10 children’s tomes for the holidays

A book is a garden you can hold in your hand
An orchard you take on your lap
A book is a companion who sleeps
Only when you are asleep…
A book is a tree that lives long,
And bears delicious and abundant fruit,
That is easy to pick and perfectly ripe,
At all times of the year.
—Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahral-Jahiz, a.k.a. al-Jahiz, from the introduction to Nancy Farmer’s “Clever Ali,” illustrated by Gail De Marcken (Orchard Books, $17.99.)

And so begins the tale of an Egyptian boy, who at the age of 7, moves into the men’s quarters of his family’s house — men and women live separately — and goes to work with his father, a pigeon keeper for the Sultan of Cairo. “Clever Ali” is just one of the children’s books this season that celebrates family and reflects some of the diversity worldwide. The holiday spirit also can found in stories about food and concerns about the environment.

All you need is love
One book this season that expresses the universal joy of giving is Roni Schotter’s “Mama, I’ll Give You the World,” illustrated by Susan Saelig Gallagher (Schwartz & Wade Books, $16.95.) The story revolves around a little girl, named Luisa, who sees how hard her mother works at the local beauty shop, especially since Dad is not around anymore. (One of the few references to the fact that Mama is a single parent.) At day’s end, Mama doesn’t complain but tells Luisa, “The world is big. So much more for you to know. So much more for you to see. One day, if I can, I will give the world to you.” For Mama’s birthday, Luisa decides to give Mama the world and turns Walter’s World of Beauty into a ballroom — the Roseland Ballroom, to be exact — so Mama can experience some of the joy she gives to others.

North-south Books

Another tale about the importance of Mama is Sandhya Rao’s “My Mother’s Sari” illustrated by Nina Sabnani (North-South Books, $14.95.) In this case, the young girl (no name) is able to explore the world wrapped up in the comfort of her mother’s sari. The colorful sari becomes a train, a river, a rope. It also can be used to hide behind with her friends and even wipe her nose. The conclusion: “I love my mother’s sari and how it makes me dream.”

A similar theme runs through Catherine Louis’s “Liu and the Bird: A Journey into Chinese Calligraphy,” calligraphy by Feng Xiao Min (North-South Books, $16.95.) This time, a dream inspires a young boy, named Liu, to travel over mountains, across a river, through a forest to see his grandfather. Guided by a star, a bird, a floating feather and even a child writing on rocks by the river, Liu lands at grandpa’s house. Grandpa, however, is not surprised by the unexpected visit: “I was waiting for you ... Because the voice of love can be heard from far away.” In addition to the narrative, on almost every page, a series of drawings show the evolution of certain words in the Chinese language, from pictures to current Chinese characters.

Mom and Dad take on new meaning when Bob not only learns he is a palindrome — a word that is spelled exactly the same way forward and backward — but so are his parents. Once enlightened, Bob sees palindromes everywhere in Mark Shulman’s “Mom and Dad Are Palindromes,” illustrated by Adam McCauley (Chronicle Books, $15.95.) What he concludes, well, you have to read the book.

Green Eggs to diner fare

Random House

Food and family are so intertwined in most cultures; it’s hard to ignore the wonderful food-themed children’s books on the shelves this season. One of the cleverest titles to hit the shelves is Georgeanne Brennan’s “Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook,” illustrated by Dr. Seuss (Random House Children’s Books, $16.95). In the book’s introduction, Brennan tells us she has always wondered what green eggs and ham really tasted like. I must admit, I have not. In search of an answer, Brennan compiles a 64-page cookbook of recipes based on expressions found in Dr. Seuss’ tomes.

Brennan creates the recipes from scratch, choosing healthy yet fun ingredients. For example, “Schlopp with a Cherry on Top” becomes a bowl of homemade granola, yogurt, banana and, of course, a cherry on top. A “Yot in a Pot” is transformed into an Italian stew with lots of vegetables, and clams, shrimp, sausage if you want. Dr. Seuss’ illustrations fill the book as well as photographs by Frankie Frankeny of the delightful delicacies. So what makes the eggs green? Once again, you’ll have to pick up a copy of the bright orange book to find out the answer.

Houton Mifflin Books

Eat your vegetables — green and otherwise — may just be the morale of Alan Durant’s “Burger Boy” illustrated by Mei Matsuoka, (Clarion Books, $16.) As many little boys do, Benny only wants to eat hamburgers. So much so that yes, one day, he turns into a big fat burger. But not to worry, as in most children’s tales, the 29-page book has a happy ending. Benny discovers you can have your cake (or carrots) and eat it too, but everything in moderation.

The diner in Lynn Downey’s “Matilda’s Humdinger” (Random House Children’s Books, 17.99) is unusual because 1) the head waitress is a cat; 2) the patrons are an assortment of creatures from beavers to moose; and 3) the service is terrible. That is, Matilda is the worst waitress in the world. But she can write, and in the end, it’s her creative writing skills that save the day when the diner’s patrons are threatened by masked bandits.

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