Lucy’s Christmas, written by Donald Hall and illustrated by Michael McCurdy (David R. Godine, 978-1-56792-342-1) is the story of Donald Hall’s mother, Lucy, a stove, and a rural Christmas in 1909. Beautifully illustrated by scratching away the black to reveal bright colors beneath, this book is a gem, particularly for families whose traditions include church.

Another story based on a family story is Eli Remembers by Ruth Vander Zee and Marian Sneider, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth (Eerdmans Books, 978-0-8028-5309-7). A more apt title might have been, Eli Finds Out, for the boy discovers why his grandparents are so sad on Rosh Hashanah. A journey to Lithuania and the Ponar Forest provide the answer. Unsentimental and yet full of feeling, from the texture of the illustrations to the layout of the text, this is a good book for introducing history within the family.

The Sheltering Cedar by Anne Marshall Runyon (Portal Press, 978-1-933454-02-3) mostly takes place on Ocracoke Island, one of the Barrier Islands off the North Carolina coast. On the island, an old cedar tree, bent from the fierce nor’easters, shelters the creatures of the beach, just like a harbor shelters boats and a house shelters people. Cardinals, plovers, beetles, and toads decorate the pages of this book’s Christmas pages.

Kate DiCamillo, Newberry Medal winner, joins with illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline to create the story of Frances, a little girl in Cincinnati whose father is away, fighting in World War II. DiCamillo doesn’t actually tell the reader this, but through the carefully crafted illustrations in Great Joy (Candlewick, 978-0-7636-2920-5), Frances’s concern for an organ grinder strike a chord. This is a wonderful story about the spirit of Christmas, so often lacking in our contemporary commercial holiday.

Finally, I can’t resist this The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore (Candlewick, 978-0-7636-3469-8). The inky illustrations, reminiscent of 19th century cut-outs, are both crisp and frothy. Every single ornament on the Christmas tree sparkles and intrigues! At least as delightful is the biography of the illustrator, Niroot Puttapipat, who is the son of a Thai princess. This new version of an old favorite perfectly combines nostalgia and high-tech, with its two-dimensional graphics and its three-dimensional pop-ups.