By Carolyn Danckaert, amightygirl.com
 
Carolyn Danckaert and Aaron Smith live in Washington, D.C., with their four nieces and a nephew nearby. They are very excited to launch their latest labor of love, A Mighty Girl.
 
Check out some of these enjoyable and inspiring reads for your mighty nieces this holiday season!
 


Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera (Ages 4-8)
 
This holiday read is just right for the adventurous niece and Auntie!
 
Auntie Claus is just another eccentric New Yorker—or is she? Young Sophie has often wondered about her unusual great-aunt, Auntie Claus. She lives in penthouse 25C at the Bing Cherry Hotel and is so curioso! After all, Auntie Claus serves Christmas cookies all year long, and her tree is always the best-decorated in the city. And then there’s her annual “business trip,” right around the holidays.
 
This year, Sophie is determined to get to the bottom of Auntie Claus’s mysterious ways. Put on your mittens, and bundle up for an adventure beyond your wildest dreams. Ho, ho, ho!
 


Madeline's Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans (Ages 4-8)
 
If you’ve got a little niece who has been feeling a bit under the weather, this tale may help to bring her some Christmas cheer!
 
It’s the night before Christmas, and everyone is sick in bed—all except brave Madeline, who is up and about and feeling just fine. Taking care of eleven little girls—and Miss Clavel—is hard work, but Madeline finds help from a magical merchant, peddling flying carpets door-to-door. Now, the girls are going on a Christmas journey that will surely make them forget their sniffles and sneezes. It looks like a sad Christmas is going to turn into an adventurous one!
 


The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco (Ages 5-8)
 
In the aftermath of Hanukkah, this story about kindness and generosity may inspire your nieces to prolong the loving spirit of the season by discovering ways to spread joy and give back to their communities.
 
Trisha loves the eight days of Hanukkah, when her mother stays home from work, her Babushka makes delicious potato latkes, and her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts for Trisha and her brother. In the middle of her family’s preparation for the festival of lights, Trisha visits her closest neighbors, expecting to find them decorating their house for Christmas. Instead, they are all bedridden with scarlet fever. Trisha’s family is one of the few who has been spared from the epidemic. It is difficult for them to enjoy their Hanukkah feast when they know that their neighbors won’t be able to celebrate their holiday.
 
Then Grampa has an inspiration: they will cut down trees, decorate them, and secretly deliver them to the neighbors, “But what can we decorate them with?” Babushka asks. Although it is a sacrifice, Trisha realizes that Grampa’s carved animals are the perfect answer. Soon, her living room is filled with trees—but that is only the first miracle of many, during an incredible holiday season.
 


The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola (Ages 4-8)
 
If you’re searching for an uplifting picture book to excite your nieces this Christmas, look no further!
 
Called la flor de la Nochebuena—the flower of the Holy Night—in Mexico, the poinsettia blooms at Christmastime, the symbol of a little girl’s unselfish gift to the Christ Child. With illustrations that capture the brilliant colors of Mexico as well as the magic and excitement of the season, Tomie dePaola imbues the tale with his own special feelings for Christmas.
 


Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo (Ages 4-8)
 
Share this timeless story of compassion on Christmas Eve.
 
It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on the street corner outside Frances’ apartment. Frances can see them from her window, and sometimes, when it’s quiet, she can hear their music. In fact, Frances can’t stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. When the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, and it’s Frank’s turn to speak, everyone waits silently. But all Frances can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes—until, just in time, she finds the perfect words to share.

Published: December 19, 2012