**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are ours and ours alone**
One of our favorite holiday traditions is the Advent Calendar or Countdown to Christmas. We've done them several different ways, celebrating each day of December with a holiday treat or activity or movie, but one of the most fun for the whole family is the Holiday Book Countdown. Each day we read a book from our holiday collection and it really is so much fun! Our collection includes books from several winter holidays and we were really excited to get several new additions from Candlewick Press this year! Some of these are going in the holiday books and others will be great for year round use, but we were absolutely thrilled about all of them!
Here are our favorites from Candlewick Press this season:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Unfold this enchanting Panorama Pop celebrating a classic story, then tuck it inside an attractive slipcase for next time. Curiouser and curiouser! The British Royal Mail’s special stamps honoring Alice in Wonderland’s 150th anniversary inspire a beautiful gift edition of Lewis Carroll’s classic.
Where's Waldo? The Sticker Book!
Waldo has sticking power! Find hours of fun in this compact book of stickers derived from classic scenes.
Know anyone who's stuck on Waldo? Packed in this book are hundreds of stickers just waiting for fans old and new to get their hands on them. Use ones from Waldo's original classics to decorate cards and wrapping paper or create a wacky story. Other stickers are large enough to hide everywhere for a fun Waldo hunt with friends. Look for lots of other sticker activities throughout.
The Best Parts of Christmas
A boy who really loves his Christmas tree finds a way to preserve its spirit year-round in this sweet and child-friendly holiday story.Fritz knows that the best parts of Christmas happen around the tree, whether decorating it with traditional and unexpected ornaments, sharing snacks, or opening presents. And Fritz gets to pick out the perfect tree: one that can be the centerpiece for his family’s celebrations, but can also make for good company when he needs some quiet time. But when Christmas is over and the tree begins to drop needles, Mom and Dad say it’s time to say good-bye. But Fritz isn’t ready to let his tree go. How can Fritz keep his Christmas tree—and the happiness gathered around it—with him all year through?
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle. The moving, lyrical tale, gloriously illustrated by P.J. Lynch, has been widely hailed as a true Christmas classic. This beautiful anniversary edition includes a new note from the author and an audio narration by James Earl Jones available as a complimentary download.
The Iliad
A strikingly illustrated retelling of Homer’s classic from the team who brought us The Odyssey—Carnegie Medalist Gillian Cross and illustrator Neil Packer.
After nine years of war between the Greeks and Trojans, tensions are heating up among men of the same faction as well as those on opposing sides. Two proud and powerful Greeks, King Agamemnon and legendary warrior Achilles, quarrel over a beautiful maiden, causing Achilles and his myrmidons to drop out of the fight. Meanwhile, fueled by rage and pride, honor and greed, soldiers on both sides—Odysseus and Patroclus for the Greeks, Paris and Hector for the Trojans—perform heroic deeds, attempting to end the war. Depicting their actions, and those of the gods they invoke, are vivid, stylistic illustrations reminiscent of Greek pottery, giving this large-format volume an extra measure of authenticity and appeal.
Jingle Bells: A Magical Cut-Paper Edition
An elegant cut-paper edition of the classic Christmas song transforms with each turn of the page and offers a spectacular pop-up finale.
Written by American songwriter James Lord Pierpont for Sunday-school children to perform at an 1857 Thanksgiving concert, "Jingle Bells" is now an irreplaceable part of Christmas traditions around the world. Niroot Puttapipat’s exquisite cut-paper edition, with his silhouetted illustrations at once bold and delicate, follows a sleigh ride across a snowy landscape. Featuring scenes that change on every spread and a stunning 3-D pop-up at the end, this holiday keepsake captures the thrill of a winter adventure and the magic of the season.
Historium
Discover more than 160 exhibits in this virtual museum, open all hours.
Welcome to the museum! There are more than 160 historical artifacts to be discovered in Welcome to the Museum: Historium. Wander the galleries of this museum whenever you wish—it’s open 365 days a year!—and discover a collection of curated objects on every page, accompanied by informative text. Each chapter features a different ancient civilization, from the Silla dynasty of Korea to ancient Rome.
This large book was D's favorite. It is jam packed with really cool artifacts, each with a ton of information about them...a great gift for history buffs!
Candlewick Press books make great gifts and stocking stuffers!
Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
