Books are gifts they can open again

With so few weeks left until the holidays are here, beginning next week and for several weeks thereafter, I will omit my editorial to make room for an additional book review. After all, the clock is ticking away, and so, too, are our shopping days.

Give the special child in your life the gift of a book, such as those reviewed below. Remember, the gift of a story is the only present you can open time and time again. For additional suggestions, visit this column's companion website, Greatest Books for Kids (greatestbooksforkids.com).

Happy holidays!

Books to Borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

"Christmas Day in the Morning" by Pearl S. Buck, illustrated in color by Mark Buehner, HarperCollins, 40 pages

Read aloud: age 4 and older

Read yourself: age 7 — 8 and older

Fifteen-year-old Rob and his family live on a farm. Rob helps his father with the endless chores farming demands, although rising before the sun isn't Rob's favorite task.

On Christmas Eve, Rob lay in bed wishing he had more money to have purchased a better present for his father, something more than the necktie he'd gotten. Suddenly, he realizes he does have something more to give, something that doesn't require money — a gift of true love from Rob to his father.

A beautifully wrought story supported with warm, inviting illustrations, "Christmas Day in the Morning" is everything it should be and more.

Librarian's Choice

Library: Gridley Branch, Butte County Library, 299 Spruce St., Gridley

Library Director: Linda Mielke

Branch Librarian: Cynthia Pustejovsky

Children's Services: Christy Cooke-Williford

Choices this week: "The Three Snow Bears" by Jan Brett; "The Little Rabbit Who Liked to Say Moo" by Jonathan Allen; "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Books to Buy

The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.

"The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center Tree" by David Rubel, illustrated by Jim LaMarche, Random House, 2011, 44 pages, $17.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 5 and older

Read yourself: age 8 — 9

Like many folks during the Depression, 8-year-old Henry and his family are poor. During the Christmas season, Henry helps his father sell Christmas trees in Manhattan.

At the end of the day, Henry and his father give a leftover tree to workers who are building Rockefeller Center. The workers decorate it, and it becomes the first Rockefeller Christmas tree. Henry thinks it's the most beautiful tree he's ever seen, saves one of its pinecones, then makes a wish for his family to someday live in a warm house instead of their drafty one-room shack.

On Christmas morning, Henry's wish comes true — the workers from Rockefeller Center have come with lumber and build a simple new house for Henry and his family. To commemorate the moment, Henry plants the pinecone he had saved. In the years that follow, the pinecone grows into an enormous tree.

Henry, now an old man, is approached by a representative of Rockefeller Center who asks Henry for his beautiful spruce tree that will bring joy to millions of people. And, when the holiday season was over, the tree will be used for lumber to help a family in need build a new home. Hearing this, Henry didn't hesitate a moment longer.

A beautiful story in words and pictures, this selection rings loud with the true meaning of what it is to share.

"A Christmas Spider's Miracle" by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Stephen Costanza, Sleeping Bear Press, 2011, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 5 and older

Read yourself: age 8 — 9

On Christmas Eve, many years ago in Ukraine, there were two mothers who struggled to care for their children. One was a poor peasant mother who barely had enough to feed her children. Sadly, there would be no gifts for Christmas morning. The other mother was a spider who tried hard to keep her children warm in the boughs of a snowy fir tree, although she didn't know how they would survive the night.

When the peasant mother brought the small fir tree into her cottage as the only gift she could give to her children, the spider mother and her children secretly weave magnificent decorations on the tree. On Christmas morning, each family has much to celebrate.

Based on an old Ukrainian story, this selection resonates with the true meaning of Christmas.

Kendal A. Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at her website: greatestbooksforkids.com.