On the surface, December may seem to be one of the most, if not the most, joyful months of the year. In fact, if you live in North America, you can hardly avoid the frequent reminders that it is in fact “the most wonderful time of the year” (sorry for the ear worm). No matter where you live, you likely encounter frequent reminders that this is a time of celebration, of family and social gathering, of connection, of plentiful and decadent food, and of warmth.
Yet, for many people, finding joy at this time of year, or any time of year, takes work. In fact, we might even consider that opening to joy is the work -- not just of this season, but of all our seasons; those on the calendar, and those we experience internally and as societies.
If opening to joy can be viewed as work, our collective work to keep ourselves whole and vibrant, then creating joy, sharing joy, finding joy in tough times and celebrating light are the means by which we accomplish this.
This month we share books that explore Opening to Joy and Celebrating Light through creating, sharing, and finding joy, even amidst challenges, and by celebrating light wherever we find it whether that be in the sun, in evergreen plants and trees, in candle flames or in metaphor.
The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under published and under represented in literature, each draw upon these themes. These, and hundreds more, are all available for loan to our library patrons as well as TVUUC members and families. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home. If you’re not able to check books out, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books exploring how we can open to joy and celebrate light. May they help you and yours open to joy and celebrate light.
*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com
Creating Joy
Picture Books and up
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
What If . . . , Samantha Berger author with Mike Curato illustrator
My Family Plays Music, Judy Cox author, Elbrite Brown illustrator
White Flour, David LaMotte author and Jenn Hales illustrator
Middle Grades
The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell
Sharing Joy
Board Books
Little You by Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett
Picture Books, Juvenile, and up
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness Into Light written by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Karen Clarkson
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein
Saturday by Oge Mora
The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature written by Sue Macy, illustrated by Stacy Innerst
When we Love Someone We Sing to Them: Cuando Amamos Cantamos by Ernesto Javier Martinez author, Maya Christina Gonzalez illustrator and Jorge Gabriel Martinez Feliciano translator
Middle Grades & up
Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, Aisha Saeed Editor, Sara Alfageeh illustrator
Adult
Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books, Aaron Lansky
Opening to the Joy In and Around Us
Boardbooks
My Heart Fills With Happiness, Monique Gray Smith
Picture Books & Up
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration, Samara Cole Doyon author, Kaylani Juanita illustrator
I Am Perfectly Designed written by Karamo and Jason Brown, illustrated by Anoosha Syed
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein
Layla’s Happiness, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie author, Ashleigh Corrin illustrator
Finding Joy Amidst Challenge
Picture Books, Juvenile & up
We Shall Overcome, Bryan Collier illustrator
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones author, Renee Watson author and Nikkolas Smith illustrator
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Saturday by Oge Mora
Middle Grades & up
Stella by Starlight, Sharon M. Draper
Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood by James Baldwin with illustrations by Cazac
Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
adult
Raising my Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son by Lori Duron
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me, Keah Brown
Opening to Joy and Celebrating Light
Board Books
Diwali (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Eliot and Archana Sreenivasan
Hanukkah Lights written by David Martin, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
My First Kwanzaa (My First Holiday) by Karen Katz
Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper
picture books
Winter Candle written by Jeron Ashford, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober
A Dog Named Haku: A Holiday Story from Nepal, Amish Karanjit, Margarita Engle, Ruth Jeyaveeran and Nicole Karanjit
The Shortest Day, Susan Cooper author, Carson Ellis illustrator
The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco
Elijah’s Angell: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen
Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon, Mark Siegel illustrator
Shante Keys and the New Year’s Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport (author) and Marion Eldridge (illustrator)
Lights of Winter: Winter Celebrations Around the World by Heather Conrad
Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko
I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison
A Solstice Tree for Jenny by Karen Shragg
Juvenile Fiction
The Power of Light: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa
Middle Grades
The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards
Aisha’s Moonlight Walk: Stories and Celebrations for the Pagan Year by Anika Stafford
