the Best Holiday Books
Anyone who knows me knows I have a book problem. I have referenced it here, and here. I refuse all treatment for my book-buying addiction, and I really perceive it more as a lack-of-bookshelves problem than MY problem. My long-suffering spouse disagrees. I should also note that my book-buying habit does not in any way prevent me from hitting up the library for several dozen books per visit. I’m really grateful that Big Girl (age 7) is getting strong enough to carry her own library books, because she has surely inherited my affinity for the written word. Our usual system is to put the baby in the wrap on me, make the toddler walk, and use the stroller for the books.
I should also note that this, er, acquisition problem is exclusively a children’s book issue. I read my own grown-up books on my Kindle app…partly so that I can read behind Baby B’s head while he nurses to sleep and nurses a hundred times in the middle of the night, and partly because we really would be squeezed right out of our house by books if I collected both children’s AND adult books.
This book is our family, in a nutshell. Not a holiday book, but still highly recommended!
In my defense, we really do read our children’s books. All of them. Many, many times. I rotate books in and out based on seasons and holidays, and I rotate boxes of “general” books so they stay fresh and exciting for the kids. I also don’t just have my own three kids; I have several others who spend their days learning and playing with us. We read A LOT.
Right now, we have the holiday books out. We celebrate Christmas at our house, so the vast majority of them are Christmas books, but I do also have some awesome Hanukkah books, as well as some about Kwanzaa. We have so many holiday books that we ended up using three bookshelves to barricade the Christmas tree against a Baby B invasion since he’s got the Army-crawl down pat now…and all three are nothing but holiday books!
I’d really love to share some of my favorites with you. These books bring me an IMMENSE amount of joy…I get more excited about the day we get the Christmas books out than I do about the day we get the tree. I want that joy for you, too! If you’re looking to add to your holiday collection (we do a book for each child every year…and some extras along the way, haha), here are some of my best recommendations:
Books You Can Sing: These are a great way to learn some of the familiar carols of the season, which in turn is a great way to build “cultural literacy” (look for a future blog on that!). Singing books also tend to engage younger readers for longer periods of time than spoken books.
The 12 Days of Christmas, by Tad Hills: This is a lift-the-flap version of this traditional carol, starring two pigs who end up sharing their home with a few too many animals! A very sweet way to learn all the verses.
Deck the Halls, Illustrated by Veronica Vasylenko: This has all three verses and features a wonderfully warm and busy extended family of mice celebrating the holiday.
Jingle Bells, by Iza Trapani: This is such a fabulous rewrite of the original! Each new verse takes the reader to a different part of the world to explore how Christmas is celebrated. At each stop, the sleigh picks up a new friend, so there’s a big, multicultural gathering at the end. After the story, the author has included a bit of nonfiction information about each country visited, how to say Christmas greetings in various languages, and the music for the song. I love everything about this one! (This author, Iza Trapani, has some awesome rewrites of other familiar nursery rhymes…definitely check them out!)
Frosty the Snowman, illustrated by Wade Zahares, music & lyrics by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins: This one follows the original movie closely, and will be stuck in your head for days. This is also an excellent option if you don’t celebrate Christmas specifically.
Books for Big Kids: These are five of my absolute, all-time FAVORITES to read with bigger kids. I’ve read them with PreK, K and up to middle-elementary-age and all are enthralled. The text and vocabulary are just so rich; they’re just perfect for getting totally absorbed in. It doesn’t hurt that they all have incredible illustrations, as well!
NOTE: Remember that even after your kids learn to read (even after they read really well!) you shouldn’t quit reading aloud to them. It provides opportunities to discuss difficult topics, continues to provide family bonding time, and gives them access to higher-level texts and vocabulary. (See here for more information on that!)
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch: This one makes me cry every time. It does have a happy ending, but I won’t say anything more for fear of ruining it. It involves the carving of a Nativity and the building of a family. It is on my must-read list every year.
The Carpenter’s Gift, by David Rubel, illustrated by Jim LaMarche: This one is centered around the Great Depression and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a sight which I have yet to behold in person. I can guarantee you that when I do get to that tree, I’ll be thinking of this story!
Welcome Comfort, by Patricia Polacco: This one provides an opportunity to discuss bullying, foster care, and the idea that families can be chosen. It’s a really beautiful story that even my toddler gets wrapped up in, but is definitely enjoyable for much older kids.
An Orange for Frankie, by Patricia Polacco: You caught me. There are two by Patricia Polacco. I’m a huge fan and would probably follow her right off a cliff if she hadn’t already sued me for stalking. This particular story is about her ACTUAL GRANDMOTHER, which from where I’m standing, makes it worthy of totally geeking out over. Just don’t read the epilogue if you don’t feel like crying.
The Witness, by Robert Westall, illustrated by Sophy Williams: This is a story of the Nativity, told from the perspective of a feline! It’s such a unique version of the birth of Christ and absolutely should be included in your learning about that story. I’m also a huge fan of how the illustrator depicts the Holy Family here…they look as though they actually do originate in the Middle East, instead of being totally white-washed.
Classic Stories we should all know: These are all stories that get referenced a lot around Christmas time. If your child isn’t familiar with them, they won’t pick up on any of those references. This is at the heart of the concept of cultural literacy - that we all have to have some sort of collective body of knowledge in order to communicate with one another at a high level. These stories are part of our culture’s collective body of knowledge!
The Story Orchestra, “The Nutcracker,” Illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle: These Story Orchestras are AMAZING. You need all of them. Definitely get The Nutcracker version. It has a very brief version of the story (but enough to really understand the narrative) and has ten circles to press to hear the original Tchaikovsky music. The illustrations and the music are beautiful!
Peek Inside a Fairy Tale, “The Nutcracker,” retold by Anna Milbourne, Illustrated by Karl James Mountford, Designed by Helen Edmonds: I couldn’t help myself, I had to include two versions of the Nutcracker. This one is published by Usborne, tells another brief version of the story, and has the cutest cutouts on the pages! It’s really fun to look at again and again, and different enough from the other one (above) that it’s worth having or borrowing both.
A Christmas Carol, adapted by Brooke Jorden, illustrated by David Miles: This is from the “Lit for Little Hands” collection, all of which I would love to own. This is the perfect introduction to Dickens. It has a short and simple children’s adaptation of the story…but includes actual quotations from the original text. It’s the perfect combination for young children…they can comprehend the narrative, but also be exposed to some of the original Old English speech! I just LOVE that. It also has some really fun tabs to pull and wheels to spin that liven up the animations. It’s just all around awesome.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss. If you aren’t familiar with this one, you’ve probably been living under a rock. My kids are obsessed with this, and honestly so am I. Aside from the great message, the text is just so rhyming and catchy and fun. We have a good bit of this memorized at our house!
The Night Before Christmas, by Jan Brett: There are a million versions of this classic poem by Clement C. Moore out there, but I have a definite obsession with Jan Brett (see above for my adoration of Patricia Polacco…I feel similarly about Jan Brett) so this is my personal favorite. The detail in her illustrations and the “extra” sidebar illustrations she delivers are just everything. In my humble opinion, she has just the right style to bring this poem to life.
Just Plain Fun: These don’t really fall into any other category but man do we read them a lot and man do we all enjoy them!
Santa Post, by Emma Yarlett: This is another published by Usborne (Well, Kane Miller, to be precise) and it features Santa desperately trying to figure out what a young girl wants for Christmas, and getting some amusing help along the way. It has some extra fun letters to open and read as you figure the mystery out alongside Santa!
Mooseltoe, by Margie Palatini, Illustrated by Henry Cole: I love this story about a papa Moose who goes ALL OUT with the Christmas prep, forgets one crucial element, and finds a creative and amusing solution. Lots of fun plays-on-words amidst the rhyming and humor.
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry: I love this circular story of a Christmas tree that ends up in a whole bunch of family’s homes. The ending is a very sweet connection to the beginning. It’s also a really catchy, bouncy rhyming cadence.
Snowmen at Christmas, by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner: See how snowmen celebrate Christmas…and complete an actually-pretty-challenging search-and-find throughout every page of the book. This one keeps us busy for hours every year!
Wombat Divine, by Mem Fox, illustrated by Kerry Argent: This is a very sweet and silly story of a wombat and a Nativity pageant. Wombat is so desperate to be cast in the pageant…check it how to see how it turns out!
What do you like to read with your kids at Christmas? Please, PLEASE comment so I can buy or borrow even more! I am ALWAYS in the market for new book ideas!