December: A Time for Storytelling
 
December brings two unique gifts to us: increased darkness and a diversity of traditions and celebrations.  Many of the world’s peoples have historically used this season to gather together to  weave rich stories; storytelling sustained them socially and emotionally during the long winter months. Below is a selection of children’s books that tell the stories of fictional families. You can use them to help you share your own stories with your children, family, and friends. Enjoy!

Ages 0-3   
                                                                                                                                     
I Love You, Little One by Nancy Tafuri                                               
In this bedtime picture book, seven baby animals ask, “Do you love me, Mama?” “Forever and always,” is each mother’s answer.
If You Were My Bunny by Kate McMullan 
This bedtime favorite offers a sweet expression of a mother’s love for her child.

You Are Special, Little Oneby Nancy Tafuri
From penguins in Antarctica to lions in Africa, baby animals around the world are told by their parents just how special they are.

Mama Birds, Baby Birds; Joshua by the Sea; and Joshua’s Night Whispers by Angela Johnson
In this series of books, a young boy explores his world with his loving family always nearby.

Ages 3-5

Daddy Calls Me Man by Angela Johnson 
Family love is portrayed through bright illustrations and four short verses about the happy home life of a young boy.

Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Mama always finds ways to share life’s moments big and small with all her children.

Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
Peter is not happy about having a new baby sister. For starters, his cradle and crib are both painted pink. When it looks like his chair will be next, Peter comes up with a plan. This is a delightful book about learning to share with siblings.

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
In this is the whimsical story, Nora, a young mouse, just can’t seem to get any attention from her busy family.

Ages 5-8

The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy
A little girl learns that her sick grandmother is finding it difficult to finish a family quilt. She finds ways to help work on the quilt until Grandma grows stronger.

Bigmama’s by Donald Crews
This read-aloud book looks at a young boy’s memories of spending summers at his grandmother’s farm in the South. He remembers going barefoot, dipping for cool water in the well, and most of all the lively talk around the table.

Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman
In this brightly illustrated story, irrepressible Grace goes to Africa to visit her father and meet her half-siblings. As excited as she is to see her Dad again, she wonders if he still loves her now that he has “new children.”

Let’s Eat by Ana Zamorano In this warm family story, Mama prepares a daily mid-afternoon meal for the family. Grandparents, parents, and children all join in to share stories and delicious food.

Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers by May Ann Hoberman This witty collection of poems about all kinds of families includes every kind of relative and comic glimpses of family scenes, as well as loving moments.

Ages 9-11

Gloria’s Way by Ann Cameron
Each of this book’s six chapters tells a different tale about how Gloria deals with frustrations over friends, school, and her career-oriented parents.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
Twelve-year old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don’t always get along, but Granny Torrelli seems to know how to make things right again with her wise words and family recipes.

How Tia Lola Came to Stay by Julia Alvarez
After his parents’ divorce, Miquel, his mother and his sister move from New York to Vermont. He not only has to adjust to his new home, but his life is disrupted again when flamboyant, vivacious, and colorful Tia Lola visits them from the Dominican Republic.

Sarah Plain and Tall; Skylark; Caleb’s Story; More Perfect than the Moon by Patricia MacLachlan
These beloved classics start with the story of two children on the prairie who meet their father’s mail-order bride with apprehension that later turns to happiness. The series continues as the children grow and experience the challenges of family and farm life.