Santa and the Goodnight Train, written by June Sobel, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: This is a very nice story celebrating the Christmas for young children. It is fun, lively, colorful and includes diverse characters. The rhyming text works well with the theme of getting on the goodnight train and heading to the North Pole. Kids and anthropomorphic animals prepare the train on Christmas Eve. Many fun Christmas symbols are illustrated in the book, by Laura Huliska-Beith, including reindeer, gingerbread, candy canes and a sleigh. The North Pole is depicted with cute elves running around preparing to see Santa who is back for another year! This is a cute book and young children will enjoy the story and the illustrations. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This is a non-religious book about Christmas for young children.

Mustache Baby Christmas, written by Bridget Heos, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: James T.
Summary: A Mustache Baby Christmas, by Bridget Heos, begins with two little babies born with facial hair. Javier was born with a beard that changed to white on Christmas Eve. Billy had a mustache, so he offered to be an elf in Santa Baby’s workshop. After working in the shop all day, Billy turned into “Bad Guy Mustache!” because he wanted to keep all the toys for himself. Santa Baby saw what happened and put Billy’s name onto the naughty list. “That really frosted Billy’s cookies! In a fit of holiday rage” is something we can all sympathize with. Lots of antics ensue and eventually, there are apologies to go around. The real Santa notices their change of heart and they got to deliver presents all over the world. They liked the feeling of giving.

Straight Talk for Librarians: It’s a fun story that has a great lesson. It is a fun book with festive, warm, captivating graphics that appeal to the senses. These computer-drawn graphics create bold sceneries that are simple, yet fun. It also demonstrates how being different and unique is a good quality to have considering that the two boys were born with a full set of facial hair. Teaching kids that being different is what makes them who they are, will ultimately create a foundation that promotes open-mindedness. I enjoyed this book a lot. As a 12th grader, I liked how we got to read a picture book that is different than the novels and textbooks we read on a daily basis. It appeals to kids and would be a great story to share in the classroom. It is a joyful and festive story that would be lovely to share during the holiday season. Perfect for a Christmas book display!