We've asked prominent children's authors and illustrators to share their favorite holiday book or memory. Below are the responses form Bruce Colville, Bernard Most, Mary Lankford, Steven Kroll, and Todd Strasser. You'll find part one, with stories from Lois Lowry, Robert Sabuda, Kim Siegelson, Maryann Kovalski, and Alex Flinn, here.

Author Bruce Coville

In 1974, John Henry Faulk—who will forever be distinguished for his brave legal battle against the McCarthy-era blacklist as detailed in his book Fear On Trial (Univ. of Texas, 1983)—recorded a gentle story for NPR, a tale about meeting a barefoot boy on a Texas road on Christmas morning. Faulk died in 1990. NPR brought the story out from the vaults in 1994, and it has been a perennial ever since, played by popular demand every year at Christmastime (and, happily, also available for downloading on their Web site). In about ten minutes Faulk's gentle delivery and growly, gravelly voice transport you to a moment when Christmas is celebrated in its truest form. It's about poor folk (as, of course, was the first Christmas story), but it doesn't glorify poverty. It's about interracial harmony, but doesn't stress the point. It's mostly about human hearts opening to the joy of fellowship and sharing. And though there is no magic, no Santa Claus appearing down a chimney, by the time the story is over, your heart is warm with the miracle of what Christmas is really all about. It's a little gem, and perfect for sharing with people you love.

Illustrator Bernard Most

One of my memories about the holidays goes back to when I was in the fourth grade and dreaming about becoming an artist. Just before the holidays, my teacher hung a picture over the blackboard painted by a friend of hers. The painting was of Santa Claus and his reindeers on top of a house. I thought it was wonderful and tried to draw it many, many times. My drawings were not very good, but I kept trying. I've been telling children (and adults) for years that my desire to be an artist was greater than any talent that I ever had. I'm a big believer in "persistence" and following your dreams. When I was working on a two-page spread for Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs? (Harcourt, 1984), I kept thinking about that painting hanging over the blackboard. I'm still working on my dreams.

Author/Educator Mary Lankford

My latest book Christmas USA (HarperCollins, 2006) includes in the introduction some of my Christmas memories from childhood. In rereading the introduction I see that I failed to mention any books. Shame on me. One of my favorite books was The Little Engine That Could. I always thought of it as a Christmas book because the train was carrying toys to the children on the other side of the mountain. Most people comment on the "Time Line of Toys," which I included in the book. It was fascinating research to learn which toys were introduced on which date. I also encourage kids to start their own time line and record what gifts they receive this year, and continue to add to it. We tried all the recipes that are included in the book. My son, who lives in Washington, had never heard of cascarones, one of the crafts. He thought it was horrible to think of cracking a confetti-filled egg on the back of someone's head and watch the confetti fall into their shirt.

Author Steven Kroll

I just don't have a favorite holiday story, though you may remember my Christmas book from last year, Pooch On the Loose, A Christmas Adventure (Marshall Cavendish, 2005). That, of course, is a wonderful favorite, first because it's about an adorable Norwich terrier named Bart who runs away from his owner at Christmastime only to discover that it's better to be loved than to be out seeing the sights, and second because all the sights of New York at Christmas are there and the book becomes a kind of ode to the city—my city, the city where I grew up—at that time of year. My favorite moments: Bart dancing with the Rockettes, Bart coming home and realizing, "Freedom is good, but Max is BEST!"

Author Todd Strasser

Lurking beneath the rambunctiously comedic surface of Home Alone are two priceless and enduring messages: one about the value of self-reliance, and the other about the importance of family. These may not be the first things we think of when we recall that wonderful movie, but they are the foundation upon which John Hughes built his personal Christmas classic.