Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert (Blue Apple Books, $16.95)Beautifully illustrated by Karla Gudeon, Hanukkah Haiku is a classic for all young children. One candle and one haiku poem is added on each page, ending with a fully lit menorah and the candle lighting blessings.
Gathering Sparks by Howard Schwartz (Roaring Brook Press, $16.99)
Perhaps the most touchingly simple explanation of tikkun olam (repair of the world) available to children. Award-winning illustrator Kristina Swarner adds to the poignancy of this book with her unworldly illuminations.
The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Inner Peace: The Essential Life and Teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Hampton Roads Publishing, $12.95)
A perfect small volume to carry and open to any page any minute of the day for inspiration and instruction.
Jewish Fathers: A Legacy of Love, photographs by Lloyd Wolf, interviews by Paula Wolfson (Jewish Lights Publishing, $30.00)
Autographed by the author, a wonderful present to any Jewish father or other. Filled with photographs to kvell over, this book celebrates the true meaning of mensch.
Collect Raindrops by Nikki McClure (Abrams, $29.95)
An oversized volume of Nikki McClure's beautiful prints with one word titles on each page. A gift for anyone who needs a moment of calm.
December 2010, Janet Elfant
2 comments:
Thank you for providing a nice list of unique children books - especially those that illustrate different cultures and different traditional concepts that children are used to being exposed to. Another holiday children's book you could look into is The Thanksgiving Coat by Elizabeth A. Hoadley. It demonstrates how we can take the poor into consideration during the holidays.
Thank you for introducing me to Elizabeth Hoadley.
Her web-site is filled with a stunning array of children's books which focus on sensitive subjects. She appears to maintain a realistic and positive tone throughout her text. Many of the books are illustrated by her daughter, Karlee, who was two years old when she painted the watercolors for the first mother-daughter collaboration. I would love to sit down for an hour or two with all of Hoadley's books.
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