It's , but that doesn't have to mean waiting in long lines for big sales to buy the hottest toy or newest game system. Whether you're a parent, relative, teacher, librarian or just a friend to a young person, that you can enjoy together.
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Preschool
鈥� 鈥淚 Like Your Chutzpah And Other Yiddish Words You鈥檒l Like鈥�
Sweet, funny and infinitely readable, contains 12 Yiddish words and their meanings, each accompanied by a simple, colorful illustration that will inspire fun reading voices. Written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman. Recommended ages: 1-3. RISE x Penguin Workshop. $9.99.
鈥� 鈥淭he 13 Days of Swiftness: A Christmas Celebration鈥�
For the littlest Swifties, Christmas song 鈥� except instead of 12 days there are 13 ( you know). Each page has bright illustrations and lots of Easter eggs for the fandom. It includes a to-from page with room to add a personal note or your favorite lyrics. Written by Tiffany Garland, illustrated by Brooke O鈥橬eill. Recommended ages: 3 and up. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $10.99.
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Early Elementary
鈥� 鈥淚nto the Uncut Grass鈥�
tells a story of a boy and his teddy bear who venture into the uncut grass, picking up bits of wisdom along the way. Long and quotable, with humor and gentle watercolor illustrations. Per the intro, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a picture book, but it鈥檚 not a children鈥檚 book. Rather, with parents and for parents to share with kids.鈥� Written by Trevor Noah, illustrated by Sabina Hahn. All ages. One World. $26.
鈥� 鈥淧roper Badger Would Never鈥�
Badger was determined to be a perfectly proper guest at his first party, but his instincts may have gotten the better of him. Shred the gift wrapping paper? Never. Dig into the cake before it鈥檚 served? Of course not. that leans into joyful chaos. Written by Lauren Glattly, illustrated by Rob Sayegh. Recommended ages: 4-8. Flamingo Books. $18.99.
鈥� 鈥淭he Man Who Didn鈥檛 Like Animals鈥�
It's with the animal noises and everything. This man loves his tidy home and doesn鈥檛 like animals 鈥� until they endear themselves to him one by one, turning his apartment into a cramped barn. Written by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Recommended ages: 4-8. HarperCollins. $19.99.
鈥� 鈥淎ttack of the Scones鈥�
In the , Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast take on an alien invasion with the help of their fridge friends. Told in rhyming couplets with whimsical, expressive full-page illustrations. written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Recommended ages: 5-8. Union Square Kids. Hardcover: $18.99. Paperback: $8.99.
鈥� 鈥淏og Myrtle鈥�
One sister loves the forest and its splendors; the other is more interested in money. Sharp uses literary devices from irony to alliteration to puns, taking on topics like worker rights and . 鈥� is perfect for the quirky, goofy child in your life who loves deadpan humor and 鈥楾he Skull鈥� by Jon Klassen,鈥� says Sarah Bradley, lead bookseller at Powell's Books. Written and illustrated by Sid Sharp. Recommended ages: 6鈥�11. Annick Press. $22.99.
鈥� 鈥淢y UnderSlumberBumbleBeast鈥�
Award-winning adult author Zoje Stage , coming Dec. 3, that reimagines the monster under the bed as something far cuter and weirder. One day while cleaning her room, Pru finds a shy little creature called an UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. Includes crosshatch drawings and a glossary of the trickier vocabulary. Written by Zoje Stage and illustrated by J.E. Larson. Recommended ages: 7-10. Bad Hand Books. $15.99.
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Late Elementary and Middle
鈥� 鈥淥tto Normal鈥檚 Monsterton: The Disappearance of White Pine Beach鈥�
Otto moves with his mom from his normal California town to Monsterton, where they're the only humans among zombies, ghosts and sirens. Otto soon finds himself on a quick-paced adventure. With chunks of text broken up by beautiful digital color illustrations, blurring the line between chapter book and graphic novel, feels special to hold. Written by Danielle McKechnie, illustrated by Simon Estrada. Recommended ages: 8-12. Simon & Schuster. $22.99.
鈥� 鈥淭he Wild Robot鈥�
Roz the robot is the sole survivor of a shipment gone overboard and has to adapt to the wild. She becomes the de facto mother of Brightbill the gosling, and the forest animals that shunned her otherness begin to form a community around her. Short chapters are punctuated by black-and-white illustrations. saw a this year, and a special edition of the first volume features full-color inserts from the movie. Written and illustrated by Peter Brown. Recommended ages: 8-12. Hachette Book Group. Single paperback: $8.99. Boxed set: $54.
鈥� 鈥淭he Young Green Witch鈥檚 Guide to Plant Magic鈥�
This with watercolor illustrations imparts how to use different plants, along with lessons of appreciation and self-acceptance and breathing meditations. There are also recipes for handy concoctions kids can make with minimal adult supervision, such as oatmeal scrub, lavender honey and dandelion pesto. Written by Robin Rose Bennett, illustrated by Rachel Grant. Recommended ages: 8-12. Running Press Kids. $16.99.
鈥� 鈥淭he Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science鈥�
of 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� and fame tells who, having zero interest in perfecting the 85 ways to properly sit on a velvet fainting couch, find themselves expelled from etiquette school. Their new, extremely uncouth school puts them at the heart of a mystery in which the town is at stake. With fun fonts and the occasional illustration, the novel is a with humor a la Lemony Snicket. Written by Kate McKinnon, illustrated by Alfredo C谩ceres. Recommended ages: 8-12. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $17.99.
鈥� 鈥淧lain Jane and the Mermaid鈥�
The recently orphaned Jane has a week to get married and get her dowry before she'll be kicked to the streets. Handsome Peter might have accepted Jane's proposal if he hadn't been kidnapped by a mermaid. This challenges gender roles and beauty standards through an underwater adventure full of snark and hilarious characters, rivaling Jeff Smith's 鈥淏one.鈥� Written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol. Recommended ages: 10-14. First Second. $14.99.
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Young Adult
鈥� 鈥淨ueer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World鈥�
鈥淭he mythology trend is still going strong and young readers will devour this bright and beautifully illustrated new collection,鈥� says Bradley, the Powell's bookseller. Sanchez shares from around the world with characters who reflect the Written by Guido A. Sanchez, illustrated by James Fenner. Recommended ages: 11 and up. Running Press. $19.99.
鈥� 鈥淎 Good Girl鈥檚 Guide to Murder鈥�
Pip investigates a murder that she thinks another student was wrongly accused of. It's an ambitious project for a high school capstone, but Pip's an ambitious student. A TV adaptation of was produced by the BBC and released on Netflix over the summer. A trilogy by Holly Jackson. Recommended ages: 14 and up. Ember. Single paperback: $14.99. Boxed set: $47.97.
鈥� 鈥淭he Calculation of You and Me鈥�
, two best friends who understand her and all her autistic quirks, and a romantic boyfriend 鈥� until he breaks up with her, sending her perfectly categorized world into a tailspin. This celebrates romance as an act and a genre. By Serena Kaylor. Recommended ages: 13 and up. Wednesday Books. Paperback: $14. Hardcover: $24.
鈥� 鈥淟unar New Year Love Story鈥�
Valentina has one year to prove she doesn鈥檛 share her family鈥檚 fate of all romances ending in misery. If she doesn鈥檛 find lasting love by then, she will give her heart to Saint Valentine and be forever protected from heartbreak. The graphic novel alongside the ups and downs of love. Written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Recommended ages: 14 and up. First Second. Paperback: $17.99. Hardcover: $25.99.
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For more AP gift guides and holiday coverage, visit and .
Donna Edwards, The Associated Press
