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To prolong the magic beyond Christmas, gift the kids in your life with children's books by local authors.Ìý

There are way more options than you would expect, with stories covering everything from the desert to Down syndrome.Ìý

We've organized the list by local author — with titles, publication dates and ratings as you would find them on Amazon.Ìý

Happy reading!

Lori Alexander

"" (2020): This young readers biography uses art and photographs to tell the origin story of the Paralympics. This book has five stars and six ratings on Amazon.

"" (2014): A story about a boy who tries to adopt a backhoe that misbehaves like a rambunctious puppy. This book has 89 ratings and four-and-a-half stars on Amazon.Ìý

Learn more about Alexander and her other books atÌý.

Byrd Baylor

"" (1985): A rock hunter shares her 10 rules for finding a rock. The book has four-and-a-half stars and 314 ratings.Ìý

"" (1986): The book explores how people around the world watch the sunrise. This book has five stars and 85 ratings.Ìý

Baylor has many other books that celebrate the natural world, the desert and the simple pleasures of life such as family and beauty. Find them listed at Antigone Books .Ìý

Rhody Cohon

"" (2005): The first book in a series that whisks a class back in time to learn about history up close and personal. This book has four stars and 26 ratings. Cohon writes with Stacia Deutsch. Other books in the series include "," "" and "."ÌýÌý

Cohon and Deutsch have also written novelizations of films including "" and ""Ìý

Lili DeBarbieri

"" (2015): The southwestern tale about a pocket mouse lost in the desert introduces readers to aÌýhungry kit fox, a nonchalant lizard and a child sledding down sand dunes. This book has five stars and four Amazon ratings.Ìý

"" (2019): Animals use a cookout and a race to help Sun and Moon decide who should rule the world, rather than taking turns every day and every night. This book has three-and-a-half stars and two ratings on Amazon.Ìý

Chris Gall

"" (2012): Adapted as an animated TV show for Netflix in 2015, the first in Gall's Dinotrux series explores a world where dinosaur-truck hybrid creatures rule the Earth. The first book has four-and-a-half stars and 448 customer ratings on Amazon.Ìý

"" (2014): This book pits these two pets against each other and explores what will bring them together — four-and-a-half stars on Amazon and 93 ratings.Ìý

(2020): This picture book about the development of the Boeing 747 commemorates its 50th anniversary. The book has four-and-a-half stars and four ratings.Ìý

Gall has way more books to check out. You can do so at his website:Ìý.

Kristin Gudenkauf

(2020): This grumpy dinosaur is learning how to understand the many reasons for a bad mood. The book has five stars and 11 ratings.Ìý

Kathryn Humphrey

"" (2018): Through the story of a lonely saguaro in the middle of the desert, Humphrey demonstrates the importance of resilience and having someone to loveÌý— plus the plants and animals of the desert. This book has three-and-a-half stars and seven ratings.Ìý

Visit to purchase the book.Ìý

David LazaroffÌý

"" (2001): An illustrated adventure through the Sonoran Desert withÌýPrickly Pete the packrat to learn about desert facts. The book has five stars and one rating on Amazon.Ìý

Susan Lowell

"" (1992): A ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ take on the Three Little Pigs has javelinas running from a clever coyote. The book has five stars on Amazon and 272 ratings.Ìý

(2012): The hairy javelinas return to their home for the holidays, but there's still a bad guy to evade. Four-and-a-half stars and 15 ratings.Ìý

Other books by Lowell include "," " and "." Find more books .Ìý

Maria Jordan MacKeigan

"" (2016): MacKeigan wrote this story to open up conversations between parents and children about disabilities. This story is about her own two daughters and a Down syndrome diagnosis that made their relationship even sweeter. This book has five stars and 17 ratings.Ìý

Marianne Mitchell

"" (1995): A Mexican folktale that explains why the moon changes shapes. The book has four five-star ratings. You can also find other books or order "Maya Moon" from Mitchell's siteÌý.Ìý

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Judi Moreillon

"" or "" (2004): This board book explores why it's so important to read to kids. The English version has four-and-a-half stars and nine ratings. The Spanish version has one, five-star rating.ÌýÌý

Adiba Nelson

"" (2013): Just because this preschooler is in a wheelchair, doesn't mean she can't have adventures. This book has five stars and 43 ratings.Ìý

La Verne Olsen

"" (2007): Written by a ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ grandmother for her grandchildren, the inspiration for this book followed a day at Reid Park Zoo. After a peacock spent the day tailing Olsen and her grandkids, one of her grandsons asked what would have happened if the peacock followed them home. Thus this story. There are no Amazon reviews for this book.Ìý

Marge Pellegrino

"" (1999): When Annie's grandmother becomes mayor, she no longer has as much time for Annie. Annie is upset at first but soon comes to see the rewards of civic engagement. The book hasÌýfour stars and six ratings on Amazon.Ìý

For more books by Marge Pellegrino, visitÌý.Ìý

Guy Porfirio

(2012): A jumping cholla takes an adventure from cactus to coyote and around the country. The book has five stars and 27 ratings.Ìý

Porfirio has also illustrated a number of books, including some other holiday stories such as .ÌýVisit his websiteÌý for more.Ìý

Adam Rex

" (2018): Take a silly adventure and learn what exactly scares the big, bad Sith lord. This book has five stars and 224 ratings.Ìý

" (2011): This is a New York Times bestseller with silly poems that provides a glimpse into the problems facing the world's scary monsters. The book has 161 ratings and four-and-a-half stars. Think empty pantries and stinky vampires. If you love monsters, check out the followup "."

If you're a fan of Adam Rex, he has more than a dozen other titles that you can find and purchase at his website .Ìý

Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford

"" (2017): A companion to the Disney/Pixar film "Coco," this book includes game cards and stickers. Roni wrote this with her son Aaron Rivera-Ashford. This book has five stars and 148 ratings.Ìý

"" (2002): From fear to stomach aches, this grandmother knows all of the traditional treatments for her granddaughter. This book has five stars and 13 Amazon reviews. You can also find the followup book "."Ìý

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

(1977):ÌýThis is a long-running chapter book series that encourages kids to problem-solve along with boy detective Nate. The series has dozens of books. The first book hasÌýfive stars and 1,111 ratings on Amazon.Ìý

"" (1990): A boy from New York City faces down his perceptions about what a move out West will be like — four and a half stars and 41 customer ratings.Ìý

Jennifer Stewart

"" (2010): Replace the partridge in a pear tree with a cactus wren in a palo verde and read Isabella's letters to her parents about her Christmas vacation to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and all the sights she sees. This book has five stars and 22 ratings.Ìý

" (2013): When 12-year-old Annie's family spends two months in Nepal on a medical mission trip she meets a local girl and goes on a journey of self-discovery. This book has four-and-a-half stars and six ratings.Ìý

Learn more about Stewart atÌý.

Jennifer Ward

(2020): Take a journey through nature in this book that contemplates all that is round in our world. Think: birds' eggs, apples, raindrops and more. This book has three, five-star ratings on Amazon.Ìý

"" (2007): A flea is the smallest thing this coyote swallows, with bigger residents of the Sonoran Desert eventually ending up in his belly. This book hasÌýfives stars on Amazon and 256 reviews. Ward has similar titles such as " and ""Ìý

Ward has lots of other well-reviewed books about nature, animals and getting your kids outside. Learn about her other books here: .

Shop at these local stores

While these stores may not stock every title or author on this list, they may be able to help you hunt down local finds, if not for Christmas then just for fun.ÌýÌý

, , 520-792-3715.

, , 520-571-0110.Ìý

, , 520-748-9555.Ìý

, , 520-579-0303.

, ,Ìý 520-325-5767.Ìý

Editor's note: A version of this story first appeared on #ThisIsÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on Dec. 6, 2017. It has since been updated.Ìý