Christmas/Navidad

K-Gr 1—These bilingual overviews of the holidays for beginning readers combine single lines of text in English and Spanish with stock photos of children celebrating the season. The short sentences primarily describe typical activities, yet neither book mentions the historical or religious origins of the holidays. For example, Christmas discusses meeting Santa, making cards, and singing songs. Readers learn that "Jingle Bells" was once considered a Thanksgiving song, yule logs originated in France, and Christmas trees began in Germany. In Hanukkah, families are shown lighting menorahs, eating latkes, and playing dreidel. For children completely unfamiliar with the holiday, the English text actually provides less information than the Spanish, e.g., "You can win gelt./Puedes ganar 'guelt,' o dinero de Janucá." Strictly additional purchases.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library