We actually don't have very many Christmas books and I haven't been to the library, but this year I'd like to give a few books to the boys that are about Christmas. The first three books we have, and the last five will be wrapped and under the tree. I also ordered The Polar Express, but I'm not going to list it since I think I am probably the last person ever to purchase the book.
My friend Jill over at Terra Savvy has a list of her family's favorite books that you should also check out. What are your favorite books for Christmas and winter? Have you found any that are not classics but that should be?
This book is so fun. There are pockets and fold outs and maps and lots of awesome details. It's a behind the scenes look at Santa, with pictures of his home at the North Pole and his workshop. It's a wonderful book with a lot of magic.
If You Take A Mouse To The Movies by Laura Numeroff
You wouldn't know that this is a Christmas book based on the title, but the cover kind of explains it. When you take a mouse to the movies, they will want to make a popcorn garland for the Christmas tree. I love this book because it's written like a stream of consciousness. One thing flows into another and they go from activity to activity and at the end it's been a very busy day doing lots of fun things. Thanks to my Aunt for gifting us this book last year!
Inventing Christmas by Jock Elliott
Unfortunately, this book is out of print and it's also not technically for kids, however it's MY favorite and I think kids could get a lot out of the pictures. The book explains how many of our Christmas traditions like carols and decorating trees came to be. It's wonderful for people like me, who wonder, how did that all start anyway? The images are all kinds of wonderful vintage ephemera, some of it just so beautiful and classic. Try to find this book at a used book store.
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore and illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa
We have another version of this book that my Mom gave me the Christmas that I was pregnant with my first child. This poem was my favorite as a kid and at five years old I had it memorized and I recited the whole thing to my kindergarten class. (Wasn't I amazing?! Oh yes, I was a terribly precocious child.) The version that I am linking to is illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa and I had a few books about Elves illustrated by her as a child. What a combination of childhood memories! Even though we already have the other version, I think I've got to have this one too. Jill recommends the pop up version by Robert Sabuda.
Bear Stay Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
We just read Bear Snores On last night and on the back is a picture of this book. Milo said he wanted it and it's also on Jill's list, so with a request and a recommendation, we pretty much have to get it. These Bear books are amazing. The writing is rhythmical and they are fun to read. The illustrations are beautiful and the animals are just so sweet. We have gotten a few of the other Bear books from the library and love them all, I can't wait to read this one.
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
I don't know anything about this book, but it was rated highly, so I ordered it. Here's the summary from Amazon: First published in 1963 with ink drawings and green washes, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree now reappears in a slightly larger format with full-color washes. The ink drawings are as jaunty as ever, and even more cheerful with their brilliant tints glowing against the white pages. The unchanged, rhyming text tells the tale of a Christmas tree too tall for Mr. Willowby's parlor. The butler whomps off the top and gives it to the maid, who finds even the treetop too tall for her table. So she chops off the top of her little tree, which is retrieved by the gardener--and so on. In the end, the one tall tree has provided smaller Christmas trees for seven homes, from Mr. Willowby's mansion, where Mr. Willowby dozes contentedly in his parlor, to the cozy mouse hole behind Mr. Willowby's chair, where three little mice dance around their tiny tree. Simple, satisfying, and memorable, this old favorite's colorful reappearance gives readers yet another reason to celebrate the season. - Carolyn Phelan
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
It's just completely deplorable that I don't already have this book. Of course I have the movie, which is my all time favorite Christmas movie, but I guess I kind of forgot that it started out as a book. Isn't the book always better than the movie?
The Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
Apparently these books are very popular. This book is not available in hardcover and the one that Jill recommended, The Snowmen at Night, won't ship for 3 weeks. They did have the board book, so we ordered that. I don't know anything about this book either, but it looks interesting, so it's going under the tree. Here's the summary: One of the more charming new books of the holiday season, this reintroduces the jolly snowmen (and women) from Snowmen at Night (2002). This time they are enjoying the Christmas season, venturing out during the moonlit night (while children sleep) to gather in the town square. It's not what happens here (primarily a visit from a snow Santa and some carols 'round a tree) but the rich art that makes this special. As in the previous book, Buehner does magical things with light in his paintings. From the cover, where snow people frolic in the moody blues of evening to the scene of a city street where holiday lights cast a mellow glow to the quiet picture of a lightening morning sky, children will be enchanted by the hues of the acrylic artwork. The text is sprightly with a to-the-point rhyme scheme that only occasionally verges on singsong. Little ones, especially, will enjoy the celebration as the snow people relish their special night. - Ilene Cooper
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