Water Cooler: Holiday kids reads

If your little ones find themselves in need of a break from playing in the snow – or time for their boots and gloves to dry out – here are some holiday season reads to keep them busy.

“Santa Rex,” written by Molly Idle – Calling all dinosaur lovers. Discover how festive a T. Rex can really be with Cordelia as she celebrates her favorite holiday with hot cocoa, candy canes and dinosaur friends.

“Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa” written by Donna L. Washington and illustrated by Shane W. Evans – Kwanzaa isn’t going very well for L’il Rabbit. His grandma is sick, so his family decided to not have the annual big feast, Karamu. Through this struggle however, L’il Rabbit learns the true meaning of Kwanzaa – coming together to help one another.

“Christmas Parade,” written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton – Flip through the pages and watch a joyous and quirky parade go by, filled with ducks with trombones, chickens with bassoons, a tiny bird with a large tuba, mice with piccolos, a glockenspiel pig, cow saxophonists and a Santa rhino to top it all off.

“Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas,” written by Pamela Ehrenberg and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar – In this multicultural family with an Indian mother and Jewish father, Hanukkah is celebrated with Indian dosas instead of latkes. The celebrations turn chaotic when the family accidentally locks themselves out of the house, but leave it to their climbing little one, Sadie, to save the day.

“Nutcracked,” written by Susan Adrian – In this spinoff of the classic holiday play, Georgie is awaiting the moment of her life – to dance as Clara in “The Nutcracker” ballet. Her dream comes true, but then that dream starts to get a bit more real than she expected one day when she leaves the ballet studio and enters the story world of “The Nutcracker” tale.

“The Nutcracker in Harlem,” written by T. E. McMorrow and illustrated by James Ransome – A jazz-inspired retelling of “The Nutcracker” set in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. A young girl is able to find her musical voice after some inspiring adventures with her magical toy.

“Silent Night,” written by Lara Hawthorne – A beautifully illustrated telling of the nativity story through the lyrics of the “Silent Night” carol. The heaven-sent angels and quaking shepherds of the story make for a special read on Christmas Eve.

“Potatoes at Turtle Rock,” written by Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman, and illustrated by Alex Steele-Morgan – Annie takes her family for a nighttime journey during Hanukkah, using riddles and potatoes to make old traditions and start a few of her own. They give thanks for light and warmth once they reach Turtle Rock.

“All The Little Snowflakes,” written by Cindy Jin and illustrated by Dawn M. Cardona – This interactive, rhyming story features die-cut snowflakes on each page making it perfect for little ones who love hands-on learning. The book reminds readers that among the sparkly winter snow, each snowflake that falls from the sky is one of a kind.

“Pick a Pine Tree, ” written by Patricia Toht – With festive and rich illustrations, this story celebrates the ritual of the Christmas tree, from choosing the perfect one to lavishly decorating it and gathering together in its ambiance.

“Seven Spools Of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story” written by Angela Shelf Medearis and illustrated by Daniel Minter – Seven brothers constantly fight and make family life miserable in their African village. Their father dies and in his will tells the brothers they must make gold out of seven spools of thread by sundown. Using the Nguzo Saba, or “seven principles” of Kwanzaa, they pull together to meet their father’s wishes and better their entire community.