‘Tis the Season for Giving
Sara Grajek
December 16, 2007

The season of Christmas is filled with glittering lights, shiny presents, and many traditions. What we can also add to the holiday is a spirit of giving. Rowan Public Library has some books that can help you share this concept with children. From storybooks with beautifully illustrated pictures to short biographies, the public library has a great selection of books.

“The Quiltmaker’s Gift” by Jeff Brumbeau tells the story of an old, wise woman who makes the most beautiful quilts in the land, but only gives them to the poor or those who are homeless. When the powerful and greedy king demands one, she tells him he must give away all his possessions before she will make one for him. The king sends the old woman to various exiles as punishment, but each time she befriends the creatures who inhabit those far away places. As the king realizes how unhappy he is, he follows the old woman’s advice and slowly gives away his prized possessions, making those with less very happy. This in turn, makes the king poor, but happy, and the old woman makes him a beautiful quilt showing his journey.

Set in 1945, “Boxes for Katje” by Candace Fleming was inspired by true events in the author’s American mother’s life. In Holland, Katje’s family receives a box from America, “the land of plenty.” Inside is soap, wool socks, chocolate, and a letter from a little girl named Rosie. Katje writes back telling how much the box has brightened their day. Because of the war, it is very difficult to get anything sweet in Holland. Boxes containing food and clothing continue to arrive throughout the winter, much to Katje and her family’s delight. So many boxes come that the family shares them with the rest of the town. Letters back to America are only thing Katje can offer, until one day when a box of tulip bulbs arrive at Rosie’s door.

In the brightly illustrated book, “If the World Were a Village” by David J. Smith, the author asks you to imagine the world as a village of 100. This makes the current population of just over six billion, an easier number to understand. In the village of 100, 61 are from Asia, 13 are from Africa, while 5 are from Canada and the United States. 76 have electricity and most use it only at night. Of those, 10 have computers, 24 have televisions, and 42 have radios. 50 people do not have a reliable source of food and are hungry some of the time and 20 are undernourished. This book will hopefully bring about a realization that the world is a much larger place than just the small part many children encounter in their everyday life.

Biographies of humanitarians such as Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale and all those who work to make a difference can also be found in the children’s room of the library. These selections and more, from Rowan Public Library are a wonderful opportunity to share with children that each person can be giving and make the world a better place, in the holiday season, as well as everyday.