I often do a post in Nov-Dec about books that are appropriate to
share at Christmas. In this post, I feature 25 books that are varied and
suitable for different ages. They include books that share the
traditional Christmas story (Section 1), others that are based on elements of
the Christmas story or themes from
biblical teaching on Jesus' life (Section 2) and a few others that are just about Christmas as a secular season of giving (Section 3). The books focus on love,
devotion, kindness,
forgiveness and sacrifice. The following are examples that you might enjoy with your children. Most can be used with children aged 4-12
years.
At the heart of the Christmas story is the birth of
Jesus, which Christians celebrate on the 25th December. While for many, the celebration of
Christmas has become disconnected from its traditional purpose of
remembering and celebrating Jesus' birth some 2,000 years ago, it is
told and retold in varied forms each year at this time.
1. Books based closely on the biblical story of Jesus birth
'The Christmas Promise' by Alison Mitchell and illustrated by Catalina Echeverri
This wonderful retelling of the Christmas story is brought to us by the
highly successful team that also brought us a whole series of children's
stories based on the Bible. It tells of how God kept His
promise to send a new King.
A long,
long time ago so long that it's hard to imagine God promised a new King.
He wasn't any ordinary king, like the ones we see on TV or in books. He
would be different. He would be a new King; a rescuing King; a forever
King!
I love the books in this series titled "Tell the Truth". Like all of the
books in the series, it tells the Christmas story in a simple way that
children can grasp, while remaining true to the Bible's narrative. The
book will help preschool children discover how the Bible explains how
God kept His Christmas Promise.
The wonderful illustrations by Catalina Echeverri
are also faithful and consistent with the Bible-centered story-telling of Alison Mitchell. Together, they
make this a book that both parents and children will love.
'The Christmas Rose' by Wendy Blaxland & illustrated by Lucy Hennessy
This is a beautifully told story that traces elements of the story of the birth of Jesus.
The rich and evocative oil paintings by fine artist Lucy Hennessy are stunning and in their muted softness leaves the reader to imagine the scene in all of its mystery and richness.
The Baby Who Changed the World by
Sheryl Ann Crawford, Sonya Wilson (Illustrator). In this imaginative
retelling of the Christmas story, the animals get together and discuss
the approaching arrival of a new baby that some say will grow up to be a
strong and powerful King. When Mary and Joseph enter the picture and
the events of the true Christmas story unfold!
The Christmas Story: According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke from the King James Version by
Gennadii Spirin (Illustrator). This telling of the Christmas story
begins with Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel then proceeds to the
birth of baby Jesus in a stable, the visit of the shepherds and the
three wise men. Spirin's Orthodox Christian faith is reflected in the
wonderful art that makes this a special retelling of the story of Jesus
(although not all will find the images match their idea of what Jesus
might have looked like).
Mary's Christmas Story, by Olive Teresa. There are a number of different retellings of the Christmas Story available in the Arch Books series. Most are told from the perspective of different witnesses to the birth of Jesus or draw more heavily on one of more of the gospel accounts. This one retells the Christmas story from Mary's point of view based on Luke 1:5-2:18.
'The Nativity' by Julie Vivas
There is a whimsical style to the portrayal which while not evident in the biblical story, children will find fun without losing the sense of this special story. Mary makes her exhausting journey with
Joseph to Bethlehem, and finally delivers of the baby Jesus, who is the Son of God! The image of Mary, Joseph & the baby Jesus in the stable on the hay with the hens, captures the sense of humanity of Jesus who was indeed that, but also much more.
2. Books that use the Christmas theme to offer moral lessons
This category of books is quite large. They typically
use the Christmas celebration or season as the setting for a human
story that teaches something about one or more fine human qualities
that are consistent with Christian teaching; for example, love,
kindness, generosity, forgiveness and sacrifice.
The Christmas Eve Ghost, by Shirley Hughes (2010)
'The Christmas Eve Ghost' is
written and illustrated by one of my favourite English
author/illustrators, Shirley Hughes. It is a classic example of books in this
category. It doesn't really mention the Christmas story at all but uses
Christmas as one of its themes to highlight kindness against the
background of sectarian differences between Catholic and Protestant
residents of Liverpool in the 1930s (the place and time of her
childhood). Without saying it, Hughes offers the message that Christmas
is a time when people should connect with one another in love, kindness
and service.The book tells the story of a mother and her two children, living in poverty. The mother cares for the children and earns just enough to survive by washing other people's clothing. On Christmas Eve 'Mam' has to leave the children in bed while she goes off to deliver a batch of washing. The children awake to strange noises (as it turns out they are 'natural' noises) and flee the house in fear straight into the arms of Mrs O'Riley from next door, a person their mother doesn't speak to for reasons not clear until the end. It's a wonderful book with a touching resolution. As the son of Scottish/Irish immigrants the story resonates well with my story.
A Christmas Carol,
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert Ingpen (2008). This
book probably deserves to be in a category of its own. The miserly Ebenezer
Scrooge is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of
ghostly visitors. This is essentially a fable that stresses that
Christmas should be a time of goodwill towards mankind. There have
been many versions printed of this classic story first published in
1843 with wonderful illustrations by John Leech. Published in 2008
this new edition has to be one of the best illustrated versions that
I've seen, which isn't surprising as Robert Ingpen is one of the
finest illustrators we have seen in the last 50 years. The edition
also contains Dickens story Christmas Tree that offers an insight into a
Victorian Christmas of the 1850s. |
| Used by permission of Walker Books |
How the Grinch stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss. This is one of my favourites within this category. The
Grinch lives on top of a mountain that overlooks Whoville. As he
watches the villagers getting ready to celebrate Christmas he comes up
with a plot to stop them. But instead of stealing Christmas he learns
that Christmas means much more than the trappings such as gifts,
decorations and food. I used to read this
to my children at Christmas time and in time they read it to their
children as part of their Christmas traditions (my daughter did a post
on this here). You can also watch the video version of this story that has been popular with children for over 50 years (here).
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski and illustrated by P.J. Lynch. This story focuses on Jonathan Toomey who is the best woodcarver in the valley. But he bears a secret sorrow, and never smiles or laughs. When the widow McDowell and her son ask him to carve a creche in time for Christmas, their quiet request leads to a joyful miracle, as they heal the woodcarver's heart and restore his faith.
Wombat Divine,
by Mem Fox and illustrated by Kerry Argent. This wonderful story tells
of the quest of a wombat to find the perfect part to play in the annual
Nativity play. He tries out every part without success until he finds
one that he carries off with distinction.
3. Stories based on Christmas traditions
For those who are more interested in Christmas traditions than the traditional Christmas story, there are masses of books that take the Christmas theme in all sorts of directions (some quite strange). However, there are some that have literary merit and are enjoyable stories to read at Christmas and that suit the needs of families that are from non-Christian traditions. Some of the better examples follow.
Letters from Father Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien (edited by Baillie Tolkien)
This book is a collection of letters that Tolkien wrote to his children over a period of 23 years. Every December an
envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.
Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery
handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or painting. The letters
were from Father Christmas.Tolkien shares wonderful tales of life at the North Pole. A reindeer gets loose and scatters presents all over the place, an accident-prone North Polar Bear climbs the North Pole and falls through the roof, Santa accidentally breaks the moon into four pieces and the Man (in the moon!) falls into the back garden and many more. This is Tolkien at his creative best, but what's special is that they are personal communications between him and his children. His last letter is a beautiful farewell from Father Christmas with an underlying message of hope and continuity. If you love Tolkien you will like this collection. It's available in an enhanced eBook format as well, which has a number of other features (see video below). These include audio recordings of many of the letters read by Sir Derek Jacobi and the ability to expand each of the images of the original letters and envelopes (some never published before).
Ingpen's depiction of Santa as a mischievous and happy old man sits well with the traditional myth. His usual immaculate line drawings are in evidence, but this time they are softened by a gentle wash that gives an ethereal feel to the drawings. The 'soft' lines also sit well with the traditional northern white Christmas.
Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star,
by Petr Horacek (2010). This is another new release from Walker
Books. It is a perfect book for preschoolers or young children up to 6
or 7 years. Suzy and her farmyard friends are gathered on Christmas Eve
around their Christmas tree and she notices that something is missing -
a star on top of the tree! She cries to her friends, "It needs a star on top....Just like the one in the sky. I'll get it."
So she sets off to 'get it' with some amusing episodes along the way
before the surprising solution. Young kids will love this book. It is
well written and beautifully illustrated by Petr Horacek. Again, it
barely mentions Christmas, but parents and teachers could speak more
about Christmas using this story as the springboard.
This delightful story is based on the familiar children's rhyme but re-words it to parallel the Christmas story.
'Bear Stays Up' by Karma Wilson & illustrated by Jane Chapman (McElderry Book)
The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg. A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a
boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus. This
book won the 1986 Caldecott Medal and of course has been made into a
movie.
Bluey has been a phenomenal success since airing on ABC KIDS in October 2018, amassing legions of dedicated fans and hugely popular ranges of books, toys, clothes, games and more. It holds the coveted position of being the most watched program ever on ABC iView, with over 260 million plays for Series One, and is the winner of an International Emmy for Most Outstanding Children’s Programme.
About Bluey - Bluey is a six-year-old blue heeler pup who loves to play. Along with her friends and family, he enjoys exploring the world and using her imagination to turn everyday life into an amazing adventure. This is an Australian children’s television program by the Emmy® award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS and is co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios.
