For Christmas this year I wanted to make an Advent calendar for my family. I have seen all over Pinterest making the Advent calendar out of Christmas books, so for weeks I have been searching and scouring the internet looking for good suggestions for books. I had compiled a master list of the best books. Or so I thought.
Image from http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2011/11/christmas-book-advent.html
I placed holds on these books over Thanksgiving weekend. When I got them all home I was devastated. These were books for children 8 years old (or so) and older. My kids are 3 years and 6 months old. We need more pictures and less words.
I returned 90% of the books I checked out and went on a search to find age-appropriate Christmas books. What you will find below are the books that we have read and like for this Holiday season. Some of the books are religious, some are Christmasy, and some are just winter books. I don't have any suggestions for Hannukah, Kwanzah or other holidays. In fact I am on the hunt for a good preschool St. Lucia book. Please let me know if you have one!
I have included a picture for each book and have also hyperlinked the title so you can easily find each one.
First up, Room For A Little One by Martin Waddell. This one takes place in the manger and is simple enough for my son to understand. He LOVES reading and talking about the animals in the manger.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I grew up reading this winter book. I used the board book version and my son has loved looking at the winter scenes. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and so I remember reading about snow with wonder. Now reading it and living in Salt Lake City I understand the story better. Although my son doesn't exactly understand why the snowball disappears. haha.
The Christmas Mice by Fiona Watt. This has been one of my favorites. It's a touch and feel book and the best one I have come across yet! I love that on each page there are multiple items to feel and different textures on each page. This is how all touch and feel books should be! I get so tired of having the same single texture on each page.
Elmo's Merry Christmas by Lori Froeb. This is my son's favorite, but it is my nemesis. It has flaps that open up on each page, which Stephen LOVES. Eh, not so much for me. There's 10+ flaps on every page and my son takes FOREVER to open each one. I will be taking this one back soon, but I am sure children love this book.
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney. I found this one from a Christmas book list. It is perfect for preschoolers. It talks about the excitement of waiting for Christmas that can become too much for a little one. We are going through this exact thing. My son has asked almost every night if we can have Christmas already, "Please, Please, Please, Please!"
What Am I? Christmas by Anne Margaret Lewis. Each page of this book has clues for the child to figure out what the Christmas figure is. Stephen LOVES flipping to see the answers to the clues. It's a cute one.
Any of these books would make a great addition to your home library, and only one of them has gotten on my nerves. I will continue to add to this list as we read more of our choices.
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