Rockin’ Around the Christmas Reads: 8 Holiday Books for the Whole Family
by Janssen Bradshaw
Finding Christmas books your whole family will enjoy can be tough. You want something simple enough for younger kids, clever enough for older kids, and something that won’t make you, as the parent, want to tear your hair out by the third reading.
Here are eight holiday books that have delighted my children, and that my husband and I don’t mind reading every day in December.
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Little Santa
Available from:Ever wondered about Santa as a little boy? Jon Agee has created a delightful backstory about Santa and his family. Santa loves growing up in the North Pole, but his family dreams of moving to Florida and escaping the freezing cold weather.
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My Pen Pal, Santa
Anyone can write a Christmas letter to Santa. But Ava isn’t just anyone, and when her post-Christmas letter inquiring about uneaten cookies gets a response, a whole year’s worth of correspondence is kicked off. Your child might be inspired to write letters to Santa after reading this book!
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Dream Snow
Available from:Like all of Eric Carle’s books, this one is sweet and simple; it’s about a farmer who dreams of snow and then wakes up to find that it really is snowing. Also, there’s a little button at the back of the book that plays music, and despite the fact that my children played it some ten thousand times in December, I never got tired of hearing it. Now that’s a Christmas miracle.
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A Creature Was Stirring
There are so many versions of “The Night Before Christmas” but I think this one, about a little boy who sneaks out of bed, is the very best. It’s perfect for reading aloud with two voices. For extra credit, you and your child could memorize the two parts!
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Room for a Little One
For an animal-loving child, it doesn’t get much better than this sweet nativity book. One animal after another finds Kind Ox in the stable’s inn and asks for a place to stay, until Mary and Joseph suddenly appear, hoping for a little room for themselves and their expected baby.
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Olivia Helps with Christmas
Like most of the world, I love Olivia, and this Christmas version is one of my favorites. The whole range of Christmas emotions — from hyper to excited to magical to manic — are on display here in perfect illustration.
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The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
Available from:WWI has been officially declared over, but Ruthie and her mother haven’t heard a word from Ruthie’s father. Determined to fulfill their family’s duty to cut down the town’s Christmas tree, Ruthie and her mother set out in the snow to bring back the most perfect Christmas tree their tiny Appalachian town has ever seen.
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I Spy Christmas
The I Spy books are great for a huge range of kids, from preschoolers to teenagers (and, to be honest, adults). They’re fun to do together, and this one is perfect for those last days before Christmas when little kids get wound up with excitement and need something quiet to focus on.
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