Common Thread:  Holidays

Sub-Category 1: Christmas

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Merry Christmas Maisy	Lucy Cousins	Baby/Pre-K	Candlewick Press/October 2003	Maisy is very excited about Christmas.  She decorates the house, bakes, and buys presents for her friends.  A big celebration takes place on Christmas.
	The Night Before Christmas	Clement Moore/Robert Sabuda	4 - 8	Little Simon/October 2002	This is a pop-up book that retells the classic Christmas ryhme about how a house was the night before Christmas Day.
	A Christmas To Remember	Lauryn Silverhardt/Hot Animation	4 - 8	Simon Spotlight/October 2003	Bob's brother is coming ot visit for Christmas, and Bob can't wait.  He runs around preparing everything for his brother's arrival only to find out that his brothre misses the last boat!  His friends help the brothers find a way to be together.
	Look-Alikes Christmas:  The More You Look, the More You See!	Joan Steiner/Ogden Gigli	4 - 8	Little Brown and Company/October 2003	This is a beautiful puzzle book that is filled with tons of images for children to find.
	A Christmas Stocking Story	Hilary Knight	4 - 8	Katherine Tegen Books/September 2003	This is a funny book about how various animals' stockings get mixed up after being washed on Christmas Eve.  The animals eventually sort out Santa's gifts.

Sub-Category 2:  Halloween

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Big Pumpkin	Erica Silverman/S. D. Schindler	4 - 8	Aladdin Library/September 1995	This is a tale of how a witch decides to make a pumpkin pie, but she can't get the pumpkin off of the vine.  Several monsters and ghouls come to her aid, but it is the bat that solves the problem.
	The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything	Linda Willliams/Megan Lloyd	4 - 8	Harper Trophy/September 1988	A little old lady triumphs by using her cleverness to get rid of the crazy things chasing her.  From shoes to pumpkin heads, she finds a solution as to what to do and is scared of none of them.
	Room on the Broom	Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler	4 - 8	Dial Books for Young Readers/August 2001	A witch and her cat fly around on her broom, but pick up several passengers when she loses things such as her hat, bow, and wand.  In the end, her broom breaks, but she conjures up a roomier vehicle because she is so generous.
	Meaner Than Meanest	Kevin Somers/Diana Bluthenthal	4 - 8	Hyperion Press/September 2001	A witch tries hard to create the most evil creature around by adding all kinds of creepy ingredients to her cauldron.  In the end, a sweet little girl appears, and the witch tries everything to make her mean, but cannot succeed.
	The Hallo-Weiner	Dav Pilkey	4 - 8	Scholastic/September 1999	A little dachsund is the bunt of everyone's jokes in school, and wants nothing more than to be very scary at Halloween.  Instead, his mother makes his costume a hot dog and he gets left behind while all his classmates grab all the candy.  Eventually, his friends the cats scare all the greedy dogs into the lake, and he swims to their rescue, becoming a hero.

Sub-Category 3:  Easter

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Max's Chocolate Chicken	Rosemary Wells	Baby/Pre-K	Puffin/February 2000	Max, a little rabbit, and his sister are ready to go on an egg hunt.  The prize is a chocolate chicken for whoever finds the most eggs.  His older sister finds the most and Max steals the chicken, eating it all by himself.  His sister is happy to find a chocolate duck all her own in the end.
	The Legend of the Easter Egg	Lori Walburg/James Bernardin	4 - 8	Zondervan/February 1999	A brother and sister discuss Easter right before the girl falls ill to scarlett fever.  The brother is sent to stay with candy shop owners who tell him the story of why we have Easter Eggs and how they are connected to Jesus.
	The Golden Egg	A. J. Wood/Maggie Kneen	4 - 8	Chronicle Books/March 2000	A young duck searches for a golden egg and gathers help from several friends.  She finds all kinds of eggs, but none are good enough.  She eventually finds a chocolate egg and decides that it is better than any other.
	The Berenstain Bears and the Real Easter Eggs	Stan Bernstain/Jan Berenstain	4 - 8	Random House/January 2002	Sister Bear can only think about the material parts of Easter.  Mama Bear goes about teaching Sister Bear the message of rebirth and life.
	Holly Pond Hill:  A Child's Book of Easter	Paul Kortepeter/Susan Wheeler	Baby/Pre-K	Dutton Books/ January 2002	This book celebrates the miracles of Easter throught poems.  The miracles are seen through animals and the forest.

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House, 27)	Mary Pope Osbourne/Sal Murdocca	4 - 8	Random House/September 2002	The Magic Tree House takes Jack and Annie back in time to the first Thaksgiving.  This books shows children how settlers and Indians lived.
	It's Thanksgiving	Jack Prelutsky/Marylin Hafner	4 - 8	William Morrow/October 1996	This is a book of fun poems about all aspects of Thanksgiving, from eating too much to football games.
	The Story of Thanksgiving	Nancy Skarmeas/Stacy Venturi-Pickett	Baby/Pre-K	Candy Cane Press/ Septmeber 1999	This book tells the story of the first Thanksgiving and how the Pilgrims came ot America.  It tells where they landed and how the Indians helped them learn to plant and grow food.  It shows how the Pilgrims and Indians joined together to have a feast.
	A Turkey for Thanksgiving	Eve Bunting/ Diane de Groat	4 - 8	Clarion Books/ September 1995	Mrs. Moose wants nothing more than a turkey at her Thanksgiving dinner, so her husband sets out to find her one.  He has help from some of the dinner guests.  The turkey, and readers, are glad to find out that she wants the turkey as a guest, and not as the main course.
	The Night Before Thanksgiving (Reading Railroad Books)	Natasha Wing/Tammie Lyon	4 - 8	Grosset and Dunlap/August 2001	This book tells of everyones favorite things about Thanksgiving, from preparing the feast to family fun.

Sub-Category 5:  Valentine's Day

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine	Barbara Park/Denise Brunkus	4 - 8	Random House/ December 1999	Junie B. is excited about "Valentime's" Day and wonders what she will get.  She receives a big card from a secret admirer and she searches to find out who it could be.
	Sergeant Sniff's Secret Valentine Mystery	Julie Durell	Baby/Pre-K	HarperFestival/December 2000	Sergeant Sniff has a secret admirer and wants to find out who is doing so many nice things for her.  Reader's can sniff out the scent on each page to try and help decide who the secret admirer is on Valentine's Day.
	Biscuit's Valentine's Day	Alyssa Satin Capucilli/Pat Schories	Baby/Pre-K	HarperFestival/December 2000	Biscuit and a little girl have to make a lot of special to deliveries on Valentine's Day to some very special people.  The little girl wants to show Biscuit just how much she loves him and does so in a very special way.
	The Legend of the Valentine	Katherine Grace Bond/Don Tate	4 - 8	Zondervan/January 2002	Marcus, a boy in a newly desegregated school, learns a lesson of forgiveness through the story of St. Valentine.  He uses St. Valentine as a model to get rid of the hate in his classroom.
	Little Angels' Alphabet of Love	Joan Walsh Anglund/Kohn Walsh	4 - 8	Simon and Schuster/January 2003	Valentine angels illustrate each letter of the alphabet with kind and caring words.