Holiday Arts Guide: Picture books for kids -- Mittens, dogs, an interrupting chicken and a farting troll

Nov. 27—Who's on the top of your gift list? Bet it's the kids. So here's a roundup of picture books that blend text and illustrations in ways the little ones will enjoy. No need to remind you why books are such good gifts, but we'll do it anyway. Books don't break, they don't need batteries, they aren't forgotten a week later, they teach and bring laughter, and some will be cherished to give to the next generation. Don't forget to write a little note on the inside of that special one.

CHRISTMAS THEMES

"If You Want to Knit Some Mittens" by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Angela Matteson (Boyds Mill Press, $17.99)

This isn't exactly a Christmas book, but mittens are often a holiday gift so, we'll include St. Paul author Salas in this section. In this delightful book, half "how-to" and half story, a girl shows us the 18 steps to creating mittens, from keeping her friend, Sheep, warm during the winter, then giving Sheep "... a neat, complete buzz cut." The girl cleans and cards the fleece and spins it into yarn, dyes it and learns to knit, always with Sheep by her side creating havoc. In the end, the girl has bright yellow mittens and Sheep has a sunny yellow hat. Funny and interesting, this is a winner.

"Jan Brett's the Nutcracker" (Putnam, $18.99)

Fans of Jan Brett will not be disappointed in her beautiful retelling of E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story of a girl on the cusp of womanhood and her dream of a Prince. Brett, who loves snowy landscapes, sets the story in 19th-century Russia, with animal musicians, hedgehogs doing the Dance of the Flowers, and Marie riding in a sleigh drawn by reindeer musicians. As in all her books, Brett fills every page with illustrations so lush and detailed it will take hours of bedtime fun to identify every creature. This may be her best yet.

"The Biggest Little Boy" by CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki (Viking, $17.99)

In her picture book debut, Minnesota-born Harlow introduces us to a little boy who feels small in the big city. He loves big things, and he especially wants a big, big Christmas tree. When his parents take him to the tree lot (white dad, Black mom), he stumbles over a skinny little tree with few branches. "Luca smiled at the tree. And the tree/seemed to smile back ... You see, Luca had been so busy/looking up that he had missed the/special things right in front of him. Special came in every size." Kaulitzki's illustrations capture the energy of urban living, and Lucas, with his oversized glasses, is endearing. There's also a smiling spaniel on almost every page who isn't acknowledged, but is clearly the boy's best friend.

"The Christmas Tree Story" by Danny Mishek, illustrated by Megan Shumway (Mill City Press, $20.99)

This story about choosing and decorating a holiday tree is the Little Canada-based author's COVID-19 project, after he gave up social media for 31 days as a New Year's resolution. Told in rhyme, it traces families' experiences with a tree, from going to the lot (or opening the box), through getting out beloved decorations and topping the tree with an angel or star. This story will resonate with little ones old enough to remember past Christmases and the magic of finally turning on the tree lights: "The tree in the window or corner of the room/Can fill the heart full, the entire body consumed./Fancy or mismatched, whatever it may be/Or Grandma Elva's charming Charlie Brown tree."

"Farting Four-Toed Troll, Christmas Troll" by Lavelle Carlson, illustrated by Donna Day Mathis (Self-published, $12.95)

LaVelle Carlson, a speech/language pathologist, lives in Texas. Her husband, whose roots are in Norway, grew up in Minneapolis. She says she wrote this slim softcover as a tribute to her daughters, who lived in Norway and loved the Christmas troll. Carlson reimagines the legend of the Norwegian Christmas troll, Jule Nissen, who traditionally feeds the animals at Christmas. The original Jule Nissen, who steals porridge from the family, farts so loud as he leaves he wakes up father and mother and spills porridge on the floor. The next morning the parents see four-toed footprints in the snow and know Jule Nissen was there taking food for the animals. "The farmer's wife was happy that the animals were happy. She decided that next year at Christmas (and all Christmases forevermore) she would make an extra pot of rice porridge for the Jule Nissen." That's why, to this day, Norwegian families eat porridge at Christmas with an almond in the bowl. If you are the lucky one to get the nut, you win a prize. (For buying information go to: slpstorytellers.com).

"Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast" by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick Press, $17.99)

David Ezra Stein won the Caldecott Honor for "Interrupting Chicken." Now he's back with the little red chicken, who wakes up with cookies on the brain, and his dad, who just wants to go back to sleep. The little guy distracts himself with nursery rhymes, all of which lead back to cookies, including There Was an Old Woman, who, he asks, "Why do you live in a shoe? Isn't it stinky?" She replies, "Not when I bake cookies." This goofy, longish story is perfect bedtime reading. This isn't a Christmas book, but chicken and his dad wear red, Santa-like hats, so we'll consider it a holiday story.

OTHERS BY MINNESOTA WRITERS/ILLUSTRATORS

"Little Loon Finds His Voice" by Yvonne Pearson, pictures by Regina Shklovsky (The Collective Book Studio, $17.95)

Yvonne Pearson, who lives in Minneapolis, has written more than a dozen children's books and is a published poet. "Little Loon..." is one of the prettiest books of the season, a blend of text and illustrations that tell the story of a little loon who is protected by his mother while his father's loud, strong call can be heard across the lake. Little Loon eats the dragonflies his father brings him, and eventually the baby grows up and his call is as strong as his father's. The un-cluttered illustrations showing the loon family are accurate and charming, as is the story. An information page at the back of the book explains those haunting loon calls and gives some loon facts, such as eagles being a threat to baby loons (which is in the story). Children who've spent time "up north" will recognize the chilling cry of one of our favorite birds.

"See the Dog: Three Stories Abut a Cat" by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka (Candlewick Press, $11.99)

These Minnesota partners won the American Library Association Geisel Award for their previous book, "See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog." Now, they are back with roles reversed. The dog is sick, so he asks the cat to take his place in the book. Things don't go well for Cat. In the first story, the cat is supposed to dig a hole, as dogs do, but he doesn't want to get his fur dirty. In the second story, he's supposed to swim across the lake, when he imagines he's freezing, drowning, and being eaten by a shark, only to find that he's in a little puddle. In the third story, he's frantically trying to save a sheep from a wolf until he realizes it's the dog, who's recovered. "Hello book," the dog says. And the cat goes away to get much-needed rest. These books are meta-fiction, in which the book becomes a character and the characters can control the action. But little ones don't have to know all that lit-crit stuff. They will just love a funny story with loopy illustrations.

"Grandmother's Pigeon" by Louise Erdrich, illustrations by Jim LaMarche (University of Minnesota Press, #$17.95)

First published in 1996, there is mystery, magic and a little environmentalism in this story of a Grandmother who's a healer and hops a porpoise to travel to Greenland. Her puzzled family, including a granddaughter and grandson, are perplexed when one of Grandmother's bird's nest collections holds three eggs that are hatching. To everyone's surprise, the chicks are passenger pigeons, thought to be extinct since the last one died in a zoo in 1914. The ornithologist the family calls says it's "impossible' yet, there are three chirping baby passenger pigeons thriving under Mother's care. The family is besieged by the press and others excited about the reappearance of these birds. When the chicks are old enough to leave, their eyes dull and they seem sad in captivity. Father says they should be set free and they are, even though some people said they should be kept to study. The children put messages on the birds' wings and later one returns with a message from Grandmother, telling them she'd be home soon and was delayed because "I had to change porpoises three times and catch a whale." What fun.

"Basho's Haiku Journeys" text by Freeman Ng, illustrations by Cassandra Rockwood Ghanem (Stone Bridge Press, $16.95)

Matsuo Basho, the first great haiku poet, gave up his comfortable city existence to make five famous journeys across the length and breadth of 17th-century Japan. Author Ng, a poet and digital artist as well as a former Google software engineer, writes this biography of Basho entirely in haiku. His other books include "Haiku Diem 1" a collection of the best haiku from the first year of his daily haiku writing, illustrated with his own digital art. Ng writes that Basho is credited with transforming the haiku into a serious poetic genre. He elevated the haiku, which was more of a literary parlor game, into a legitimate standalone poem that could be written solely for art's sake. For older children who are inquisitive about writing and other cultures, this would be a good beginning with help from parents and teachers.

STOCKING STUFFERS

"The Four Stones" by Theresa Klug Murray (Kirk House, $14.95)

In this slim paperback from a Christian publisher, The Creator bestows four stones on little birds Chip and Peep, representing Joy, Hope, Strength/Determination/Courage and Love. Each is a different color. When Chip breathes his last, the forest creatures learn about the love of the Creator. Lovely illustrations are on left-side pages, with text on the right. The author lives in Prescott, Wis., near enough to be an honorary Minnesotan.

"Oh, the Things Fiona Can Do!" by Renee Bade (Page Publishing, $13.95)

Fiona is a spirited flamingo who can stand on one leg, twirl like a ballerina, wears pink and never blue. "Can You?" asks the rhyming text. The author, who lives in St. Paul, hopes this is the beginning of a series in which Fiona wakes up in a new place in each new book.

"What? I'm a Dog?" by Mary Clare Lockman, illustrated by Brittany Stafford (Self-published, $8.95)

Maxx doesn't know he's a dog because he is so loved by his family. He has a special place to eat, a bed in which to snuggle. When he's with his kids he's vigilant, keeping them from being stung by a bee and saving a child from a sledding accident. He's so wonderful the kids give him a trophy for being the Greatest Dog in the World. Illustrations catch Maxx's enthusiasm for life, jumping, running, being a dog. (To order, email: mcl1492@gmail.com.)