tammyw Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I know it seems early, but it's already mid October, and I'm a planner :) Plus, Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year and I spend the entire month of December in bliss. I'll start out with a couple of my favorites. I honestly wish I'd kept better track of my favorites, as I'm just going by memory and know I'm missing so many that we loved! - Great Joy, by Kate DiCamillo - An Orange for Frankie, by Patricia Polacco - The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey - Christmas in the Trenches - Hannah's Bookmobile Christmas, by Sally Derby - The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree - Christmas Day in the Morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hands down our favorite is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 One of the best I've found is not exactly a read aloud- it's a picture book that you have to narrate yourself. It's called A Small Miracle by Peter Collington. I cry every. single. time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I'll add December by Eve Bunting. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 I'll add December by Eve Bunting. Bill Shockingly, a Christmas book we've not read yet! I'll definitely check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Shockingly, a Christmas book we've not read yet! I'll definitely check it out. It is both bitter-sweet and uplifting. The story involves a homeless young girl living on the streets in a cardboard box with her mother on Christmas Eve, and a visit from from a stranger who needs shelter for the night. It is kind of a weeper, but it really has a wonderful spirit and gives one a definite sense of perspective at Christmas. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 It is both bitter-sweet and uplifting. The story involves a homeless young girl living on the streets in a cardboard box with her mother on Christmas Eve, and a visit from from a stranger who needs shelter for the night. It is kind of a weeper, but it really has a wonderful spirit and gives one a definite sense of perspective at Christmas. Bill Sounds like the type of book that will become a favorite for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas by Ruth Sawyer, pictures by Maurice Sendak. Hands-down. I don't how to narrow down our picture book favorites, but here are a few: The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston, pictures by Barbara Cooney The Story of Holly & Ivy by Rumer Godden, pictures by Barbara Cooney The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler's Sons by Ruth Sawyer, pictures by Barbara Cooney (are you sensing a theme? :) ) Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Ryland & Diane Goode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Sounds like the type of book that will become a favorite for me. Another touching story for the holidays is The Ugly Menorah by Marissa Moss. Not exactly a "Christmas" story, but we're ecumenical :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Box of Delights by John Masefield A Christmas Carol The Nutcracker and the Mouse King/Tale of the Nutcracker (we alternate Hoffmann and Dumas) Christmas with the Savages by Mary Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Hikers Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 My favorite is Dickens A Christmas Carol. We like The Night Before Christmas, The Christmas Troll, A candle in the Window, The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, The Little Mouse Drummer, The Polar Express and Elf on the Shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 For picture books, we love Cranberry Christmas and Great Joy, both of which get read and reread every year. For chapter books, my very favorite is Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. Gosh, I adore that book. Cornelia Funke's The Day Santa Fell to Earth is a light, fun one we did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 (edited) 1. Father Christmas Letters (Tolkien) -- JRR Tolkien's charming watercolor drawings and letters written in the voice of Father Christmas to his children 2. Christmas Every Day (or here as part of a collection) (Howells) -- a Victorian little girl discovers having Christmas EVERY day isn't what she thought it would be -- we laugh so hard over this one! Those are absolute MUSTS that the entire family wants EVERY year, even now that DSs are grown! :) Others that have been especially delightful over the years (in no particular order): - When it Snowed That Night (Farber) -- charming collection of short poems of the animals coming to see Baby Jesus - The Last Straw (Thury) - The Remarkable Chrstmas of the Cobbler's Sons (Sawyer) -- a fun favorite with DSs - Dance in the Desert (L'Lengle) -- lovely, poetic, magical; not quite Christmas, but all the wild desert animals dancing to honor toddler Jesus as His family flees to Egypt - The Christmas Knight (Curry) -- very fun; DSs LOVED how the greedy characters get their come-uppance - A Small Miracle (Collington) -- a lovely, wordless story - A Story a Day (Scarry) -- all the December stories - The Other Wiseman (retelling by Kennedy) -- hanky alert! I cry all the way through this one EVERY TIME! - The Polar Express (Allsburg) - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Seuss) - B is for Bethlehem (Wilner) -- vibrant and colorful Christmas alphabet picture book - Trouble at Christmas (Johnson) -- very silly and sweet - The TALL Book of Christmas (Smith) -- fun collection of stories and poems - Find The Gifts on The Twelve Days of Christmas (a "Look and Find" book) (Tallarico) - The Snowman (Briggs) -- wintery, rather than straight Christmas, but lovely, imaginative, poignant - A Christmas Carol (French) -- a very nice abridged retelling Edited October 14, 2011 by Lori D. added links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 My all time favorite is A Christmas Like Helen's--makes me cry every time. I have a short list of others on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I consider myself pretty well-versed in children's books, but Christmas books is so open. There are sooooo many treasures out there that are so forgotten. Last year we found one that I loved called Christmas Tree on the Mountain by Carol Fenner that was amazing. And people here have posted several I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 It's not exactly a Christmas story, but Ariel loves the Saint Nicholas chapter of The Seven Year Old Wonder Book. Last year I had to read it nearly 10 times. I'm thinking of getting Big Susan this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I don't know if this qualifies...but we love Jotham's Journey. It's an advent story. We have read it the last 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Probably a strange reply, but one of my favorite books for the Christmas season is "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" by Dottie Smith (the original). It takes place at Christmas time and is one of my (and dd's) favorite stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hands down our favorite is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 I'm so excited to see some books we've yet to read. I love good Christmas books! Makes my heart go pitter patter :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Ivan Gantschev's "The Christmas Train" - a picture book about a girl who stops a train from an avalanche on Christmas Eve. Not read-alouds, but we like the World Book's Christmas Around the World series. They have photos, songs, recipes and crafts. The Scandinavian ones have seemed pretty authentic and have been helpful to create a cultural link for our dc (without having to experience the Scandinavian winters :) ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieuog Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Box of Delights by John Masefield:iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahli Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 "The gift of the magi" is one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas by Russel and Lillian Hoban Out of print, but look for it at the library. It's a very sweet story inspired by "The Gift of the Magi." Jim Henson also directed a video version: link. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I'll second Madeleine L'Engle's Twenty-Four Days before Christmas. We love that one :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I don't know if this qualifies...but we love Jotham's Journey. It's an advent story. We have read it the last 2 years. Yes this, and we've also read Bartholomew's Passage, good too. We're going to read the Easter one this year...forgetting what it's called right now! by the same author though... Another book that my kids love is The Advent Book. Every page has a short text with a large window to open (like Christmas cards--in fact that's what the author used originally to make the book for his kids & then they made this elaborate book). Really beautiful. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Oh yes, Emmet Otter is wonderful. I didn't know it was out of print! That seems wrong. Christmas in the Noisy Village Polar Express I have a big book that is all Jan Brett Christmas (or winter) stories. My kids love that. They adore the story "Trouble with Trolls" We have a really 'far out' book by Bill Peet called "Countdown To Christmas" that I always like. We also have "Christmas in New York: a Popup Book" that is amazing. We have been to NY to see the windows at Macy's and the tree and the skaters and we took the kids to see the Rockettes. It is fun to look at that book and remember what a good time we had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 What Child is This? It's about an 8 year old foster child who puts a wish for a family on a Christmas tree bell (like a Salvation Army tree), which sets off a chain reaction of events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I'll add Robin Finds Christmas, a favorite from childhood with beautiful illustrations by Molly Brett. A robin's tree is cut down "for Christmas" and he indignantly goes in search of "Christmas, whoever he may be" to get it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 A litte non-traditional, but we love A Wish for Wings That Work: An Opus Christmas Story. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wish-for-wings-that-work-berke-breathed/1100836678 They are not picture books, but my kids also enjoyed reading aloud the first couple of the Christmas Chronicles series: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/autobiography-of-santa-claus-jeff-guinn/1100315202 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 The Cricket on the Hearth - a beautiful love story by Charles Dickens, complete with all the difficulty of reading it aloud. Beautiful all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I discovered Emma's Christmas a few years ago. It's a hysterical retelling of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Also excellent for a seasonal math lesson. ;) I have so many favorite Christmas books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Here are some Christmas books we've enjoyed over the years. All of these are links to my reviews on my blog: lots of picture books (my girls were 3 & 4 when we read these) Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Santa Mouse Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Polar Express summary Christmas post with lots of links (why didn't I remember this one to begin with?) Jan Brett picture books St. Nicholas Day books various books by Madeleine L'Engle, Nikki Grimes, and Pearl S. Buck Christmas around the World: Mexico Christmas around the World: Russia I'm subscribing to this thread for future reference! Thanks, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNABONNA Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 another for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We read The Light at Tern Rock every year. I love it. It's a very good story about disappointment and contentment. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We also love "A Wish for Wing that Work". For fun, if you are good with accents, we love, "A Cajun Night Before Christmas". Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We have very young kids here and Peter Spier's "Christmas!" book is wonderful! No words, just fascinating, amusing detailed illustrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 We always read The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson every year. Not Christmas exactly, but still a beautiful story for the season. And The Velveteen Rabbit is a good read at Christmas as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 For chapter books, my very favorite is Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. Will I ever find a book suggestion thread where you haven't already posted my suggestion? :) Oh wow, my hold request for it (which I think I placed last January) has activated! Eek! I've officially reached my self-designated "Getting close to Christmas" point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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