Friday, December 14, 2012

Children's Christmas Books

Every year, I try to pick up a Christmas book to read with my children (and because I like picture books). Last year, I picked up "The Story of Christmas" on a gamble and was pleasantly surprised. It tells the story of Jesus' birth using text from the King James Bible, and the accompanying Scherenschnitte (bless you!) illustrations by Pamela Dalton are beautiful.

This year I got "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" by Robert Barry. I was unintentionally being very responsible in my selection, because all of the reviewers raved about it's green message of recycling (which is what Christmas is all about, right?). I just thought it's seemingly infinite storyline was clever- like a Fibbonacci spiral... kind of. My son, on the other hand, declared the story "annoying" when we finished. Ahhh, the christmas memories I'm creating with my little ones.

I have a handful of other books. Do you have any recommendations?

3 comments:

  1. I think it's so hard to find good Christmas books. Most of them are so long that I've lost my Christmas spirit a third of the way in.

    Dallas's favorite Christmas book is "Red Ranger Came Calling." It is a fun book that I think your son would like...though, of course, it is a bit on the long side.

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  2. We LOVE our Christmas books. I have far too many. Some are cute, some are spiritual, and some are goofy. Here are a few you should consider:
    The Grinch, Dr. Suess
    Santa Mouse, Michael Brown and Elfrieda de Witt
    The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg
    Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Steven Kellogg
    Christmas Eve at the Mellops', Tomi Ungerer
    The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, Natasha Wing and Mike Lester (appreciated this one the year I had pnemonia!)
    Mooseltoe, Margie Palatini and Henry Cole
    This is the Star, Joyce Dunbar (my favorite. the illustrations are so beautiful)
    The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson. Its a chapter book, but fun for a family read-along.

    Merry Christmas!!!!

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  3. Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree came to me by way of marriage, so we've been reading it for seven years now and I've never thought of one of it's advantages being that it's "green". That's hilarious. We also love Red Ranger Came Calling. Kevin's mom bought us a neat one called "The Real Night Before Christmas" that is illustrations by a little girl of Joseph and Mary's Journey to Bethlehem and Christ's birth and the accompanying poem is either written by her father or grandfather. It's very sweet. We do the Best Christmas Pageant ever too as a family over several days leading up to Christmas, as well as A Stranger for Christmas, also no pictures:) Silver Packages is another one from my childhood, that you'll esp love with a doctor daddy.

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