ADVENT
These books are specifically intended for reading as a preparation for Christmas. All have a story to be read each day during Advent, which starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (not on the 1st December, when most Advent calendars begin).
A Jesse tree is a traditional, pictorial representation of the forebears of Jesus. Some Christians now make a Jesse tree at home during Advent, reading a short biblical passage daily and adding a symbol to the tree each day. This book is the perfect accompaniment for a Jesse tree. It contains twenty four Bible stories, each told to a young boy by an irascible old carpenter as he carves a Jesse tree in a Church. The stories start with the Creation and end with the birth of Jesus. The interaction between the boy and the man adds an extra layer of interest and depth. If you would like to make your own Jesse tree to go along with the book, you can find simple instructions here ... (the symbols do not tie up exactly with those in the book, but would be easy enough to replace).
Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent
Bartholomew's Passage: A Family Story for Advent
Tabitha's Travels: A Family Story for Advent, by Arnold Ytreeide
This trilogy is set in the Holy Land at the time of Jesus' birth, and all three books have same format. They are divided into daily sections, labelled for each of the days of Advent and intended to be read aloud after lighting a family Advent wreath. The stories are exciting adventures, following the ups and downs of childrens whose lives have been turned upside down. They are quite graphic at times, so may not be suitable for either very young or very sensitive children. Each section stops with a cliffhanger and is followed by a short Christian meditation on the events that have just been described. Although some characters appear in more than one book, the stories stand alone and do not need to be read in any particular order. They also include instructions for making your own Advent wreath.
CHRISTMAS
TOP PICK
Throughout their childhoods Tolkien wrote and illustrated letters to his children from Father Christmas. Starting with brief notes they grew into annual installments of tales from the North Pole about Father Christmas, the accident prone North Polar Bear, the difficulty of producing and delivering presents when distracted by malicious goblins, and other Polar matters. We love this book!
Picture Books
These picture books are not books for tiny tots, but beautifully illustrated stories which can be appreciated by children and adults of any age.
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas, by Gloria Whelan
The story of how a small boy's dream to see Midnight Mass celebrated in the derelict Church of his Russian village comes true.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
If you want a tear jerker for Christmas - a happy tear jerker - this is the book. A widow asks a reclusive carpenter to carve a nativity set for her for Christmas. As he works he gradually develops a friendship with her young son. A beautiful book
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The Clown of God by Tomie de Paola
Tomie de Paola has written a number of books with Christmas themes, all illustrated in his characteristic simple style. All are good, but this is my favourite. It is a retelling of an Italian legend about a juggler, who at the end of his life offers to the Christ Child the only thing he has left - his art.
The Story of Christmas, by Jane Ray
I have to include a re-telling of the Christmas story, and this is my favourite. I love Jane Ray's detailed, colourful illustrations.
Chapter Books
I Saw Three Ships, by Elizabeth Goudge
Elizabeth Goudge is one of my favourite authors of adult fiction, and she also wrote some lovely, whimsical books for children. In I Saw Three Ships a young orphaned girl, a tramp and a French exile mix in a story that moves to a joyful Christmas climax.
If you can find a copy, the out-of-print Sister of the Angels is another lovely Elizabeth Goudge Christmas book - a self-contained story involving characters first introduced in A City of Bells.
The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden.
Nobody wants orphan Ivy for Christmas, so when she is sent by train to an infants home she decides to get off the train at Aylesbury to find the "grandmother" she convinces herself is living there. Nobody wants Holly the Christmas doll either, until Ivy spots her in the toy shop window. How will Ivy get Holly? How can Holly be united with the girl she just knows is for her? Will Ivy find a grandmother? My six year old loved this book!
The Thirteen Days of Christmas, by Jenny Overton
This book inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas is sheer Christmas fun. The younger siblings of bossy elder sister Annaple decide it is time for her suitor Francis step up his efforts to persuade her to marry him. Sending her gifts sounds a good idea, and one partridge in a pear tree is manageable; but by the time it gets to twelve leaping lords things have got seriously out of hand! Originally published in the early 1970s, this book has now been deservedly reprinted.