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If you caught my posts dedicated to Fall and Halloween books for children, you know that I adore collecting beautifully illustrated kids’ books with heartwarming stories. So it’s no wonder that Christmas books are my favourites. Most everything we collected have absolutely stunning images and the stories are so lovely. Many are classics for these reasons and it is a real joy to bring these out every year. Here are a few of the kids’ Christmas books our family loves to read at this time of year.
Let’s start strong with one of my favourites. I own several books by Patricia Toht and I simply adore her. Her prose is witty, clever, and fun and I just love her books. This one is about finding a tree, sharing experiences, and creating some holiday magic. The illustrations are beautiful and my version also includes a pop-up tree which makes it extra whimsical. I truly love this book as it brings back memories and nostalgia of going to find a real Christmas tree when I was a child.
Well this is a classic for a reason and I believe it truly belongs on everyone’s bookshelves at Christmas. It is traditional, heartwarming, the rhymes are clever and I adore the classic version’s illustrations. For us, it is tradition to read it every Christmas eve and I would not have it any other way.
Santa Cat is such a fun holiday book and a must have if you have cats. This book is part of a series that includes the Easter Cat, Valentine Cat, and the Tooth Fairy Cat. In each version, Cat has quirky exchanges with the narrator and, in this one, Cat tries to change his cat ways to be nice and receive a Christmas present. I love this series!
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” If you love the movie, you will love this. This book is exactly like the movie but illustrated for a children’s book. Elf is a movie that I love and watch every year and this book manages to convey the same warm feelings as the movie. I know there are similar books based on Home Alone and Home Alone: Lost in New York. I don’t own these yet, but if you know how much I love these movies, you won’t be surprised that they will soon be added to our library shelves.
This is a gorgeously illustrated book based on the classic Tschaikovsky ballet. The book takes us from the ballroom party, to the battle of the Mouse King, to the dance of the snowflakes and the Land of the Sweets. This is a beautiful keepsake book. The only detail I do not like is that the main character’s name was changed and she is not called Clara. This book can be purchased by itself, but if you love ballet, they have a set that also includes Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake which are just as wonderfully illustrated.
Little Red has big dreams and would love to become Santa’s sleigh. After other toys state that she is too young and too small, she departs for an adventure to the North Pole. On her way, she discovers that she can reach her dreams by working on them one step at a time and manages to find her real purpose while doing so. This is probably the most heartwarming book of this list and it manages to make me tear up every time I read the ending.
This book and especially its front cover is absolutely stunning. It is also fun and interactive as it takes the form of an advent calendar where you read a story every night in December until Christmas. Every night, we discover what Santa, Mrs Claus, their cat, their dog, and the reindeers are up to in the days leading up to Christmas. While the story is not the most heartwarming out of this list, I still like this book and its advent calendar tradition. It is a great way to get excited for Christmas starting Dec 1st.
This book follows the story of a little girl who wants to post a letter to her grandpa that lives far away. But since it is almost Christmas, the letter would not arrive on time via regular mail. There is still time when she discovers a magical mailbox and a magical reindeer that can quickly fly around the world. This is a lovely interactive book filled with tabs to open and cut outs to peek into different worlds. The premise is also great for families with relatives that live far away or that cannot be together at Christmas.
Great countdown book telling the story of a little boy who is too excited to sleep the last five days before Christmas. The illustrations are wonderful, I love the rhymes, and I love how I can feel the excitement of Christmas through the pages.
Do you have a favourite Christmas story? Until next time, happy reading!
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