Grandma Used to Be a Girl

If You Were a Kid at the First Thanksgiving

Tudor Clothes

What a Year! (A 26 Fairmount Avenue Book)

Norton's First Show (Pony Tales)

Talking to Fairies

Pop's Perfect Present

Swoop's Book of Seasons

Traces the origins of our favorite holiday customs and symbols, many of which antedate the first Christmas.
Each of our holidays has its own familiar traditions: Trick-or-treating on Halloween, eating turkey on Thanksgiving, waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas, exchanging cards on Valentine’s Day. But where do these customs come from, when did they begin, and why do we continue to observe them?
In the engaging blend of careful research and lively prose that has earned her books a lasting place on the holiday bookshelf, Edna Barth explores the multicultural origins and evolution of the familiar and not-so-familiar symbols and legends associated with our favorite holidays. Full of fascinating historical details and little-known stories, these books are both informative and engaging. Festively illustrated by Ursula Arndt, they are now available again in hardcover as well as paperback editions, featuring new, eye-catching jacket designs, and fun holiday activities inside the paperback covers. Each book includes an annotated list of holiday stories and poems and an index.


Discover Your Child's Next Read

Grandma Used to Be a Girl

Janet Elliott-Leach

If You Were a Kid at the First Thanksgiving

Lluís Farré, Melisa Sarno, 2017

Tudor Clothes

Suzi Clarke, 1989

What a Year! (A 26 Fairmount Avenue Book)

Tomie DePaola, 2002

Norton's First Show (Pony Tales)

BERNADETTE KELLY, 2009

Talking to Fairies

Sheila Jeffries, 1999

Pop's Perfect Present

Lenny Wen, Corey Finkle, 2023

Swoop's Book of Seasons

Lois Keefer, Steven Brite, 2003