Archives for December 16, 2025

CHRISTMAS IS COMING TO TOWN! by Freya Hartas (ISBN: 9781419779664; Ages: 3-8)Count down to Christmas with Bear and his woodland friends in this spectacular advent calendar book with surprises hidden under 24 doors, holiday activities to enjoy as a family (baking carrot oat bars for Rudolph, building a snowdeer, and more) and a magical accordion-style fold-out to display. Readers will join Bear and friends as they prepare for the holidays, opening a new flap each day to reveal a sweet illustration and verse about the animals of Brown Bear Wood. A truly magical holiday awaits!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, LITTLE RED PANDA by Amanda Wood, illustrated by Bec Winnel and Vikki Chu (On sale January 6; ISBN: 9781419779671; Ages 1-5)

• Join Little Red Panda as he learns about all the fun to be had on Chinese New Year with Nai Nai. What could top hanging up a glowing lantern, receiving a special red packet, and enjoying a bowl of long noodles? Listen! It’s dancing dragons stamping the ground. And look! There are fireworks lighting up the sky. It’s a Chinese New Year Little Red Panda and his grandmother will never forget. Watercolor illustrations paired with sweet photos of a real red panda bring the story to life on every page.

HANUKKAH 1-2-3! by Joy Nelkin Wieder, illustrated by Aura Lewis ( ISBN: 9781419776182; Ages 0-4) Learning to count is as easy as 1, 2, 3 in this unique board book celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah! From opening one gift to lighting two menorah candles, and from frying three latkes all the way to ten people singing a round, young readers will grasp how to count as they learn about the Festival of Lights! 

A Book Lover’s Sticker Book

The perfect pairing with A Plant Lover’s Sticker book, these 450+ hand-painted stickers will delight bookworms.

 9781523527601 / $15.00 USD.

Choose from hundreds of one-of-a-kind bookish illustrations to decorate your notebooks, stationery, and everyday items, transforming anything into an oasis of color and delight. The perfect pairing with A Plant Lover’s Sticker Book.

Create holiday sticker paintings in a fun mess-free activity book.

Christmas: 9781523506750 Holly Jolly: 9781523518562

$10.99 each and perfect for ages 5-7.

This book is the ultimate tween/teen hangout companion. Get together with your friends at sleepovers or anywhere you can talk about your crushes in private. Read each crush flavor to determine which types of crushes you and your friends have. Or read alone if your crush is too secret to share! After using the dictionary to classify your crushes, follow the recipes to make a delicious milkshakes for each person’s crush.

A fully illustrated humor and recipe book for ages 8-14. Designed for pre-teens, this colorful book defines different types of crushes by comparing them to dessert flavors. This illustrated nonfiction book taps into the humor and emotional rollercoaster of middle-grade lifestyle, appealing to young fans of Raina Telgemeier books like Drama and Guts. This playful crush guide invites readers to explore their feelings, open up with friends, and create lasting connections, all while enjoying fun milkshake recipes.

This is such a fun book! I love the recipes!

About the Author: Brianna Daus is a children’s book author and illustrator based in Leesburg, VA. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her previous work includes Mommy, What is Confidence? by Shal Chirkut, and Little Bella’s Nighttime Wonderland by Joy Fernandez. Brianna has also written, illustrated, and self-published Appleblossom and The Lion, which was highly praised by Kirkus Reviews.  

To learn more visit: briannadausbooks.com

Follow: @thecrushdictionary

The Art Lover’s Sticker Book

Experience the fascinating world of art with these stickers depicting beautiful images throughout history.

9781523525072 / $25.00 USD
The Art Lover’s Sticker Book is an appealing and sophisticated gift for all ages. Featuring 350 diverse stickers of historical art from “Frills and Fringe” to “Flora and Fauna,” there are themes to suit every art-lover’s palate. Equally tempting to flip through as an art book and to peel off the images for decoration, you might just need two!

Combine the fun of stickers with creativity by designing over 500 adorably unique stickers! Even adults will have fun with this one!

$12.99 and perfect for ages 7+.

Nothing is more synonymous with Christmas music than Pentatonix—the multi-platinum acapella group is the most-listened to musical act of the holiday season. Now, co-founder Scott Hoying is teaming up with his husband Mark Hoying to funnel that holiday spirit into a picture book: FA LA LA FAMILY (ages 4-8) is an ode to the diverse ways families celebrate Christmas, featuring text that doubles as lyrics to a new, original song by the Hoyings.

NORTH FOR THE WINTER (ages 8-12), is a heartwarming graphic novel about a girl who must return one of Santa’s reindeer to the North Pole before Christmas written and illustrated by celebrated Pixar animator Bobby Podesta. (Cars, Toy Story 3, Soul) 

CHRISTMAS TOGETHER WITH POLAR BEAR AND FRIENDS (ages 3-6) invites readers to join the beloved character from the perennial classic Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and a mix of old and new friends in a heartwarming adventure filled with festive gatherings, sweet treats, and the beautiful sounds of holiday cheer. Drawing inspiration from the original title, CHRISTMAS TOGETHER creates a sensory-rich narrative that emphasizes the sounds of the winter holiday — the crunch of the snow under Polar Bear’s paw, wind whipping by, the hush of snow falling, arctic animal sounds, and more! This one is a must for younger kids but actually for all Eric Carle fans! I love it!

Drawing Dinosaurs by Brian Vitocruz
October 2025, $19.95, Ulysses Books for Young Readers
Ages 9+
Learn how to accurately draw your favorite dinosaurs, with this full-color drawing guide filled with realistic step-by-step instructions and fun facts about T. rexes, stegosauruses, triceratops, and more.

Jurassic Girl by Michele C. Hollow
September 2024, $14.95, Ulysses Books for Young Readers
Ages 8-12
Perfect for children interested in learning about dinosaurs, fossils, and women in STEM, this historical fiction book for children explores the fascinating life of 12-year-old Mary Anning, a fossil hunter who would grow up to be a famous paleontologist.

Bumbleberry Hollows Coloring Book by Faith Varvara
May 2025, $15.95, Ulysses Press
Ages 5+
Unleash your creativity and de-stress while coloring whimsical dreamscapes, cute chibi creatures, and adorable scenes from popular Instagram artist @faithvarvara of Trendy Not shop and the Bumbleberry Hollows family of characters.

The Unofficial Christmas Movie Coloring Book by Valentin Ramon
September 2025, $16.95, Ulysses Press
Ages 9+
Cozy up next to the fire, grab your favorite coloring tools, and relax into the holidays by coloring your way through scenes from the very best cult-classic Christmas movies.

The 90s are back, baby! This mess-free paint-by-sticker format is the ideal craft to relax, unwind, and relive all your favorite 90s moments, from Beanie Babies to the Spice Girls. Best. Decade. Ever.

Anyone who grew up during the 90’s will absolutely love this book! Can be found on Amazon.com so you can get it rather quickly for the holidays!

This is a delightful and beautifully illustrated Sticker book for any fan of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. There are even bonus pages of mini nail stickers! Illustrated by Brooke O’Neill. Retails for $9.99 and perfect for ages 7+.

And if you are looking for a cool calendar….Workman Publishing has you covered!

Workman Publishing has some great calendars for the New Year! You are sure to find one (or more) for anyone on your gift shopping list. They have such a wonderful variety! Find them all here. I like that they have so many to choose from!

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this holiday featured post. Cover images were also provided.