favorite Christmas books

Last week I shared several of our favorite Nativity books, and this week, I thought I'd share several of our favorite more general Christmas books. Most of these have felt the love in our house for many years and still stand the test of time (and older children).

Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury is Finn's very favorite book from our Christmas book basket. He loves several of these stories and we read them over and over every year. This book also include a few of her more general winter stories, so we leave this book out through the whole winter. Of the Christmas stories, Christmas Trolls and The Wild Christmas Reindeer are his favorites. I did an entire post on this book a few years ago, if you'd like to read more about it.

Of course, what Christmas book basket would be complete without dear old Charlie Brown. We acquired this version of the Charlie Brown Christmas story at Kohl's several years ago, although a quick search on Amazon shows there are many to choose from.

One Snowy Night is one of the few remaining board books in our house. I asked Finn this year if he was ready to part with it. NO! With a hedgehog, which we love, and cold winter's days, a snuggly warm hat, and very sweet gift-giving among friends, this remains a well-loved Christmas book.

Great Joy, by Kate DiCamillo, one of my favorite authors, is a tender-hearted tale of a girl discovering the true meaning of Christmas. It does have Nativity references, but the story is one of love, peace, and goodwill toward men, which is why I included it here. Bagram Ibatoulline, who also illustrated DiCamillo's Edward Tulane, does a fantastic job with the illustrations here as well.

The Tomtes' Christmas Porridge has only been in our collection for a couple of years. My kids love stories about elves, tomtes, gnomes, and other such creatures. This story, about the traditional Christmas porridge that tomtes are supposed to receive for helping on the farm, doesn't fail to delight. Sven Nordqvist has great attention to detail in his illustration, which my kids love to ponder and search.

Findus at Christmas, from Nordqvist's more popular Findus and Pettson series, is another favorite here. The story flows so smoothly from the mishap at the beginning, to the hijinks that ensue, to the ending full of neighborly love and Christmas spirit. As always, we laugh raucously at the detailed and hilarious illustrations.

And last, but certainly not least, Christmas in Noisy Village. If I had to pick one favorite book of Finn's childhood so far, that all of the kids have enjoyed at some point, it would be Children of Noisy Village. A chapter book of a group of children in Sweden is sweet, but not saccharin, and simple, but not dull. Christmas in Noisy Village is essentially an illustrated book of the Christmas section from Children of Noisy Village. I wrote more about all of the Noisy Village books here.

What are your favorite Christmas books?

A Pot O' Gold

In preparation for St. Patrick's Day, we've been reading some of our favorite Irish tales. A Pot O' Gold is one of our favorites and has been getting frequent use over the last week.

I stumbled across this volume at our local used bookstore, and it really has a great variety. The kids love the Finn McCool stories, and the various stories of saints, leprechauns, fairies, with limericks, poetry and Irish blarney thrown in for good measure, have all been well received.

They even included a recipe for Irish Soda Bread which I think we'll be making for St. Patty's day tomorrow.

David McPhail does a great job with the illustrations. They feel genuinely Irish and very authentic to the purpose of the book. His borders to various pages are intriguing and captivating as well.

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and don't forget to read something green!

Christmas in Noisy Village

Although one of the first posts I wrote here on The Book Children was a review of the Noisy Village series, I feel the need to bring them to you again now that it's Christmastime. Christmas in Noisy Village is one of the favorite books from our Christmas book basket and for good reason. The child-like expression in the writing and authentic seasonal activities captivate my kids every time.

One thing that I appreciate in older children's literature, like Little House on the Prairie, is the inclusion of children's work. It's rarely mentioned in modern children's books except for a possible mention of basic housekeeping. The fact that these 6 children spent all day gathering firewood, happily, and kept track of a toddler in their midst is amazing. I'm glad Astrid Lindgren included this activity and mention of how important the children's work was to the village.

I also enjoy Ilon Wikland's depiction of their work, like the sealing wax and gingerbread cookies. The children have messes everywhere, yet it's cute and authentic to the work that children do.

My older kids always giggle about the Christmas Eve rhyming (maybe we should try that this year), especially when Karl declares Bill's silly rhyme to be "the worst rhyme I've ever heard".

By the time you get to dinner, you'll be wishing you could step back in time for a few minutes with Lisa's family at Christmastime...or maybe that's just me.

Jan Brett's beautiful treasury

I discovered this little jewel compilation of Jan Brett's Christmas (or winter, really) works while on a trip to NYC a few years ago. I knew that my little Christmas baby would need this treasury so I lugged all 10 lbs of it on the plane home. Fortunately he loves it as much as I do, well actually, all the family does.

I love how the Christmas stories that Jan Brett tells are atypical from the standard Christmas tales. Between the trolls and the ornery reindeer, it's definitely not Norman Rockwell-esque story-telling. But there's a sweetness in each narration and a happy ending for all so it's nice to have a book of alternative stories.

Interestingly, Finn's favorite stories in the book are The Mitten and The Hat, both of which we had separately before this treasury. I also like that these books are included in the treasury despite the fact that neither is truly a Christmas book, more like a winter tale.

And of course, Jan Brett's illustrations are marvelous. The kids love how much there is to see in every picture. The left side bar reflection from the previous page and right side bar peek into the next page are particularly loved.

One thing that my kids find particularly delightful about Jan Brett's stories is the hedgehog that appears in so many of her illustrations, if not the stories themselves. Paulie has turned the whole family hedgehog-crazed so they squeal with delight upon finding an extraneous hedgie.

And it doesn't hurt that Jan Brett draws them so adorably!

Finn especially gets a kick out of the final page of The Hat when all the animals scatter wearing the little girls woolens. He often will pick up any woolens he finds laying around our living room and wear them on his head to join in the game!

Cranberry Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving tale set in brisk and chilly New England, Cranberry Thanksgiving is a sweet story of kindness, generosity and judgment of others. The first of the Cranberry series, Cranberry Thanksgiving is widely recognized as the most popular.

Grandmother and Maggie each invite a Thanksgiving guest every year, and this year Mr. Whiskers makes the guest list, much to Grandmother's chagrin. When Grandmother's famous cranberry bread recipe disappears, she's suspicious of the unkept Mr. Whiskers who smells of clams and seaweed.

With adorable 1970s illustrations reminiscent of the Rankin/Bass holiday specials of the 60s and 70s, Cranberry Thanksgiving is sure to stir a bit of nostalgia back into your Thanksgiving celebration.

Cranberry Thanksgiving ends with a lesson for everyone and a copy of Grandmother's famous recipe!