‘Latkes for Santa Claus’ targets blended families

 

Latkes for Santa Claus

Written by Janie Emaus and illustrated by Bryan Langdo

Sky Pony Press, 2020

‘Latkes for Santa Claus’ begins after Anna has written an email letter to Santa saying she is about to celebrate Christmas for the first time because her new dad and stepbrother do. She thinks Santa must be tired of cookies, so she plans to leave him a special treat.

Her stepbrother Michael spins a dreidel, and tells Anna that Santa is happy with the sugar cookies he leaves him. But Anna wants to leave Santa a Jewish treat.

She considers matzo ball soup, but Michael tells her that Santa can’t eat matzo ball soup with his fingers. She imagines him with a bowl of matzo ball soup on his sleigh, matzo balls flying around and soup spilling all over.

Then she thinks about giving Santa a piece of noodle kugel, but it would be too messy, too. Finally, she imagines him loving Aunt Sarah’s tzimmes, a fruit and vegetable stew. But again, it would slop and spill all over Santa on his sleigh.

Anna goes to her thinking spot and her mind spins with ideas. Finally, she comes up with the perfect treat – potato latkes.

Christmas morning all of Michael’s cookies and Anna’s latkes are gone. Anna gets an email from Santa saying he loved the latkes and asking for the recipe.

Langdo's colorful illustrations complement the words beautifully. 

At the back of the book, there are recipes for potato latkes and sugar cookies, so children can try both at home.

About the Author

Janie Emaus is the author of the young adult novel “Mercury in Retro Love.” She writes both fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Her articles and stories have been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, and websites including the “Los Angeles Times” Kids’ Reading Room Page, “The Washington Post,” AARP, “Country Living,” “Good Housekeeping,” and “Woman’s Day.” "Latkes for Santa" is her debut picture book. She lives in Winnetka, CA, and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah.   

About the Illustrator

Bryan Langdo has illustrated more than 30 children’s books and authored two, “Tornado Slim” and “The Magic Cowboy Hat,” which won a 2012 Spur Award for Storytelling from Western Writers of America. He lives in central New Jersey with his wife, two children, and an assortment of pets.  

Bear learns how to make friends in sweet story

 

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light

Written and illustrated by Apryl Stott

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020

Bear and Coco, a little girl, are good friends even though they are different. Bear is big and Coco is small. Bear is shy and Coco is brave.

They are also the same in some ways: both are kind, and both enjoy dancing. The two friends enjoy being together, but Bear is upset because the other animals don’t like him. They think he must be mean because he is so big.

Coco tells Bear her grandmother’s saying, “When life gets dark as a winter’s night, share some kindness, bring some light.”

They decide to bake cookies to share with the other animals, and to make lanterns for them. 

But when they try to give away their gifts, the animals turn them down. They don’t trust them.

By chance, they hear someone crying out for help. They find Baby Deer, who has gotten stuck in deep snow. They rescue the fawn, allowing Baby Deer to climb onto Bear’s back.

They find the other animals searching for Baby Deer. When they hear the story of Baby Deer’s rescue, Mama Deer is overjoyed, and the rest of the animals talk about how lucky they are Bear is big. They realize he is brave, friendly, and kind.

Bear doesn’t understand why the other animals didn’t want the cookies or lanterns. Mama Deer tells him the lanterns turned out to be helpful but rescuing Baby Deer really showed Bear’s kindness.

The lesson Bear learns is that kindness is about giving away love instead of gifts. “It’s doing something nice without expecting to get anything in return.”

The warmth of this sweet story is accentuated by its beautiful color illustrations. It would make a good holiday gift for 4- to 8-year-old children.

About the Author-Illustrator

Apryl Stott grew up drawing and making delightful creative messes. She wrote her first story, “How to Get Rid of my Baby Sister,” when she was in the third grade. Since then, she has learned how to be kind to her sister and how to clean up after herself. Mostly. She spends her days working in her studio, listening to podcasts, and cleaning up her daughter’s delightful creative messes. “Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light” is her first picture book. She earned a degree in illustration and design from Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. She lives in Reno, NV, with her family and dog. Visit her at aprylstottdesign.com.