This winter, NBC 5, Telemundo 39, and our partners at the Fort Worth Public Library are Reading With You! During the next three months, we will celebrate many holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, the Lunar New Year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day and more. The Fort Worth Public Library has compiled a winter reading list of over 100 books on topics that range from the holidays to themed holiday crafts you can do with the whole family. Take a look at the list, check out a book for FREE for your child, and snuggle up to read along with them.

To apply for a free Fort Worth Public Library card, click HERE. Any student currently attending pre-K through 12th grade at any formally recognized educational institution in North Texas may borrow Fort Worth Public Library books at no cost. Students do not have to be residents of Fort Worth to do so. They can get a Non-Resident Student library card from any Fort Worth Public Library location, and the card provides them access to digital content as well as physical materials.

Click HERE for the full list of 140 books recommended to read during the next three winter months.

December

You’re My Little Latke
by Edwards, Nicola – author
Celebrate Hanukkah with You’re My Little Latke, a board book sure to become one of your family’s favorite holiday books. This sweet, festive book includes cut-outs and raised elements on every page, featuring everything from yummy latkes to golden gelt to shining menorahs. With chunky pages and tactile elements, children will love the interactive features alongside the story. This special holiday book in the best-selling You’re My Little series makes a treasured Hanukkah gift for the little ones in your life. Parents and children alike will be delighted by the text that celebrates the love between parents and children with a holiday twist.

You’re My Little Christmas Cookie
by Edwards, Nicola – author
You’re My Little Christmas Cookie is an adorable board book to share with your little one this holiday season. With sweet, rhyming text paired with holiday character favorites, children will love the interactive features as you read the story. Whether it’s snuggly snowmen, sweet gingerbread cookies, or sparkling snowflakes, parents and children alike will appreciate the endearing sentiments with a festive twist. This special holiday book in the best-selling You’re My Little series makes a touching gift for Christmas for the little ones in your life.

Holiday Crafting & Baking with Kids: Gifts, Sweets and Treats for the Whole Family
by Jessica Strand – author
Holiday Crafting & Baking with Kids will bring the whole family together for some good holiday fun. Children ages four and up will love selecting their own materials and digging into these cheerful projects. There is something here for everyone and every winter occasion Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Year’s, and Boxing Day! Step-by-step instructions, helpful templates, and color photos make it a cinch for little ones to follow along. Best of all, the materials and ingredients for these projects are inexpensive, easy to find, and even easier to turn into amazing gifts, decorations, and treats.

The Night Before Kwanzaa
by Natasha Wing – author
It’s the night before Kwanzaa, and a little boy is excited to spend it with his family. Every evening, they light a candle, learn about their history, and more! Celebrate Kwanzaa in this installment of the Night Before series, told in the style of Clement C. Moore’s classic tale.

January

Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
by Bonnie Bader – author
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death-from an assassin’s bullet-in 1968. With clearly written text that explains this tumultuous time in history and 80 black-and-white illustrations, this Who Was? celebrates the vision and the legacy of a remarkable man.

The Big Book of Festivals
by Marita Bullock & Joan-Maree Hargreaves – author
From tomato-throwing parties to graveside picnics, fire-walking ceremonies, crying baby competitions and the biggest bathing festival on Earth – this book introduces you to some of the world’s most incredible cultural and religious celebrations.
Some festivals are outrageously fun and joyful, others are more serious. All of them bring people together to mark big events in life.
So join us in this riotous explosion of colour as we feast, sing, cry and celebrate the diversity of festivals and traditions this wonderful world of ours has to offer.,

February

How to Catch a Loveosaurus
by Alice Walstead Andy Elkerton – author
Can you catch the magical Loveosaurus? The How to Catch kids are on the chase again, this time to trap a dinosaur that escaped from the museum and wants to spread love and kindness. Blending exciting traps and STEAM concepts with hilarity and chaos to encourage reading, learning, and imagination, this charming adventure will delight young readers, families, and educators alike–and maybe inspire spreading some kindness too! This funny children’s picture book makes the perfect bedtime read-aloud and Valentine’s Day gift for kids ages 4-10!

How to Catch a Groundhog
by Alice Walstead & Emma Gillette.
The How to Catch kids are playing outside when they accidentally wake the groundhog living in the park. When the Groundhog runs away, the kids realize that tomorrow is Groundhog’s Day. If they don’t catch the groundhog and bring him back, the town won’t know when winter ends! The perfect gift for children ages 4-10 to celebrate Groundhog’s Day at home or in the classroom, this fun picture book is filled with silly rhymes and illustrations sure to delight young readers and educators alike with STEAM concepts and classic hilarity and chaos.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Peekaboo Valentine
by Eric Carle – author
Featuring the classic character The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this sweet heart-shaped book is a celebration of love. See if you can spot The Very Hungry Caterpillar among a box of chocolates, a decorated valentine, and more! With Eric Carle’s bright, colorful illustrations, this book makes the perfect Valentine’s Day gift!

Lunar Tale: a New Year’s Adventure
by Stella Hong – author
Written and illustrated by Stella Hong, LunarTale follows a brother and sister on their way to Grandma’s house to celebrate Lunar New Year. Protected and guided by the 12 magical animals of the zodiac, they’ll travel through the city into a vast tea garden, a serene bamboo grove, and across an ancient stone bridge to gather special treats for their big, celebratory family dinner.
Young readers will delight in the clever die-cut surprises throughout and the dramatic quadruple gatefold at the end that reveals a special, festive surprise complete with dragon dancers and fireworks. Look for the 12 zodiac animals throughout the book: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Bringing in Tết
by Kimly Hoang-Nakata – author
An award-winning book that embraces culture, language and traditions of a special holiday while inspire children to feel closer to their own roots and also for others to understand the significance of Vietnamese Lunar New Year. This book describes a cultural experience in English and Vietnamese with beautiful and colorful illustrations that will bring delights to young readers as they share and relate to the moments of preparing and celebrating of this special holiday tradition. The book includes essential questions and a glossary that defines key vocabulary words embedded in the story. A must-read treasure for children.