they see a girl pig quietly sobbing on the sidewalk. Could this be the person they've been looking for?

7. Chanukah Lights

Written by Michael J. Rosen

Paper engineering by Robert Sabuda

Candlewick, 2011

$34.99, 5 years and up, 16 pages

Quiet, reflective scenes of Chanukah rise off the page, coaxing readers to linger and reflect, in this spectacular pop-up about the eight-day Jewish festival.

Celebrated author Michael Rosen leads readers around the world to imagine different times and places where the Festival of Lights was celebrated as each night's menorah is lit.

Then acclaimed paper engineer Robert Sabuda echoes Rosen's lyrical words with intricate pop-ups that rise off the page like silent exclamations.

8. The Twelve Days of Christmas

Written & illustrated by Jane Ray

Candlewick, 2011

$16.99, ages 3-6, $16.99

In this beguiling edition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, a suitor woos his love next door with a series of gifts that reflect his deepening affection.

The suitor, an elegant man with twinkling eyes, watches his gifts arrive from his window until the last one is delivered, and he feels brave enough to a walk over and declare his love.

As the first of 12 gifts come, tiny puffs of snow float down outside a row of color-washed houses by a canal. A postman knocks at flat #4 and the woman, her hair swept back with a ribbon, answers the door and gasps with delight. 

There on the step is a potted pear tree, each branch perfectly positioned as if espaliered, and a partridge with mottled feathers perched on a limb. A tag dangles from another branch addressed, "To My True Love X."

Every day greater numbers of things arrive on her stoop, each more whimsical and grand than the last.

9. The Story of Christmas

Text based on the King James Bible

Illustrations by Pamela Dalton

Chronicle, 2011

$17.99, all ages, 32 pages

In this reverent retelling of the nativity story, illustrations look as if they were pulled from the walls of a church.

Using a technique rooted in 16th Century folk art, Pamela Dalton scissor-cuts designs from a single piece of paper, then watercolors in details and mounts the scenes on a black backdrop.

Each design is a fragile tapestry of paper and has a mural-like quality. Ornate and naturalistic, it conveys a feeling of antiquity that works beautifully with the story, retold here from the King James Bible.

In one spread, readers see the angel Gabriel alighting before Mary, an Easter lily being offered in his hand, and later, three shepherds arrive at the manager to see baby Jesus, each of their gowns elaborately cut in repeating patterns.

10. One Starry Night

Written by Lauren Thompson
Illustrated by Jonathan Bean
Margaret K. McElderry, 2011
$16.99, ages 1-6, 32 pages

The story of Jesus's birth feels like a whispered lullaby in this breathtaking book that alternates line by line between two poems.

In the first poem, author Lauren Thompson describes nativity animals keeping vigil over their young, while in the second, she assures a child she'll always stay near.

The effect is lovely, and it allows the adult reading the story aloud to draw the reader in in a very intimate way.

When Thompson writes that on a starry night, a sheep watches over her lamb, the words, "I am here," echo afterwards in italics, as if spoken in a hushed voice to a child.

Blowin' in the Wind

Lyrics by Bob Dylan

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

With CD of Dylan's original recording

Sterling, 2011

$17.95, ages 5 and up, 28 pages

In this sublime picture book adaptation, a paper airplane gliding across the sky becomes a breathtaking metaphor for the roles we all play in making a better world.

Award-winning Jon Muth meditates on Bob Dylan's remarkable 1963 protest song with sweeping illustrations steeped in symbolism, the most resonant being that of the toy plane.

Four children of differing skin color are taken by skiff across expanses of water and shown scenes that make them at turns reflective, sad, uncomfortable, and ultimately, ready to face up to a difficult truth:

That unjust things occur in the world and it is up to each of them to do something about them.

Passing overhead in almost every spread, a folded airplane symbolizes "the answer" in Dylan's refrain, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind," a figurative verse about opening one's heart to all of humanity.

Out of Everywhere Into Here

What do you give a newborn boy,

With eyes that twinkle full of joy?

A bundle of books just his size,

Full of wonder, love and surprise.

Click the links below for reviews of four board books "for now and to grow on." Or scroll down the page!

This New Baby by Teddy Jam

It's a Little Book by Lane Smith

A Box of Bugs by David Carter
You Are My Cupcake by Joyce Wan

This New Baby

Written by Teddy Jam

Paintings by Virginia Johnson

Groundwood Books, 2011

$8.95 (board book), 22 pages

A mother watches her newborn, and wonders about all that he sees and feels in this tender poem originally published in 1999 as a picture book. 

"This new baby / sleeps in my arms / like a moon / sleeping on a cloud," the mother muses, as she holds him close, her face touching his.

Later, she says, as he drifts into a dreamworld in father's lap, he's "like a hawk drifting through the sky."

For a time the baby's still, then something stirs inside him, disquiets him, "the sound of hawks' wings lifting," and he lets out a cry, deep from inside.

It's a Little Book

Written & illustrated by Lane Smith

Roaring Brook Press, 2011

$7.99 (board book), ages 4-8, 24 pages

A baby donkey tries to guess what a book is for and comes up with adorably silly uses in this pint-size companion to Lane Smith's gem It's a Book.

Instead of facing off over reading formats (the donkey's laptop verses the gorilla's book), as they did in last year's book, the two discuss the purpose of books as only babies would:

Plunked down on the floor, with their legs straight in front of them, as if they just lost their balance and tipped over -- both saying things, but not quite talking them over.

The donkey suggests what a book could be, as his ears perk up in a quizzical way. The gorilla, a burly little guy with a tiny hat, dismisses every guess with a matter-of-fact "No."

A Box of Bugs

4 Pop-Up Concept Books

Created by David Carter

Little Simon, 2011

$14.99 (board book set), 64 pages, ages 4-8

Boys and bugs. It's one of life's sure things.

It seems as soon as boys can walk, they're hunkering down with a hand in the path of a roly poly, trying to coax it up for a ride.

And you know what that means. It's just a matter of time before they're carrying them inside, asking if their bugs can stay. 

As parents, we love to see them enthralled in nature, but wouldn't it be nice if some of the bugs in their hands weren't so real, yet still moved about as if they were?

Well, the bugs in Carter's adorable set of four pop-up books do just that. They flap and crawl, while introducing toddlers to the basics of colors, opposites, counting, and up and down.