Holidays

Three for Thanksgiving

Our libraries will be closed on Thanksgiving and the day after, so now's the time to pick up some reading to take you through the holiday. We have many cookbooks to help plan the feast, but of our other collections these three books tell stories especially true to life and true to the heart to help make your holiday a warm one.

Holiday Fare: Favorite Williamsburg Recipes

By John R. Gonzales

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Clear step-by-step directions for more than 60 recipes from Colonial Williamsburg's Christmastime festivities.
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April Fools' Day

By Emily Kelley

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"Explains the customs and traditions connected with the merry pranks of April fooling, and provides several versions of how April Fools' Day came about."
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Flag Day History

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution to prepare a flag for our new republic. According to a well-known story, George Washington asked a Philadelphia seamstress named Betsy Ross to make a flag for our new country. Although there is no proof that this is the way our first flag came to be, Betsy Ross was a real person, and she was the official flag maker for the U.S. Navy.

Juneteenth: Freedom Day

By Muriel Miller Branch

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Talks about the origin and present-day celebration of Juneteenth, a holiday marking the day Texan slaves realized they were free.

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Juneteenth Jamboree

By Carole Boston Weatherford

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Cassandra and her family have moved to her parents' hometown in Texas, but it doesn't feel like home to Cassandra until she experiences Juneteenth, a Texas tradition celebrating the end of slavery.

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The Story of Kwanzaa

By Donna Washington

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Describes the tradition and customs of Kwanzaa and includes activities.

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The Children's Book of Kwanzaa: A Guide to Celebrating the Holiday

By Dolores Johnson

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A guide to the origins, principles, symbols, and celebration of the African-American holiday.

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Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story

By Angela Shelf Medearis

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When they are given the seemingly impossible task of turning thread into gold, the seven Ashanti brothers put aside their differences, learn to get along, and embody the principles of Kwanzaa. Includes information on Kwanzaa, West African cloth weaving, and instructions for making a belt.

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Seven Candles for Kwanzaa

By Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

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Beautifully designed scratchboard illustrations help to explain the seven principles of the holiday in this introduction for younger readers.

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