Parents need to know that The Little Drummer Boy, one of four stories included in this Scholastic collection, is about the birth of Jesus. In the story Sam and the Lucky Money, a young Asian-American boy encounters a homeless man in Chinatown while celebrating Chinese New Year with his mother. In Merry Christmas, Space Case, a boy is threatened by two neighborhood bullies. And in The Tomten, the title characters, who look like trolls or gnomes, were considered spirit beings connected to the winter solstice and the pagan celebration of Yuletide.

Families can talk about the different cultures and celebrations presented in these stories. What's familiar to you, and what's different? What do you like about the holidays and traditions your family doesn't celebrate? Families can also discuss who the children meet in the stories and how it changes them. Why does Sam give his money to the homeless man? How does the space creature teach the bullying twins a lesson?