Do you see what I see?: The 6 Picture Books of Christmas!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Can you believe there are only THREE more sleeps until Christmas?  I surely can't, but seeing as I can't argue with my calendar, I suppose it truly is.  Our weather has finally caught up with the time of year (it's cold...well, Florida cold anyway...yay!), so it's a bit easier to get into the holiday spirit of things and with that, comes a wintery reading list perfect for the whole family. 

It's time for the SIX PICTURE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS!  What's that?  Why not TWELVE?  Well, umm...first of all, there's not many days left before the holiday and I want you to enjoy the books, not blow through them like a winter storm.  Second, that's the number I ran across this year review wise, so...that's the number I'm presenting.  ^-^  Grab your elf shoes and throw on your Santa hats, it's time to dive into some holiday fun that will dazzle the eye and the heart. 

The Berenstain Bears and the Christmas Angel

by

Mike Berenstain

9780310749240

Zonderkidz

A charming story that brings the Berenstain family back for a joyous holiday.  Here, we find the siblings three about to make a snowman...but silk top hats, and carrot noses are old school; they want something different, but only just.  Their little sister Honey provides the inspiration for what becomes an informal lesson on those heralds from above and the important roles they played in announcing the arrival of a certain someone so long ago.  With an invitation to seek out other stories within the Bible for additional angelic reading, this is one cub friendly read that will keep the conversation rolling right through the holidays.

The Twelve Days of Christmas:  A Peek-Through Picture Book

Illustrated by

Britta Teckentrup

9789781101940877

Doubleday Books for Young Readers

This one takes the classic carol of old and turns it into a kid-friendly, eye-catching peek-through read for the whole family.  With every turn of the page, we're greeted by this adorable elf lad and lass, as more and more items are added to the visual list of what their "true love gave" to them.  The cut outs allow the treasures to grow and grow until the grand finale converges in a colorful display of the who shebang!

The Lost Gift:  A Christmas Story

by

Kallie George

Illustrated by

Stephanie Graegin

9780553524819

Schwartz & Wade Books

This has got to be one of my FAVORITE picture book titles this holiday season.  Filled with heart and humor, it has appeal for the whole family.  It reminds us that doing good for the sake of good is always to be strived for...and anything we reap from what we sow is just icing on the cake (as these forest friends will tell you).  My favorite character was Rabbit because no matter what, he knew that that gift needed to get to its destination.  His faith in what Santa would have wanted them to do never faltered, even when some of his friends were less than interested in helping.  Join this merry band of forest friends as they follow in the snowy prints of the big man in red to deliver a gift in more ways than one.

The Great Spruce

by

John Duvall

Illustrated by

Rebecca Gibbon

9780399160844

G.P. Putnam's Sons

This is the story of a great big beautiful spruce tree admired by a small town that was destined to hold center stage in NYC.  But wait...you've heard this one before?  Not quite.  This one speaks to the fact that a tree that has lived such a long life need not be cut down to be a dazzling wonder of holiday delight for all, merely temporarily relocated so as to have life go on after the lights have glowed their last flickers of the season.  Something to think about...and a wonderful story with equally beautiful illustrations to keep you company while you ponder.

Little Babymouse and the Christmas Cupcakes

by

Jennifer L. Holm

Illustrated by

Matthew Holm

9781101937433

Random House Books for Young Readers

While geared more towards fans of the uber popular series (as it switches from Picture Book to kiddo Graphic Novel for a spell), Little Babymouse certainly casts her own spell on the holiday season and has the tummy full of treats to prove it!  Her desire to make sure Santa has something to snack on during his stopover, combined with her want to keep everyone safe from the dragons lurking about, create a bit of Christmas chaos that can be enjoyed by all ages.

The Biggest Smallest Christmas Present

by

Harriet Muncaster

9780399164323

G.P. Putnam's Sons

This is the story of precious little Clementine, and family, trying to get the message through to jolly old Saint Nicholas that his gifts are wonderful but a dozen or more sizes too big!  Imagine playing with a paint set the size of a house, or walking a puppy the size of a truck?  Kinda hard...and yet, by book's end, our little leading lady realizes that while she's grateful Santa got it right in the end, perhaps he also did all along because along with the big gifts came big fun!  With delightful full-color illustrations on every two page spread, this is one small story that will make a big impact in your holiday reading this year.

Special thanks to the marketing teams at Zonderkidz, Random House Children's Books, and Penguin Young Readers Group for the copies for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on the titles mentioned, the authors, illustrators, publishers, or to pick up a copy to call your own this holiday season, feel free to click through the links provided above. These titles are now available wherever books are sold, so go out and grab some bookish holiday fun!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



GUEST POST with SPRUCED UP FOR MURDER Author Helen Golden

Today, we dive into the Mystery genre with the latest book circling the blogosphere with Rachel's Random Resources. It features the work of author Helen Golden, and as you consider this who-dun-it for your next read, KEEP READING after the intro as we share a special Guest Post from the author herself on her journey to becoming an author!

Spruced Up for Murder

by

Helen Golden

About the book...

Death at Francis Court Now Confirmed as Murder!

Speculation is rife that the victim, estate manager Alex Sterling (44), was found by Lady Beatrice (35), the Countess of Rossex, niece of King James. Lady Beatrice, who has finally come out of hiding following her son’s departure to boarding school, has been managing the project to refurbish and redesign the Events Suite at Francis Court, alongside Perry Juke.

Heading up the murder investigation is Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam. Rumour has it that he and Lady Beatrice have a fractious history…

Awful man! How dare Fitzwilliam suggest Lady Beatrice’s sister is the number one suspect for Alex’s murder. It could be any one of the staff who were on-site that morning. Well, she’ll show Mr High and Mighty Fitzwilliam! With her attention to detail, her clever dog Daisy, Perry’s imagination, and his partner’s contacts at Fenshire CID, they’ll find the murderer before him.

Unless the murderer finds her first…

AMAZON  UK  |  US

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~~~   GUEST POST with Author Helen Golden   ~~~

The journey of a debut author...

At the ripe old age of ‘somewhere in my mid-fifties’, I considered myself to be broadly comfortable with who I was. Of course things could be tweaked a bit – I could do with dropping a few pounds, do a bit more exercise, and get more sleep. But generally I was happy and confident in myself. So with my job coming to a natural end, with some severance pay behind me and time on my hands, I made the decision to write a book. 

Soon I was asking myself what on earth made me think that just because I could knock up a decent powerpoint presentation, write a bit of promotional copy, and rewrite emails before they went out to all staff, that I would be able to write a book? Sure, I read a lot of books, but I knew nothing about the craft of storytelling — of inciting incidents, or story beats, or character arcs, or genre expectations. After a few months of research, I’d discovered that it was also more complex than I’d imagined and would require more time than I’d anticipated. And that was just acquiring the correct writing tools and understanding the structuring of a plot. It seemed I also needed to do courses to help me understand the nitty gritty of the publishing process and even more courses to learn how to advertise and promote my books. I was almost ready to call it a day. 

Except I was also getting excited about this new mysterious world of being an author. If I could master this, I would be able to take that document of story ideas I had on my laptop and turn them into something people would want to read. It took time. Well over a year. I’m now the even riper age of ‘knocking on the door of a big birthday’ and I still have a lot to learn. I can’t write as quickly as other authors do. I fiddle and fiddle with my covers and still I’m never one hundred percent happy with them. I’ve accidently deleted my original Facebook author page. I still get confused by when I should use ‘she’ or ‘her’ and don’t even get me started on Amazon advertising. 

On the other hand I’ve met some hugely supportive authors in my genre who have helped me navigate the minefield of self-publishing. I’ve found great advance readers who give me valuable feedback and my editor is amazing at helping me make my books the best possible version of themselves. I’ve written three books, one novelette and I’ve almost finished a prequel for my series. Overall I’m pleased with my progress.

And so, while I can’t pretend I’m the same confident and self-assured person I was before I started this journey — like most authors I’m now wracked with self-doubt. Will anyone bother to read my books? And if they do, will they like them? And who knows how I’ll cope with my first bad review. I’ll probably be sobbing in a corner somewhere.

But what I do know is that two weeks ago, when I held a paperback version of my debut novel, Spruce Up For Murder, in my hands for the very first time, I was overcome with emotion. It was a proper book. Like the ones I buy to read on holiday. Like the ones I’ve seen in the library and in book shops. Like the ones lining my bookshelves at home. I couldn’t help but feel proud that I did this. It was my book, written by me. And I felt like a real author.

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About the author...

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It's very early in my life as an author, but so far I'm loving it.

It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes

INSTAGRAM  |  TIKTOK  |  SITE  |  FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the author for the guest post. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today! Be sure to check out the rest of the sites participating for more bookish fun...

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!