Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights: The Story of the Christmas Symbols [Hardcover]

Edna Barth (Author), Ursula Arndt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ursula Arndt has illustrated a number of popular children's books, including the six holiday titles written by Edna Barth for Clarion. She is now retired and lives in Germany.

The late Edna Barth worked as a librarian, a teacher, and an editor of books for young people before becoming the author of many well-known books for children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618067868
• ISBN-13: 978-0618067862
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,531,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on the meaning of traditions, February 1, 2011

By 

Kelkel3 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights: The Story of the Christmas Symbols (Paperback)

My mother used to check this out from the library when I was a kid and we would read it on our trips to go get a Christmas tree. It was a great book to teach kids (and adults!) the meaning behind Christmas traditions. I purchased this book last year, one for myself and a copy for my mom. I plan to read it to my own children someday. It's a great book to teach and create memories with. I also see that there are editions for the other holidays and I plan on purchasing those as well.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the Halloween one, July 8, 2009

By 

A. Forster "retrokowe" (Blairstown, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights: The Story of the Christmas Symbols (Paperback)

This is a nice book, telling stories of many Christmas symbols from an historical, rather than religious standpoint. I don't think it's quite as entertaining or easy to read as the Halloween book though, which is really, really good.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book covering the symbols of Christmas, November 17, 2008

By 

C. Pierce - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights: The Story of the Christmas Symbols (Hardcover)

Since I try to keep Christmas focused on Christ rather than Santa, I like to be able to tell my kids the origins of the traditions of Christmas. This book is a great resource, and also fun to read for anyone who likes to trace things back in history. Having a long-standing historic basis can give deeper meaning to otherwise meaningless things like candy canes, etc.