Holidays

The beloved–but confused–pup Olive is back! But this time she’s not heading off to the North Pole to help Santa. . . . This time she’s out to return a one-of-a-kind lost object: a heart. And not just any heart, but a heart as large as Olive’s own. In her search to find its one, true owner, she makes the acquaintance of a cast of characters who show her what it truly means to give all of one’s love. Only J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh could have dreamed up this wacky and wittily heartwarming story in which anything can happen if you only follow your heart.

This beautiful deluxe edition marks the tenth anniversary of J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh’s modern Christmas classic the story of a little dog named Olive with big reindeer dreams! When the book was first published in 1997, it enjoyed great reviews and has since sold more than 1 million copies. This new edition is a larger version of the original book, and it features flaps to lift, spots to scratch and sniff, and a pop-up grand finale. Designed to be a perfect holiday gift, this edition will appeal to Olive’s many fans and is sure to make new ones.

Everyone’s favorite Caldecott Honor-winning porcine heroine and #1 Kris Kringle enthusiast is helping to make the season brighter than ever. Christmas is coming, and Olivia is incredibly busy. She has to wait for Santa, make sure Dad sets up the tree, wait for Santa, watch Mom make the Christmas dinner, wait for Santa, oversee the care with which the stockings are hung, and, of course, open her presents! Do you see how hard it is to be so helpful during the holidays? A lovingly told and lavishly illustrated Olivia Helps with Christmas is the perfect stuffing for any stocking, and the newest star atop the Olivia series.

Mr. Hatch leads a lonely life until one Valentine’s Day when the postman delivers a huge, heart-shaped box of candy with a card reading “Somebody loves you.” Knowing he has a secret admirer gives Mr. Hatch a bright new perspective on life — until it turns out there’s been a terrible mistake. But Mr. Hatch’s new friends rally to show him that a lot of somebodies love Mr. Hatch.

A special dessert is often among the most memorable parts of a holiday celebration, and the pie that Ma and Pa rindle whip up offers the most amazing feast Willobee Street has ever tasted! To make their amazing pie, the Brindles toss together every sweet thing in sight (including marshmallows, chewing gum, and sprinkles) and mesmerize the entire neighborhood for the full 13 hours it takes to bake. Although Ma cautions the neighbors not to eat too much, no one listens. When they eventually go home and drift off to sleep, too much pie turns sweet dreams into potbellied nightmares, jovial green and purple creatures that lumber down the street and float through the air. Finally, Ma rindle sweeps them away, restoring peace to Willobee Street.

The Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to the eve of the first Thanksgiving. There they meet the Pilgrims as well as Squanto, a Native American who helped them. The story offers an age-appropriate, in-depth picture of what life was really like for early settlers, as well as the usual Magic Tree House adventure and excitement.

Colonial America comes to life in this short novel inspired by an actual meeting in 1777 between Quakers and Native Americans. To Stands Straight, a young Abenaki Indian scouting for British soldiers, all Americans are enemies; Americans killed his mother and brother. Then Stands Straight and his scouting party come upon a Quaker meetinghouse, where they encounter Americans who carry no weapons, value peace, and greet them as friends. The result? The Abenaki decide to remain neutral in the clash between the British and the colonists who are fighting for independence. Bruchac skillfully develops his characters and wins sympathy for the conflicts they face by telling the story from alternating viewpoints–Stands Straight and that of fourteen-year-old Quaker Samuel Russell. An afterward by the author provides more historical information along with personal anecdotes about how the writer became interested in this story and his surprise in learning that the Indians described in his research were probably Abenaki–his own native heritage.

In this simply told and elegantly illustrated Chinese tale, the wealthy Pang cannot enjoy adding up his money, because he loses count every time he hears laughter and music wafting from his neighbor’s farm. Although a poor farmer who works all day, Li still finds time to play his flute–a pleasure Pang puts a stop to by giving Li a bag full of gold. Realizing that the “treasure almost robbed me of my happiness,” Li returns the money along with far greater treasures: peace, happiness, and a homemade flute for each member of Pang’s family.