What's your favorite holiday book?

Kendal Rautzhan

For the Appeal

Remember the excitement you felt as a child when the holidays approached? Your house was probably bustling with preparations.

In the midst of it all, perhaps you were lucky enough to have had an adult read some holiday stories to you. Were there two or three books that really touched you in a magical way? I hope so, and I'd like to know what they were.

I'd like to invite children and adults to send me a brief e-mail and share a couple of your favorite holiday books that you think other children will really enjoy. Include the authors if you know them. It's okay if the books are older and possibly out-of-print. Many of them may be available at public libraries.

Please respond to me at kendal@sunlink.net no later than Nov. 20. I will tally the responses and those holiday books that have the greatest number of votes will be listed in my column in early December. When you respond, please include the newspaper where you read this column and the approximate age range for the books you are recommending.

Please help children connect with memorable holiday books this season. Who knows? Maybe your favorite book will be the very one that a child will love and remember throughout their lifetime, just like you.

Books to borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

"The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove" by Bodil Bredsdorff, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 155 pages

Read aloud: age 9 and older. Read yourself: age 9Ð 10 and older.

A girl lives with her grandmother in a small house by the sea. They have no neighbors, and while their existence is simple, it is filled with peace and great love. The girl's grandmother has taught her many valuable lessons: about people, intuition, survival, the power of hope and perseverance, and the joy of life.

When her grandmother dies, two crows beckon the girl to journey away from her home Ð a journey that leads to the very things her grandmother taught her: both good people and bad, the will to survive, and ultimately finding what lies deepest in her heart.

An exceptional literary work, this selection offers readers an extraordinary experience of what it is to be human.

Librarian's choice

Library: Douglas County Public Library, 1625 Library Lane, Minden

Library Director: Linda Deacy

Youth Services Librarian: Kathy Echavarria

Choices this week: "Angus and the Ducks" by Marjorie Flack; "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen; "The Case of the Absent Author" in the "A-Z Mysteries" by Ron Roy

Books to buy

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.

"Pig Tale" written and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, McElderry Books, 2005, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 3 and older. Read yourself: age 7 - 8.

Two pigs, Bertha and Briggs, were bored with their life. Even though they had plenty to eat, a great place to play, and a snug house to keep them warm, they thought the only thing that would really make them happy was if they were rich.

When Bertha and Briggs discovered a chest filled with priceless treasure, they thought their ship had come in. The pigs quickly adopted the life of the rich, with fancy clothes, cars, and a grand house with lots of property. At first everything seemed perfect, but Bertha and Briggs soon found out that being rich wasn't everything they thought it would be.

Delightful illustrations accompany this funny and insightful tale about what's most important in life.

"Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent" written and illustrated by Lauren Child, Hyperion, 2005, 50 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 5 Ð 8. Read yourself: age 7 Ð 8.

Hubert Horatio was a boy genius and the son of frightfully rich parents. Hubert's best friend, Stanton, was also a boy genius and his parents were also frightfully rich. The problem was, Hubert's parents didn't have a clue how to manage their money. When it became apparent to Hubert that his parents were broke (but they didn't know it), Hubert and Stanton hatched a few plans to save the day. Ultimately, the only plan that would work would be to sell the family home. Would his parents be mortified, or would they be just as happy without it?

A marvelous story about money and what it's really worth, this funny selection also offers a valuable moral to the story.

n Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached by e-mail at kendal@sunlink.net.