I have a lot of Christmas books, so it was hard to choose 10 favorites. In fact, I went back and forth between a few of them. Out of the Christmas books I currently have here in England, here is my top 10 list:
1. Give Him my Heart (Debi Gliori)—This book is based on the poem/hymn by Christina Rossetti (“In the Bleak Midwinter”). It’s a favorite carol of mine anyway, but this book is unique in that it portrays side by side on each page a little girl from modern times and a little girl in the setting of the Nativity. The illustrations are lovely.
2. God Gave Us Christmas (Lisa Tawn Bergren)—This is a sweet story about a polar bear family getting ready for Christmas. The little polar bear asks lots of questions, and the mother bear explains the true meaning of Christmas. I like that the book emphasizes Jesus as the reason for Christmas, yet it is not anti-Santa either. Santa is mentioned as a symbol of generosity (which was true of St. Nicholas).
3. The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Jan Brett)—A young girl elf is training the new reindeer at the North Pole. She must learn the proper way to treat the wild creatures—with kindness. As always, Jan Brett tells a wonderful story with amazing illustrations.
4. Christmas Tapestry (Patricia Polacco)—A pastor’s son learns that sometimes things do happen for a reason. I love this story about how an antique tapestry brings two people together, told beautifully by Polacco. You won’t want to miss this one!
5. Baboushka: A Traditional Russian Folktale (Arthur Scholey)—I really like Christmas stories from around the world. There are different versions of this story (see Babouska and the Three Kings by Nicolas Sidjakov, which won a Caldecott medal), which is about Baboushka , an old lady who starts out a bit too late to search for the newborn King, after the Magi invite her. She ventures on a life-long search for the Christ child.
6. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Robert E. Barry)—I’ve had this book since I was a child. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree is too tall for his huge room. How many Christmas trees can you get from one huge one? My son, who lately claimed he was too old for picture books, picked this one up today and commented that it was a really cool book. It has been a long favorite of mine!
7. Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas! (Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Langvald)—How do Christians kids around the world celebrate Christmas? I love reading about different traditions. This book covers traditions from China, Russia, Mexico, Congo, Saudi Arabia, France, Hawaii, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Norway. There is a page for the reader to fill in their traditions, and it also includes recipes and directions to some of the traditions mentioned.
8. The Legend of the Poinsettia (Tomie dePaola)—This retold Christmas legend comes from Mexico and is nicely illustrated by dePaola—one of my favorite dePaola books.
9. The Polar Express (Chris van Allsburg)—The movie adaptation of this book is my youngest child’s favorite movie at the minute. The book is a classic (and also a Caldecott medal-winner), with enchanting illustrations. If you like the movie, get the book!
10. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (Laura Numeroff)—You wouldn’t know by the title itself, but at least the cover reveals that this is a Christmas story. I love Numeroff’s other books, so having a Christmas story involving our adorable mouse is a must!
I’m linking this post, which I meant to finish at the beginning of December, to “The Children’s Bookshelf” at What Do We Do All Day?
After writing this post, I found 2 more Christmas books I forgot I had here! Both are excellent. The first is The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado, and the second is a huge classic and a top favorite of ours (can't believe I forgot it)--Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! What are your favorite Christmas books?
