I don't usually write about Christmas books but I read three of them recently to my son which were fun in different ways and most importantly he thought they were pretty awesome. They are an eclectic bunch but good choices if you want a Christmasy read in the next few days.

One Hundred Shining Candles by Janet Lunn (illus by Lindsay Grater) is a sort of Canadian version of the Little House on the Prairie with a wee bit of Gift of the Magi thrown in (if you remove the whole wife/husband gift exchange element). It's 1800 on the Canadian prairie, no one has anything, father is away working, mother is ill and Lucy and Dan want some Christmas magic. After hearing the story from their schoolmaster about city celebrations which include, among other things, "one hundred candles lighted to celebrate the birth of our Lord", Lucy is inspired to make a similar grand display for her parents. Candle making proves to be much more difficult than planned however and much of the story is about the kids hanging in there and trying to get their big present together. There is a heart warming happy ending (of course!) and I thought it was a bit too treacly but my son (he of loving dinosaurs and Star Wars) refers to this as the "candle book" and thought it was wonderful. that reminded me that when I was his age I thought Laura Ingalls was pretty darn wonderful. So if you were a Laura fan and think your kids would be too, then this is a book for you. (And the religious aspect is light - very much like the Prairie books.)

Switching gears in a major way, What Does Mrs. Clause Do? by Kate Wharton (Illus by Christian Slade) is a boisterous, very nearly over-the-top, laughing look at just what Mrs. Claus does while Santa is out making Christmas Eve deliveries. The story starts with a look at the demure lady of the house (with bun on her head and apron from neck to ankles) reading stories by the fire to the little reindeer. Things rapidly change however as readers are treated to other possibilities - like the hosting of the Jingle Bell Ball, or running Claus Enterprises, or shadowing Santa in ninja attire as she "catches the toys that fall from the sleigh" and "keeps all the dogs and children away". There are dozens of things Mrs. Claus might do - like be a whale rider, gingerbread architect, toy archaeologist, polar geographer and on and on and on. The pictures are expressive and cool and the whole book celebrates the fun of the Clauses. It's some awesome rhyming and quirky as heck. Hard to resist this one.

Finally, if you thought Edward Tulane strayed a little bit into the area of bunny abuse porn, (stuffed bunny abuse of course) (which somehow makes that porn assertion even worse), then The Little Toy Shop by Frances Wolfe is exactly what you have been waiting for. The setting is Mr. Kringle's toy store where plush animals Bunny and Teddy spend their days hanging out on the shelves waiting for the right child to notice them. Toys come and go, everyone is pretty happy and jolly and Mr. Kringle is determined to make all children happy (of course). Then one day, one little girl comes in and sees Bunny and knows that he is the toy for her. She promises to return the next day with all of her money and purchase him and Mr. Kringle promises to keep him safe for her. But oh no! Mean rich guy comes in and Bunny gets bought by accident and off he goes to mean rich girl's house and she casts Bunny aside and he ends up out in the wild and there is a dog and a creek and he is LOST!

But rather than dragging on for chapter after chapter after chapter (as that poor Eddie Tulane did), Bunny gets found in a few pages and there is a happy ending - with a very nice twist. And yes, the secret life of Mr. Kringle is revealed! Huzzah!!

I defy you not to find Bunny the most heart warming little guy around and you will certainly pine for Mr. Kringle's store when this one is done. Mostly though you will thank the gods that he didn't end up being washed down a storm drain and out to sea. Yes sometimes toys get damaged and lost, but it's not always all the really big drama. Sometimes it's just nice and that's what The Little Toy Shop is. It's a really nice book and one I heartily recommend.