Wondering what gifts to buy for this gift-giving season? Well, why not make your own gifts like some celebrants of Kwanzaa do. You could make ornaments, dolls, treasure boxes or candle out of old jewelry, marbles, yarn, string or other small pieces you already have around. Here are some craft books to help you along.

All new crafts for Kwanzaa by Kathy Ross; illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm

Chinese New Year crafts by Karen E. Bledsoe

Hanukkah crafts by Karen E. Bledsoe; crafts prepared and illustrated by June Ponte

Christmas crafts by Fay Robinson; crafts prepared and illustrated by Margaret Frase

Steampunk appears to be gaining steam… but what exactly is it? Well, here is a definition from Wikipedia: "Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality." While many of the books are for teens or adults, Steampunk is now coming out for tween-age readers. It is one of those 'happenings' that crosses sexes, ages, and formats. No official subject heading exists yet for this genre, but here are a few titles to whet your appetite, pique your curiousity...whatever:

Bummed that storytime is on break until November 9th? Share these stories at home with your children to tide them over with some great story fun!

Princess Pig by written by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Tim Bowers — when the Pickle Princess's sash blows away from her parade and lands on Pig, things change around the barnyard. As Pig begins to explore the possibilies of royalty, Pony reminds her that you don't have to be a princess to be special.

Traction Man is here! by Mini Grey — the hilarious domestic adventures of a boy and his action figure.

Dinosaur vs. bedtime by Bob Shea — dinosaur is fierce, but has he met his match when it's time for bedtime?

As the weather gets colder and we all start staying indoors more, here are some cute picture books about being artistic to inspire you to create!

I ain't gonna paint no more! by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

The dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Harold and the purple crayon by Johnson, Crockett, 1906-

Frederick by Leo Lionni