Top 25 Christmas Books for 2012
Last year we started the advent style tradition of reading Christmas and winter themed books each night in the month of December. It was such a big hit for our girls (now ages 2 and 6) we are doing it again this year. I love the notion that we can mix up our selections each year with library titles and then deliberately choose to make purchases focusing upon ones that we absolutely adore.
I'm quite selective about children's book in general and when you are talking Christmas books it adds a whole new layer to my book neurosis. Classic and solid story lines, beautiful illustration/design and high marks on review meters are my general guidelines. I also like to keep it real and adaptable with our kid's ages since our girls are still pretty young.
Here is my list of favorite Christmas books for 2012:
1 Pashmina the Little Christmas Goat
- We loved this book so much from last year I purchased it. The story is heartwarming and the watercolor illustrations are gorgeous!
- We loved this book so much from last year I purchased it. The story is heartwarming and the watercolor illustrations are gorgeous!
2 Reindeer Christmas
- Another selective purchase but worthy of a repeat, it is so beautifully illustrated.
- Another selective purchase but worthy of a repeat, it is so beautifully illustrated.
3 Dream Snow
- Eric Carle is sure prolific eh?
- Eric Carle is sure prolific eh?
4 Uncle Vova's Tree 
- A Russian tale.
- A Russian tale.
5 The Mitten: An Old Ukrainian Folktale
- A Ukrainian folk tale
- A Ukrainian folk tale
6 Babar and Father Christmas
- Got to have a little Babar!
- Got to have a little Babar!
7 The Night Before Christmas
- I remember my Grandma reading me this version growing up.
- I remember my Grandma reading me this version growing up.
8 Madeline's Christmas
- Madeline is a household favorite.
- Madeline is a household favorite.
9 Singing Away the Dark
- Julie Morstad's illustrations
are fantastic, can't wait to get my hands on this.
- Julie Morstad's illustrations are fantastic, can't wait to get my hands on this.
10 A Christmas Carol (BabyLit)
- This will appeal to our two year old, for sure.
- This will appeal to our two year old, for sure.
11 Father Christmas Goes on Holiday
- This looks quirky and fun.
- This looks quirky and fun.
12 The Clown of God
- Looking forward to reading this old French legend.
- Looking forward to reading this old French legend.
13 Petunia's Christmas
- I love Richard Duvoisin books.
- I love Richard Duvoisin books.
15 The Lost Christmas Gift
- I received this in the mail a few days ago and really enjoyed it.
- I received this in the mail a few days ago and really enjoyed it.
16 The Third Gift
- Got this last year and it remains on the list. A great overall story about Myrrh.
- Got this last year and it remains on the list. A great overall story about Myrrh.
17 Santa's Favorite Story - The Story of the First Christmas through Santa's eyes.
18 The Elves and the Shoemaker
- We are going to this play this year, should be fun to read too.
- We are going to this play this year, should be fun to read too.
19 Silent Night: The Song and Its Story
- A story about the beloved carol.
- A story about the beloved carol.
20 Nutcracker
- Trying different versions of this until we find our favorite. This one is illustrated by Maurice Sendak, last year we did this one
.
- Trying different versions of this until we find our favorite. This one is illustrated by Maurice Sendak, last year we did this one.
21 Christmas in the Stable
: I'm excited to get my hands on this one as it is written by Astrid Lindgren!
: I'm excited to get my hands on this one as it is written by Astrid Lindgren!
22 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
: Classic and keeper.
: Classic and keeper.
23 Letters From Father Christmas
: Tolkien wrote this one and our book club is reading it this month, will probably read the girls only excerpts as it is on the longer side.
: Tolkien wrote this one and our book club is reading it this month, will probably read the girls only excerpts as it is on the longer side.
24 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer : A classic and 
look forward to seeing this vintage version.
look forward to seeing this vintage version.
25 The True Gift: A Christmas Story : 
Excited to read this one.
Excited to read this one.
So what would you add to the list? What are your favorites you know, the ones that you come back to year after year?
14 comments:
We had the Christmas in the Stable book growing up. It's a sweet one!
This is such a lovely list. I don't have any to add because I think I discovered a few new treasures from your list. I'm off to check out the other lists from last year. Wooo.
A wonderful book I read to my kids on xmas is Twas the night before Christmas - A Magical Cut Paper Edition. The kids love the paper cut pop outs.
The First Christmas Stocking makes me tear up every time...
http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/2010/12/20/favorite-christmas-book-the-first-stocking/
Wow, thanks for the post - Always nice to hear about other favorites!
Have you heard of "Snowmen at Night?" There is another rendition of "Snowmen at Christmas." Is is one of my favorite Christmas books let alone children's books. You should read it if you ever get the chance.
I am adding you to my frequent visited page on my site! Cheers.
xoxo,
Sparks
Thanks -- I will be adding a couple of these to our Amazon wishlist. We love "The Mitten." Also, although it's kind of gimmick-y (scratch & sniff), my kids LOVE "The Sweet Smell of Christmas." It was one of my favorites as a kid, too. The only problem is the stickers stop smelling over time... I also have these three on my wishlist, but we don't have them yet:
http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Sunburst-Books-Uri-Shulevitz/dp/0374468621/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3NIQ75XJB6CHG&coliid=I12LJ3GJOO8IZK
http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Snow-Stories-Go/dp/0689878265/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3NIQ75XJB6CHG&coliid=I19TBJ3H9CT3SP
http://www.amazon.com/White-Snow-Bright-Alvin-Tresselt/dp/0688082947/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3NIQ75XJB6CHG&coliid=IH9TD2FXTVGX1
I missed you! and your posts!!
thanks for the list, I love reading and I also love the Christmas spirit :)
I wish I would have done this for my children when they where younger. I am thinking of buying them a book each year, though that they can keep and read to their children one day.
oh this is FANTASTIC! i love the mix of literature with the advent calendar.
My kids a grown, but a few years back i started setting childrens Christmas books on the coffee table in the living room. When we've had people over, I caught them in there reading to them. I now have to grandsons, and I hope that they'll enjoy sitting in the living room reading the books. My daughter just added a new one to the collection. Where Snowflakes Fall by Claire Freedman
I just LOVE this idea!! Thanks for sharing!
really i like it..
A few of my other favorites...
- Father Christmas, by Raymon Briggs
- the Littlest Angel, by Charles Tazewell
- Auntie Claus, by Elise Primevera
- the Christmas Witch, by Steven Kellogg
- Santa Calls, by William Joyce
- The animal's Merry Christmas, by Richard Scarry
- Walt Disney's Santa's Toy Shop
Some are well-loved from my own childhood and others are fairly recent. All of them bring a smile and sweet moments shared!
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I really appreciate your thoughts and ideas, thanks for reading!