6-8

6-8 years

ag_img
6-8
A Stickler Christmas
Description

A holiday picture book from award-winning author/illustrator Lane Smith that features the woodland character, Stickler, who wanders the forest delivering Christmas presents. In a picture book that’s both silly and sweet, readers will be inspired by this story of holiday kindness.

Happy-go-lucky Stickler, an original character covered in sticks, is celebrating Christmas by passing out presents for all his friends. He has carefully selected the right stick for each of them, including: a Hop-Higher Stick for Rabbit, an Idea Stick for Crow, an In-a-Pear-Tree Stick for Partridge. But Doug-the-Fir doesn’t want a present, he is too worried about being covered with decorations and lights and being the center of attention. So, Stickler promises to think of a solution and finds the perfect stick. But in order to help his shy friend, Stickler needs to be the one to shine.

A Stickler Christmas encourages empathy and kindness with a joyful, lighthearted touch. Lane Smith, the award-winning author and illustrator of recent picture books, including A Gift for Nana (where Stickler first appears) and Stickler Loves the World, brings imagination and laughter to a clever story featuring a delightful character.

Author: Lane Smith Illustrator: Lane Smith AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
A Pinecon
Description

While Daddy is busy wrangling a mud-happy dog, someone else is collecting lots and lots of pinecones. Helen Yoon brings back the parent-child duo from Off-Limits in a droll celebration of high enthusiasm.

Daddy is a bit distracted on their autumn walk, while his curious child only has eyes for one of nature’s small wonders: a pinecone! And look, another pinecone! And another! In fact, she could gather an entire collection—an entire extended family—of pinecones if she wanted to (and she wants to!). But what then? In a story spun with visual comedy, the characters from Off-Limits return for a small adventure in outsize enthusiasm leading to a sparkly, holiday-cheer-worthy finish. Helen Yoon brings all her quirky warmth to bear on this tribute to little ones whose fixations tend to send them over the top—and the parents who lovingly help them to funnel all that passionate energy. And perhaps some of their own!

Author: Helen Yoon Illustrator: Helen Yoon AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
An Anishinaabe Christmas
Description

A festive, joyful Indigenous picture book that explores both Christmas traditions and Anishinaabe culture, for fans of Santa in the City and Go Show the World.

One winter solstice, Mommy says, "Baby, we're going home to the Rez. We're going to have an Anishinaabe Christmas." But this is Baby's first Christmas away from the city, and they're worried! They have a lot of questions:

How will Santa know where to find them?

Why do we have presents on Christmas?

How come they're going home to the Rez but don't live there?

On the long trip to Mooshom's and Kookom's, Baby learns about animals being part of their family, about the North Star leading them home and even the meanings of some Anishinaabe words. Will this Anishinaabe Christmas be Baby's best yet?

Author: Wab Kinew Illustrator: Erin Hill AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Mr. Santa
Description

With wit and affection, the inimitable Jarvis imagines the giddy wonder of a child who finds she has Santa all to herself—with free rein to ask all the questions that spring to mind.

Mr. Santa? Is it really you?
Did you read my letter?
And have you wiped your shoes?

When a little girl comes face-to-face with Santa in her own house, she can hardly believe it! After inviting him into her world (Do you want to meet my fishes? Do you want to hear me play?) comes that universal wish (Can I ride your sleigh?). With the two of them aloft, questions continue to fly: Can Santa eat clouds? Does he stop at traffic lights? Is his belly button innie or outie? Does he take a teddy to bed? With signature warmth and a gentle visual humor, Jarvis channels the excitement of every child who has dreamed of meeting the jolly, generous old soul who personifies the most magical night of the year.

Author: Jarvis Illustrator: Jarvis AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Merry Christmas, Dear Mars
Description

An out-of-this-world remix of the classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”!

It’s Christmas Eve. The Martians have hung their stockings and decorated their trees in hopes that Santa will finally visit the red planet. But what are the excited Martians to do when Santa’s sleigh shudders and shimmies and stops? Then teeters and totters and drops? It’ll take a dose of Christmas magic and some help from the Outer Space Rescue Division to get this holiday back on track.

Humorous, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations combine to make a perfect winter read-a-loud, destined to become a classic.

Author: Penny Parker Klostermann Illustrator: Estrela Lourenço AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Winter Solstice Wish
Description

On the shortest day of the year, people reach out for light--and one another--in this luminous, lyrical winter solstice story.

Today we stretch the daylight as much as we can, trying to make it last.

On the shortest day of the year, when daylight slips by like sand through one's fingers, people savor the light. As night falls, a community gathers on a beach and builds a bonfire of hope. Winter Solstice Wish is an ode to the winter solstice, human connectedness, and the hope of renewal.

Inspired by winter solstice bonfires built on a San Diego beach near the author's home, Winter Solstice Wish combines scientific concepts with the intangible longing for connection and togetherness that people all over the world reach for on the shortest day. Backmatter includes information about global winter solstice celebrations and a brief scientific explanation of what's happening on a solstice.

Author: Kate Allen Fox Illustrator: Elisa Paganelli AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
One Foggy Christmas Eve
Description

One little girl has the perfect present for her grandparents, and she can’t wait to give it to them on Christmas Eve. So when her parents say it’s not safe to travel because the weather is horrible and the fog is too thick, she has to find a way to save their Christmas tradition—even if she can barely see farther than her front porch. With a lot of imagination and maybe just a bit of magic, the girl lights a way to her grandparents’ house. But—oh no!—she loses her present along the way. Luckily, Nana knows that the best gift of all is creativity and family.

With dazzling artwork and minimal text, Kerilynn Wilson’s debut picture book presents one little girl’s determined walk to her grandparents’ house as an adventure full of magic, ingenuity, and courage. One Foggy Christmas Eve celebrates the gift of sharing your imagination and your story with those you love. For readers of Gideon Sterer’s The Christmas Owl and Susan Jeffers’s Jingle Bells. 

Author: Kerilynn Wilson Illustrator: Kerilynn Wilson AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Santa's First Christmas
Description

Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith team up for an unforgettable celebration of Christmas.

We all know that Santa makes everyone’s dreams come true every Christmas, but it turns out that he needs a little help getting into the holiday spirit himself. Instead of letting Santa get right back to work after he returns home to the North Pole on Christmas morning, his loyal elves want to make sure he experiences the same Christmas cheer he provides for others. With the perfect tree, lots of delicious treats, and, of course, presents, Santa experiences the magic of Christmas for the very first time.

Beloved children’s book creators Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith have unveiled Santa unlike ever seen before, and as a result, created a merry new Christmas classic.

Author: Mac Barnett Illustrator: Sydney Smith AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Each Day Is a Gift
Description

Perfect for graduation, Thanksgiving, and the new year, Each Day is a Gift is a beautiful present that encourages gratitude for children

When we receive "a brand-new bike kind of gift" or "a trip-to-the-amusement-park kind of gift," it's easy to be grateful. But when we encounter an "extremely un-asked-for" gift, it can be harder to appreciate what matters. Full of wisdom and affirmations, this thoughtful picture book shows the beauty in everyday living, making it a standout in gratitude books for kids.

Each Day Is a Gift gently reveals how gifts' purposes are not always clear immediately, and while we can't choose what gifts we receive, we can choose how to use them. Detlefsen's prose describes events that we might not consider gifts at first in ways that makes us thankful, and Vasilica's light-filled illustrations show how even the hardest things can be made meaningful. Together, they encourage us to embrace each day with mindfulness.

Author: Lisl H. Detlefsen Illustrator: Natalia Vasilica AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books
Gingerbread Dreidels
Description

Chanukah and Christmas come together in this story of an interfaith, intergenerational family's blended holiday. Gelt and gingerbread, menorahs and trees, red and green and blue and white . . .

Double the celebration in this cozy read-aloud perfect for upcoming holiday season!

When Christmas and the first night of Chanukah occur on the same day, Sophie and Max are confused. The children are used to the two parts of their identity remaining separate, celebrating with each part of their family in turn. But this year is different: all their grandparents are coming to partake in both Jewish and Christian traditions together.

Complete with a sweet acknowledgment of the concern at the forefront of each child’s mind—how will this affect the presents?—Gingerbread Dreidels is a story for interfaith families that shows how love is at the center of every holiday.

Author: Jane Breskin Zalben Illustrator: Thai Phuong AgeGroup: 6-8, 3-5 Genre: Picture Books