Jingle The Christmas Clown

This beautiful new edition of Tomie dePaola’s 1978 classic retelling of a French legend stars a little juggler whose unique talent leads him to what might be a Christmas miracle. Little Giovanni is poor and homeless, but he can do something wonderful: he can juggle. The people of Sorrento marvel at his talents, and before long, he becomes famous throughout Italy for his rainbow of colored balls that delight the nobility and townspeople alike. But as the years pass, Giovanni grows old, and his talents begin to fail him. No longer a celebrated performer, he is once again poor and homeless, begging for his food. Until one Christmas Eve, when Giovanni picks up his rainbow of colored balls once more. And what happens next just might be a miracle…

With a little bit of magic, one plucky clown is determined to turn Christmas around for a village that’s down on its luck in this enchanting tale from Tomie dePaola. Every midwinter, little Jingle and his family, Il Circo Piccolo, The Little Circus, travel through the countryside to the city for their special Christmas performance. Each year, they stop at the same little village to put on a show for its residents. It’s Jingle’s favorite night. This year, though, things are different. There is no smoke coming out of the chimneys. Everything is closed up. And the few people still in town have fallen on hard times and don’t have the money to see the circus anymore. But Jingle is not so easily deterred. With the help of his baby animals, he is determined to put on a show that no one will forget.

This beautifully illustrated collection has been carefully refreshed with its thirty-one classic Christmas carols illustrated by the beloved Tomie dePaola that will be perfect for making the holidays merry and bright. Christmas is a time for warm family gatherings, the sharing of gifts and festive meals, and everywhere, there is music! Carols with familiar melodies and lyrics telling stories of events from long ago have delighted young and old for generations. This intricately illustrated collection of Tomie’s favorite Christmas carols, first published in 1987, highlights dePaola’s love of Christmas and its traditions and is the perfect family gift to celebrate the holiday. Vibrant, glowing paintings illuminate every page of sheet music, and for six of the carols, a foldout page opens up to reveal the carol dramatically illustrated across three pages in a triptych-like design.

SUMMARY: A small clown and baby circus animals perform on Christmas eve for the elderly of a poor village.

In this whimsical picture book with illustrations by beloved award-winning illustrator Tomie dePaola, the classic Russian Baba Yaga witch story gets an American twist. In Santa Fe, young Manuela finds herself in the cooking pot of Alice Nizzy Nazzy. Can she escape the hungry witch’s clutches? Manuela bravely tries to win her freedom unaware of one important rule: witches don’t like the taste of good children.

What would happen if Santa couldn't drive his sleigh on Christmas Eve? The Day Santa Got Sick tells the story of what happens when a little girl elf and Mrs. Claus come up with a solution to deliver toys for Christmas after Santa gets sick. This multicultural Christmas story will bring joy to all your little ones who look for Santa during the holiday season.

Mister Frog has slept through Christmas every year and is determined to celebrate this one with his three best friends. But when he takes a short nap that turns into a very long sleep, he wakes up late on Christmas Eve, and there's no one to celebrate with! He's all alone until Santa and all of Frog's friends arrive with trees, food, and holiday cheer just in time for the big day! Join Mister Frog, Missy Cat, Master Dog, and Mistress Pig in this new edition of a classic work by world-renowned children's author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. With a wonderful story and dePaola's irresistible art, Four Friends at Christmas is the perfect Christmas tale!