Popular Gift Ideas (December Holiday Deals)

Christmas Gift Ideas

  • Windows 7 Netbooks Under Starting $350: Find the biggest selection of netbooks with Windows 7 Starter in the Amazon.com netbooks store.
  • Blu-ray Players Under $200: The high-def experience doesn’t have to be expensive. Amazon.com has Blu-ray players from brands such as LG, Samsung, and Sony with prices below $200.
  • Great savings on new cutting-edge HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer: The world’s first web-connected home printer powered by touch. Quickly print movie tickets, maps, coupons, lab-quality photos and more. All without a computer and now at a very low price.
  • Movies & TV Gift and Boxed Set Sale : To find that last minute gift without breaking the bank, shop our Movies & TV Gift and Boxed Set Sale with savings of up to 60% off select DVD and Blu-ray, from Dec. 2 – Dec. 22, 2009 while supplies last.
  • Up to 40% Off Kitchen & Home Gifts: Save up to 40% on perfect gift for everyone on your list, from the Master Chef to the Home Decorator to the One Who Has It All. Plus, check out our editor’s picks to discover the hottest gifts this season.
  • Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device: 6” E-ink® Display with Global Wireless: Kindle is Amazon’s most wished for, most gifted and #1 bestselling product. This year, give them what they really want and have it delivered in time for the holidays!
  • Top Holiday Deals & Frustration-Free Packaging in Toys: Shop our top holiday deals in Toys and find great savings on toys, games, puzzles, and more. Also save on toys in Frustration-Free Packaging. Say no to wrap rage- Amazon.com is now offering over 100 bestselling toys, electronics, and household items in easy-to-open Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging. They’re the same great products at the same great prices–just less packaging.
  • Bestselling AT&T Phones from $.01 : Check out the incredible prices on AT&T devices. Upgrade to bestsellers like the BlackBerry Curve 8900 or the LG Xenon GR500 Phone for only a penny (with new service plan).
  • Extra Discounts on Magazine Subscriptions: Magazines make great gifts, and during December some are as low as $5 after instant discounts including Disney FamilyFun, Redbook, Country Living and more.
  • Save over 30% off the Canon PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo Printer: While supplies last, get the Canon PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo Printer for only $169.99—that’s over 30% off! The rugged, compact iP100 Mobile Printer delivers remarkable quality and print-anywhere portability.
  • Diamond Stud Earrings- Best Deals of the Season: ‘Tis the season for diamond studs. For a limited time, shop our best prices of the season on select diamond stud earrings sold by Amazon.com –up to 70% off, plus Free One-Day Shipping and special six-month financing.
  • Video Games- 18 Days, 18 Deals: Now is the time of year when anticipation builds more with each passing day. It’s also the time of year when Amazon Video Games has scores of fantastic deals happening all at once. There is no better way to celebrate the season than with a mashup of daily anticipation and fabulous deals! Starting Tuesday, December 1 and continuing for 18 consecutive days, Amazon Video Games will be featuring one new, terrific deal for your gaming pleasure. Quantities will be limited!

The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind

The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the MindRating: Rated 4.5 stars (20 reviews)
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
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Product Description

This boxed set contains Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind

 

Ender’s Game

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

 

Speaker for the Dead

 

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens’ ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth.

Xenocide

The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright.

On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and Pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.

Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the Pequeninos require in order to become adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, a second xenocide seems inevitable.

 

Children of the Mind

 

The planet Lusitania is home to three sentient species: the Pequeninos; a large colony of humans; and the Hive Queen, brought there by Ender. But once against the human race has grown fearful; the Starways Congress has gathered a fleet to destroy Lusitania.

Jane, the evolved computer intelligence, can save the three sentient races of Lusitania. She has learned how to move ships outside the universe, and then instantly back to a different world, abolishing the light-speed limit. But it takes all the processing power available to her, and the Starways Congress is shutting down the Net, world by world.

Soon Jane will not be able to move the ships. Ender’s children must save her if they are to save themselves.

Along for the Ride

Along for the RideRating: Rated 4.5 stars (67 reviews)
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
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Product Description
It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

Legend of the Christmas Stocking

Legend of the Christmas StockingRating: Rated 5.0 stars (4 reviews)
Author: Rick Osborne
Publisher: Zonderkidz
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Product Description
A wonderful tale for Christmas about the origin of the hanging and filling of Christmas stockings. This story has universal appeal across the world.

Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise

Horrible Harry and the Christmas SurpriseRating: Rated 4.5 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Suzy Kline
Publisher: Puffin
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Product Description
It’s Christmastime, but with Miss Mackle in the hospital, no one feels much like celebrating. Maybe Harry can think of a way to cheer up Miss Mackle and put the holiday spirit back in Room 2B.

Christmas Sticker Dolly Dressing (Usborne Activities)

Christmas Sticker Dolly Dressing (Usborne Activities)Rating: Rated 4.0 stars (4 reviews)
Author: Catriona Clarke
Publisher: Usborne Books
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A Memory of Christmas Tea

A Memory of Christmas TeaRating: Rated 5.0 stars (5 reviews)
Author: Tom Hegg
Publisher: Waldman House Press
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Product Description
On a lonely Christmas a nephew remembers his beloved great-aunt and realizes the value of her legacy, a message of advice revealing the true spirit of the season.

The Princess and the Kiss: The Three Gifts of Christmas

The Princess and the Kiss: The Three Gifts of ChristmasRating: Rated 4.5 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Jennie Bishop
Publisher: Warner Press
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Goose on the Loose (Phonics Board Books)

Goose on the Loose (Phonics Board Books)Rating: Rated 5.0 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Phil Roxbee Cox
Publisher: Usborne Books
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Product Description
This illustrated easy reader blends a phonic-based text with a funny story and is designed to help children crack the reading code with ease.

It’s Time to Sleep, My Love

It's Time to Sleep, My LoveRating: Rated 4.5 stars (12 reviews)
Author: Nancy Tillman
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
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Product Description

It’s time to sleep, it’s time to sleep,

the fishes croon in waters deep.

The songbirds sing in trees above,

“It’s time to sleep, my love, my love.”

As children prepare for bed, the world around them is also settling down for the night. Animals who live in the jungle, the forest, the sea—all whisper to their babies a soft refrain: It’s time to sleep, my love.

As comforting as a soft blanket and warm as a goodnight hug, Eric Metaxas’s lullaby is lovingly brought to life by bestselling artist Nancy Tillman  (On the Night You Were Born) , whose illustrations celebrate the wonders of the natural world, and the bonds of family.

Amazon.com Review
Bestselling children’s writer and illustrator Nancy Tillman creates a comforting bedtime story with gorgeous illustrations of animals settling down for the night. Like all of Tillman’s children’s books, It’s Time to Sleep, My Love ends with the words, “You are loved.”

Take a Look Inside (Click on any image to enlarge)


“Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!”

"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (60 reviews)
Author: Patricia Thomas
Publisher: HarperCollins
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Product Description
The last time the elephant sneezed, he blew monkeys out of the trees, stripes off the zebra, and spots off the leopard. This rollicking new edition of the favorite nonsense verse again shows the panic that follows the elephant’s dreaded announcement.

What Makes You Giggle? (Sesame Street (Dalmatian Press))

What Makes You Giggle? (Sesame Street (Dalmatian Press))Rating: Rated 4.0 stars (3 reviews)
Author: P. J. Shaw
Publisher: Dalmatian Press
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The Story of Abraham Lincoln

The Story of Abraham LincolnRating: Rated 5.0 stars (1 reviews)
Author: Patricia A. Pingry
Publisher: Candy Cane Press
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Product Description
Through simple words and illustrations a young child can meet Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. The story introduces the most memorable events of Lincoln’s life; his childhood in Indiana, his leadership during the Civil War, and his writing of the Emancipation Proclamations. Bright watercolors illustrate the 200 word story, and the heavy pages of this board book provide durable construction.

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow

The Jacket I Wear in the SnowRating: Rated 4.5 stars (4 reviews)
Author: Shirley Neitzel
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
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Product Description

Rhyme follows rhyme as layer after layer of winter clothing (“bunchy and hot, wrinkled a lot, stiff in the knee, and too big for me!”) is first put on and then taken off to the relief of the child bundled inside. Clever rebuses and jaunty illustrations make The Jacket I Wear in the Snow especially fun for prereaders and new readers.

The Best Christmas Present in the World

The Best Christmas Present in the WorldAuthor: Michael Morpurgo
Publisher: Egmont UK
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Product Description
A classic Christmas story in an irresistible format, from the best-selling author/illustrator team, Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman.

Evan Brain’s Christmas List and Other Shenanigans: Boy Warrior Fights Evil

Evan Brain's Christmas List and Other Shenanigans: Boy Warrior Fights EvilRating: Rated 5.0 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Eve Becker-Doyle
Publisher: Becker Doyle & Assoc Publishing
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Product Description
Book 2 of the Evan Brain series has been named a 2009 DIY Hollywood Book Festival honoree and medal winner in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards! Sassy sequel Evan Brain s Christmas List and Other Shenanigans is flypaper for kids who hate to read. Reluctant and non-readers simply can t resist the book. Evan s mother recounts real life incidents – when Evan fires off a disgruntled letter to the tooth fairy, figures Mensa members shun broken fish, wonders if his cousin with the neck scar had a head transplant, considers a veterinarian for his next doctor visit, declares he needs a tattoo of Calvin and concocts a one-of-a-kind Christmas list. Never constrained by reality, Evan, 15, depicts his side of the story as fantasy: boy warrior s epic battle to defeat the forces of evil.

Nine Days to Christmas (Viking Kestrel picture books)

Rating: Rated 5.0 stars (4 reviews)
Author: Marie Hall Ets
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
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Product Description
Published over 30 years ago, Nine Days to Christmas remains fresh and relevant. Ceci’s first Christmas posada party and pinata have made her Mexican town come alive for generations of readers. “The youngest child will be completely transported by this lovely story”.–The Atlantic. Three-color illustrations.

A Christmas Carol (The Kings Treasuries of Literature)

Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.
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Fisherman’s Night Before Christmas, A (Night Before Christmas (Gibbs))

Fisherman's Night Before Christmas, A (Night Before Christmas (Gibbs))Rating: Rated 4.0 stars (1 reviews)
Author: Sue Carabine
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
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Product Description
Santa doesn’t know lures from bait, so some fishermen gather to help him this Christmas Eve.

The Oxford Bookworms Library: A Christmas Carol Level 3 (Oxford Bookworms Library, Stage 3)

The Oxford Bookworms Library: A Christmas Carol Level 3 (Oxford Bookworms Library, Stage 3)Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
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Product Description
Christmas is humbug, Scrooge says. The only thing that matters to Scrooge is business, and making money. But on Christmas Eve three spirits come to visit him. They take him traveling on the wings of the night to see the shadows of Christmas past, present, and future – and Scrooge learns a lesson that he will never forget

Essential Dickens CD: Christmas Carol, A (Caedmon Essentials)

Essential Dickens CD: Christmas Carol, A (Caedmon Essentials)Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (3 reviews)
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Caedmon
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Product Description

Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, in a full cast dramatization, on CD for the first time!

As much a part of Christmas as mistletoe, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol warms the heart of listeners with its tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge.

This enchanting, full-cast recording brings Dickens’ London to life on a Christmas Eve when Mr. Scrooge, who loves money more than people, is visited by his old, dead business partner Marley and three Ghosts who show him Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.

Through the fine characterizations of acclaimed actors led by Sir Ralph Richardson and Paul Scofield, Scrooge’s journey through his life and the lives of those around him charms and delights the listener as he, and they, learn the true meaning of Christmas.

Nonesuch Dickens: 6 Book Set: Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Christmas Books, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby and Hard Times

Nonesuch Dickens: 6 Book Set: Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Christmas Books, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby and Hard TimesRating: Rated 5.0 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Overlook Hardcover
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Product Description
The essential collector’s Dickens, based on the world-famous Nonesuch Press edition of 1937

The text in these stunning volumes is taken from the 1867 Chapman and Hall edition, which became known as the Charles Dickens edition and was the last edition to be corrected by the author himself. The Nonesuch edition contains full-color illustrations selected by Dickens himself, by artists including Hablot Knight Browne (“Phiz”), George Cruikshank, John Leech, Robert Seymour, and George Cattermole.

The Nonesuch Dickens reproduces the original elegance of these beautiful editions. Books are printed on natural cream-shade high quality stock, quarter bound in bonded leather with cloth sides, include a ribbon marker, and feature special printed endpapers. Each volume is wrapped in a protective, clear acetate jacket.

The six-volume set contains Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Christmas Books, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations together with Hard Times.

“No more handsome edition of Dickens has yet appeared, nor is it easy to conceive of any which might surpass this one.” –The Scotsman

Baby Jesus is Here!: A Really Woolly & Friends Christmas Story (Really Woolly Series)

Baby Jesus is Here!: A Really Woolly & Friends Christmas Story (Really Woolly Series)Rating: Rated 4.0 stars (1 reviews)
Author: Thomas Nelson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
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Product Description
The really cute, really popular Really WoollyTM series presents its latest: a heartwarming story that proclaims, “Baby Jesus is Here!” This adorable little board book features a die-cut cover and woolly little lambs for kids to touch and feel. Share the amazing story of the very first Christmas in this engaging format that tells the story through the experience of the animals in a sweet and simple language for your little ones.

Rocking Horse Christmas (bkshelf) (Bookshelf)

Rocking Horse Christmas (bkshelf) (Bookshelf)Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
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Product Description

Category: HolidayOne Christmas morning, a boy finds a rocking horse under his tree. When he climbs on his back, they ride off on the most wondrous adventures–jousting with knights and capturing outlaws. But as the years go by & the boy outgrows his favorite childhood friend, the rocking horse is stowed in the attic with other old toys. Faithfully the rocking horse waits, hoping his boy will return. Years later, on another Christmas, another little boy (whose father had ridden the rocking horse) discovers the enchanted horse, and off they ride on adventures beyond imagination.

The Bears’ Christmas

The Bears' ChristmasRating: Rated 4.5 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Stan Berenstain
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
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Product Description
There’s a whole lot to learn one Christmas morning in Bear Country when Papa Bear teaches his son a thing or two about skiing, skating, and sledding.

The Shine Man: A Christmas Story

The Shine Man: A Christmas StoryRating: Rated 5.0 stars (4 reviews)
Author: Mary Quattlebaum
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
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Product Description
During the hard times of 1932, a poor shoe shine man gives a child his cap, gloves, and an angel made from a spool, then receives a wonderful gift in return.

Bear’s Berry Christmas (Bear in the Big Blue House)

Bear's Berry Christmas (Bear in the Big Blue House)Rating: Rated 5.0 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Kitty Richards
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
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Product Description

Discover all the little things that make the holidays so berry special! Everyone at the Big Blue House has the holiday spirit and is having a lot of fun decorating and baking. But when Jack, a lonely stray dog, shows up, how can Bear and his friends make the holidays happy for him? Find out in this interactive book that features lots of flaps to lift!

The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas

The Bear Who Slept Through ChristmasRating: Rated 4.0 stars (1 reviews)
Author: John Barrett
Publisher: Ideals Publications
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The Christmas Cookie Case (Scooby-Doo! Picture Clue Book, No. 20)

The Christmas Cookie Case (Scooby-Doo! Picture Clue Book, No. 20)Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (3 reviews)
Author: Maria S. Barbo
Publisher: Scholastic
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Product Description

The Picture Clue books are based on the traditional “rebus Reader” – using a picture as a tool for learning a word. On the sample spread, you can see where a picture is substituted for a word. This gives a young reader a sense of pride that she is “reading” the story. All pictures and vocabulary are on flashcards at the end of the book.Scooby and the gang are at the North Pole helping Santa get ready for Christmas. Scooby and Shaggy helped bake cookies, but now they’re all gone! Who took the cookies? It looks like there’s a mystery to solve!

A Christmas Carol: In many scenes and several songs

A Christmas Carol: In many scenes and several songsAuthor: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Oberon Books
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Product Description

Using only Charles Dickens’ extraordinary words and a chameleon ensemble of eight actors, Neil Bartlett’s A Christmas Carol brings a boldly theatrical imagination to bear on a classic story.

“Gets right to the frozen heart of Dickens’ classic Christmas tale . . . one of those rare festive offerings for which no adult will need the excuse of a child in tow.”-The Guardian

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad (A Golden Look-Look Book)

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad (A Golden Look-Look Book)Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (11 reviews)
Author: Mercer Mayer
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
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Product Description
Mercer Mayer’s very popular character stars in a getting-ready- for-Christmas picture book. Little Critter approaches Christmas with the intention of being a good helper. When he makes a mistake, he has a logical explanation. He couldn’t wrap the Christmas package because the tape got too sticky. He couldn’t buy his parents a present because there were too many toys to look at. He couldn’t put up the tree lights because they were just too tangled. Little Critter means well, but every funny illustration shows him as tangled up as the Christmas lights.

A Christmas Carol and Other Stories

Author: Charles Dickens with an introduction by Karen Hesse
Publisher: Family Reading Guide
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Product Description
A Christmas Carol and Other Stories.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Spanish Edition)

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Spanish Edition)Author: CHARLES DICKENS
Publisher: YOYO USA
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Product Description
The unforgettable story of a miser that is visited in christmas by ghosts he has forgotten, is one of those eternal works that astonish whenever they are read.

A Christmas Carol (Books of Wonder)

A Christmas Carol (Books of Wonder)Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: HarperCollins
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Product Description
Afterword by Peter Glassman. Here is the condensed version of the holiday classic, as edited by Dickens himself for his many public readings. This delightful version, streamlined for maximum dramatic effect yet retaining all the unforgettable moments, features twenty-one magnificent color pictures by the celebrated New Yorker artist. A Books of Wonder Classic.

Cranberry Christmas

Cranberry ChristmasRating: Rated 5.0 stars (3 reviews)
Author: Wende Devlin
Publisher: Aladdin
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Product Description

Old Cyrus Grape doesn’t like children. And he insists that the skating pond is his. Mr. Whiskers knows this isn’t true, but since he can’t prove it, there’ll be no skating…not even on Christmas Day!

That is…unless cleaning Mr. Whiskers’ house uncovers some important information.

Care Bears Catch the Christmas Spirt!

Care Bears Catch the Christmas Spirt!Author: Katie Tait
Publisher: Scholastic
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Product Description

The Care Bears try to help Grumpy Bear find his Christmas spirit.Children will love to read about these adorable bears and learn about their special caring mission as the Care Bears teach them the importance of caring for others and sharing their feelings.

Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like ChristmasRating: Rated 4.5 stars (12 reviews)
Author: Maya Angelou
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Product Description
In this third self-contained volume of her autobiography, which began with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou moves into the adult world. Maya struggles to support herself and her son through a series of odd jobs and weathers a failed marriage to a white man before landing a gig singing in one of the most popular nightclubs on the San Francisco coast. From there, she is called to New York to join the cast of Porgy and Bess. Maya soon finds herself on a joyous and dramatic adventure, touring abroad through Italy, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Egypt with spirited cast members, and performing for large, enthusiastic audiences. The exciting experience is dampened only by Maya’s nagging guilt that she has abandoned the person she loves most in life, her son, whose reentrance into her world reveals to Maya the healing power of devotion and love.

Charged with Maya Angelou’s remarkable sense of life and love, Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas is a unique celebration of the human condition–and an enthralling saga that has touched, inspired, and empowered readers worldwide.

Stories for Christmas by Charles Dickens

Stories for Christmas by Charles DickensAuthor: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Platium Press LLC
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Product Description
A thick dark green h/c with gold gilt page edges with a red satin ribbon for a book mark. Many stories by Charles Dickens.

Sesame Street Elmo’s Favorite Places

Sesame Street Elmo's Favorite PlacesRating: Rated 5.0 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Carol Monica
Publisher: Reader’s Digest
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Product Description
Packed with flaps from cover to cover, Elmo’s Favorite Places is sure to

become a treasured book for young Sesame Street fans. Preschoolers

will love visiting all of Elmo’s favorite places – the farm, aquarium, school,

park, and home – while learning five different concepts (colors, shapes,

counting, alphabet, and pairing objects that belong together) along the way.

Bold object labels on every spread teach more than 100 vocabulary words,

making this book a learning adventure.

My First Brain Quest: 400 Questions to Build Your Toddler’s Word Skill, Third Edition (Brain Quest)

My First Brain Quest: 400 Questions to Build Your Toddler's Word Skill, Third Edition (Brain Quest)Rating: Rated 4.5 stars (17 reviews)
Author: Chris Welles Feder
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
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Product Description
Join a little monkey named Max on his fun-filled days and watch your child’s vocabulary blossom! Help Max get dressed. Visit the zoo. Have fun at the circus. Enjoy a picnic in the county. Plus celebrate holidays, mark the changing of the seasons, and learn all about animals. It’s a game of 400 questions in picture form that will help your child develop essential learning skills and get a smart start.

Vetted by a panel of America’s highest award-winning teachers, and embraced by kids and parents because it flat-out works, Brain Quest opens a world of information and education with its fast-paced question-and-answer format, bright full-color illustrations, and lively attitude

Amazon.com Review
It’s never too early to build a child’s vocabulary, and the updated My First Brain Quest–designed specifically for 2- and 3-year-olds–is a fun way to get started. The tall, skinny plastic box contains three decks (the cards are attached so they fan out on a hinge) with a total of 400 questions, and a spongy, nontoxic Max toy monkey. The idea is to have the toddler bond with the monkey, so the child associates the cards with playtime! Deck One offers a full day with Max from the time he wakes up until bedtime. For example, a full-page cartoon of Max in his colorful toy-ridden bedroom asks, “Who just woke up? What is Max wearing? What do you see in his room?” The cards break down into smaller illustrations with object and activity identification (“What is Max doing? He’s putting on his slippers” or “What is this called? A clock.”) We follow Max through breakfast, school, music lessons, and more. Deck Two introduces children to seasonal activities, including trick-or-treating and playing on a snowy day. Deck Three explores the world, following Max from the mall to a picnic in the country to a farm. The Brain Quest series is a wonderful vehicle for parents to play and learn with their wee ones, and paves the way for a lifetime fascination with words. (Ages 2 to 3)

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film – The Art – The Vision

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film - The Art - The VisionRating: Rated 5.0 stars (14 reviews)
Author: Frank Thompson
Publisher: Disney Editions
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Product Description
The “Making Of” book for Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas is getting a new cover treatment – with a bright shiny Halloween glow and eye-catching title treatment.

 
On screen, Jack Skellington leaps with joy, singing with wonder at his discovery of Christmas Town. He seems so real, so alive, that we believe both and his fantastical world must somehow exist.

 

But in reality it is not Jack who is the star of the show; it is the over 140 artists and technicians who spent more than two years bringing Jack and all his cohorts to life on the screen.  Every gesture Jack makes was created by a human hand, by an animator who moved the puppet in tiny increments from frame to frame. Every character, every set, every prop-even the candy canes-had to be designed and then actually fabricated by someone. This book tells the true story of the film, highlighting the art and the vision that make the movie so memorable. Also included are the complete lyrics to the film.

 

 

The New Baby at Your House

The New Baby at Your HouseRating: Rated 4.5 stars (11 reviews)
Author: Joanna Cole
Publisher: HarperCollins
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Product Description
It’s natural for children to be concerned about the arrival of a new baby at their house. Most big brothers and sisters feel loving and tender one minute, angry or jealous the next. With over forty vivid full-color photographs and a clear, supportive textby award-winning author Joanna Cole, this revised edition of a much-loved classic will prepare children for the ups and downs of having a new baby in the house.

“Should help small children sort out and deal with the turbulent mixed feelings that assail them when a new baby comes home.” –Benjamin Spock, MD., author of Baby and Child Care

Kit’s Surprise: A Christmas Story, 1934 (The American Girls Collection, Book 3)

Kit's Surprise: A Christmas Story, 1934 (The American Girls Collection, Book 3)Rating: Rated 5.0 stars (8 reviews)
Author: Valerie Tripp
Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc
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Product Description
THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. In 1934, Kit faces a very different Christmas because of her family’s financial problems and allows her pride to estrange her from her best friend.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas CarolRating: Rated 5.0 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Minedition
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Charles Dickens’ beloved Christmas story is a perennial favorite, and now it comes alive in Robert Ingpen’s masterfully illustrated version. Re-creating the look and atmosphere of nineteenth-century London, Mr. Ingpen, winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, produces some of the finest art of his career, and gives us an edition that is at once classic and timeless. Also included is a bonus Dickens story, “The Christmas Tree.” Here is a sumptuously designed book that will make the perfect Christmas gift.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever CD

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever CDRating: Rated 5.0 stars (2 reviews)
Author: Barbara Robinson
Publisher: HarperChildrensAudio
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Product Description

When the Herdmans storm Sunday school and take over the annual Christmas pageant, everyone braces for the worst. But no one is prepared for what really happens when the rottenest kids in the world take over the greatest story ever told. It’s a pageant full of surprises for everyone–including the Herdmans themselves.

Where Did They Hide My Presents?: Silly Dilly Christmas Songs

Where Did They Hide My Presents?: Silly Dilly Christmas SongsRating: Rated 5.0 stars (10 reviews)
Author: Alan Katz
Publisher: Aladdin
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Product Description
It’s Christmastime! While everyone else is singing “Frosty the Snowman” and “Winter Wonderland,” ring in your holidays with “Our Friendly Mailman” and “Something in My Brother’s Underpants”!

Songwriter and comedy writer par excellence Alan Katz roasts old Christmas chestnuts and turns them into sparkling new holiday hits that everyone will love. With uproarious pictures by illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow, this holiday collection guarantees hours of silly dilly cheer for kids and families everywhere!

The Night Before Christmas (board book)

The Night Before Christmas (board book)Rating: Rated 3.5 stars (5 reviews)
Author: Clement C. Moore
Publisher: Running Press Kids
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Product Description
The New York Times bestseller! How many families have wanted to share this classic poem with even the tiniest children but have hesitated to let them touch a fragile heirloom edition? That’s no longer a concern with this sturdy board book. Let the smallest ones climb into a lap or even hold the book themselves with their jelly-stained fingers–they can’t hurt it. But they can let illustrator Christian Birmingham fill their heads with his divine imagery.

Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas

Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and ChristmasRating: Rated 4.0 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Michael J. Rosen
Publisher: Voyager Books
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Michael and Elijah are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn’t know what to do. How can be possibly take home a Christmas angel–a forbidden graven image–especially on Chanukah? Full color. Amazon.com Review
A child’s vision of religious tolerance is exquisitely played out in this story about an elderly Christian barber and a Jewish child who befriends him. As a hobby, the African American barber makes elaborate woodcarvings–many of which refer to events or characters in the Bible. Michael, a 9-year-old Jewish boy, often visits the barbershop just to admire old Elijah’s carvings, especially that of Noah’s Ark–a story that belongs to Jewish as well as Christian teachings. One day when Hanukkah and Christmas coincidentally overlap, Elijah gives Michael a special gift, a carved guardian angel. Immediately Michael is filled with a jumble of feelings–gratitude for such a beautiful gift, concern that his parents might disapprove, and an even greater fear that God may frown upon a Christmas angel, “a graven image,” in Michael’s home. The thick sweeps of paint, the heavy uses of wood-tones, and primitive images make the settings and characters look as though Elijah carved them himself. When Michael finally reveals the carved angel to his parents, they help the young boy understand how expressions of friendship, love, and protection can be carried into any home, regardless of the household’s religion. Michael J. Rosen based this story on the real-life Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), a lay minister, barber, and woodcarver from Columbus, Ohio, whose award-winning woodcarvings are now owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from Elijah’s Angel by Michael J. Rosen. Illustrations (c)1992 by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 5 and older) –Gail Hudson

A Christmas Carol (Puffin Classics)

A Christmas Carol (Puffin Classics)Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Puffin
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On Christmas Eve, Scrooge sits in his house with not a kind word for anyone; he just wants to be left alone until the “humbug” of Christmas is over. But four ghostly visitors—his former business partner, followed by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come—show him the error of his ways, and by the time Christmas Day dawns, Scrooge is a changed person.

A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire (Hesperus Classics)

A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire (Hesperus Classics)Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Hesperus Press
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Published in its entirety for the first time since 1852, this shining collection of Christmas tales was originally selected by Charles Dickens for his periodical Household Words. Each story varies in theme and tone, with scenes of romance, theft, justice, and heart-warming family reunions set alongside haunting tales and chilling ghost stories, while topics addressed range from the meaning of Christmas to disability and race. Contributing authors include Elizabeth Gaskell, Edmund Saul Dixon, Edmund Oliver, and of course Dickens himself, making this a brilliant example of Victorian storytelling and an insightful reflection on the holiday season during the 19th century.

Molly’s Surprise: A Christmas Story, Book Three (The American Girls Collection)

Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story, Book Three (The American Girls Collection)Rating: Rated 5.0 stars (6 reviews)
Author: Valerie Tripp
Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc
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Even though he is away serving in an English hospital during World War II, Molly’s father finds a way to make the family Christmas very special.