hoosing quality gifts may seem like a challenge, but it’s hard to go wrong if good books and delightful music are on your list. As December winds blow and rains fall, sip a fragrant cup of tea as you peruse our suggestions below. Holiday-centered new releases, modern classics and year-round favorites will please the younger set and their parents.

N is for Navidad is a special ABC book which joyfully introduces children to Christmas customs and traditions from Mexico, Spain and other Latin cultures. Well-loved illustrator Joe Cepeda creates vivid oils, full of humor and enticing details that will please the entire family whileBay Area authors Susan Middleton Elya and Merry Banks offer a lively rhyming text. Learning new Spanish words (more than forty!) has never been so much fun. The glossary includes in-depth information about many of the interesting customs described. Just one example: Did youknow that instead of hanging stockings Latino children set out their shoes the night before Three Kings Day, which is January 6? They hope to receive gifts from the Three Wise Men. But those shoes are not empty. They are filled with grass (yerba) for the kings’ camels! Giving N isfor Navidad may spark delightful new Christmas customs in many homes. (Chronicle Books, $14.95, age 4-8)

Angela and the Baby Jesus is a sweet and gentle true story sure to be treasured by the whole family. Written by the late, gifted Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes) and illustrated by Raul Colon, this picture book tells of the author’s mother, Angela, when she was a girl of six growing up inLimerick, Ireland. When little Angela sees the Baby Jesus, without a blanket, on the altar of St. Joseph’s Church she worries that he will be cold during the damp December nights. Angela is not permitted on the altar and she knows stealing is wrong, but she’s determined to save Baby Jesus “before he turned blue with the cold altogether.” She takes him home and hides him. Brother Pat tattles on Angela but then proves his love and loyalty to his little sister in this exquisite story. (Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99, age 5 and up)

Author-illustrator Jan Brett’s beautifully rendered interpretation of a Ukrainian folktale is The Mitten, a winter classic. Young Nicki insists his grandmother knit him white mittens though she has warned him that they can easily be lost in the snow. Indeed, Nicki doesn’t notice when he accidently drops one in the woods. One by one, the forest creatures discover the prize. First, a curious little mole snuggles into the cozy mitten. Mole is followed by a rabbit, then a badger. Each animal is larger than the last until even a huge brown bear manages to join the crowd. Finally, a tiny mouse attempts to squeeze in with surprising results! p is a gentle and humorous cumulative tale painted with warmth and loving detail. (Putnam Juvenile, $17.99, age 2-5)

What’s better than a box? Nothing! The Birthday Box by the talented author-illustrator Leslie Patricelli humorously explores the possibilities when the container becomes the gift. When grandma gives him a birthday present the diapered toddler-narrator discovers the big, brown box can be climbed on, hugged and used for hide-and-seek. And, oh, by the way, there’s a toy dog inside. Instantly dubbed “Oscar,” the dog joins the fun as the box becomes a boat, a plane, a sled and then a bed where the two friends snack, then nap together. Patricelli’s bold acrylic illustrations will please kids and adults alike. Make sure your gift book is wrapped in a very big brown box. (Candlewick, $19.95, age 2-4)

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, Simms Taback’s wonderful picture book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is based on a Yiddish folksong and is the counterpoint to cumulative tales. Joseph has a little overcoat, but it’s full of holes so when it’s old and shabby he makes it into a jacket. When the jacket becomes old and worn he makes it into a vest. The vest becomes a scarf, the scarf a necktie, the necktie a handkerchief, the handkerchief a button. What he makes of the button is a tale unto itself. The book has dazzling, detailed illustrations with an innovative die-cut format which Taback also employed in his book There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, also a Caldecott Medal winner. This is a great choice for Chanukah giving, though it is not a Chanukah tale. (Viking, $15.99, age 2-7)

Any budding artist will love Max & Art by David Wiesner. This energetic, sparsely worded adventure into art and friendship features young collared-lizard Max and his friend, Arthur, a horned lizard who also happens to be a seasoned artist. When Max first asks to learn to paint, his friend dismisses him but Max persists until finally Art declares, “Well, you could paint me.” Max takes him literally as pastels, watercolors, line drawings and Pointillist brilliance lead the friends and the reader deeper into the creative process. (Clarion, $17.99, age 4-8)

A Celtic Christmas is a beautiful new CD of Christmas classics by Putumayo World Music. Holiday favorites from Ireland, England, Scotland, the USA and Canada feature interesting instrumentation. Particular favorites are “Little Drummer Girl” with fiddle and guitar and “WhiteChristmas” sung in Gaelic (“Nollaig Bhan”). A soulful Scottish “Auld Lang Syne” and a mysterious, enchanting “Noel Nouvelet” are among the eleven offerings in what will surely become a family favorite for the holidays. (www.putumayo.com, $14.98, age 2-adult)

Two outstanding new CDs from a quartet of talented moms who call themselves Hey Mom! are Listen to Your Mama and Singing on a Star. Listen to Your Mama is a collection of sixteen traditional and modern songs featuring exquisite harmonies and a lush variety of instruments including mandolin, violin, steel drums, bass guitar, electric bass, banjo and many more. “Erie Canal” is arranged as you’ve never heard it before and Woody Guthrie’s “Mail Myself to You” is another favorite, along with “Turn the World Around” by Harry Belafonte and Robert Freedman. Themes of friendship, working together as a community and caring for the environment are all here, including “Wonderful Wiggly Worms,” a personal favorite.

Singing on a Star includes fourteen selections, among them “Camptown Races” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” as well as “Little White Star,” the best tooth fairy song ever, and “Darktown Strutters’ Ball.” “Sweet Betsy from Pike” has some original verses that make it a real Californiatune, bringing Sweet Betsy all the way to Placerville. Hey Mom! features impeccable, clear vocals and sophisticated instrumentation. Every song on both CDs is a winner and sure to be enjoyed all year ‘round. (CDBaby.com, $15, age 2 to adult).