Favorite Christmas/holiday children's books?

**LeslieR** · 11-23-2010, 09:25 AM

This is sort of a spin off of the Advent book idea.

Would love to hear everyone's favorites! Your kids' and yours as well. I'm specifically looking for a favorite version of the Nutcracker myself, so please post if you have one!

**mcgwigan** · 11-23-2010, 09:42 AM

Subscribing for ideas ...there's slim pickings for Christmas books in the stores around me!

ETA: I did pick up the Golden Book version of The Night Before Christmas a few weeks ago. I'm not especially thrilled with it, although DS1 loves it.

**amew** · 11-23-2010, 12:35 PM

These are the ones we have that I can remember off the top of my head:

Polar Express
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Olive the Other Reindeer (there's a really cute pop up version of this)
Merry Christmas, Curious George
The Sweet Smell of Christmas (this is a scratch n sniff book--I remember loving it as a child, and my 2 year old adored it last year)
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear
Llama Llama Holiday Drama
Richard Scarry's Christmas Mice
Arthur's Christmas

We also have Twas the Night Before Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, though I am not sure which versions. To kick off the season, the elves will be leaving our boys a new Christmas book called "Secret Santa" sometime this weekend. It's a pop up and looks cute.

We don't have a version of the Nutcracker yet, but I recall the E.T.A. Hoffman version that is illustrated by Maurice Sendak from my own childhood. I can't remember much about it though.

**anemone** · 11-26-2010, 03:06 AM

We have The Christmas Book by Dick Bruna (who created the Miffy books). I loved this as a child - it's a very simple story of the nativity, his illustrations are lovely for little children.

We also love "Olive the other Reindeer", a version of "The Night Before Christmas", and "Maisy's Christmas" for DD.

**LeslieR** · 12-05-2010, 05:32 AM

We're well into our advent calendar books. Our Elf On the Shelf has been bringing them each night and the kids love it!

Last night we read a new favorite that I had checked out of the library. I am probably going to have to buy our own copy now! "The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas". Very, very cute!

**Pine Tree** · 12-10-2010, 08:32 AM

I really like The Donkey's Christmas Song (about all the animals welcoming Baby Jesus but the donkey is worried his bray will be too loud, but it turns out Baby Jesus loves it. Very simple and sweet story with nice illustrations.

Franklin's Christmas Gift is also a good holiday story - Franklin is a great Canadian series of books about Franklin the turtle and his turtle family and school friends (bear, moose etc...) Sort of like Berenstain Bears, but I like these better. The Christmas story is about Franklin not wanting to give up one of his toys for the toy drive, and then finally realizing the importance of giving.

**katmg** · 12-10-2010, 09:18 AM

Some of DD's favorites:

The Little Drummer Boy illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (board book)
Silent Night (board book)
A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan - DD loves that the dog messes everything up
Frozen Noses by Jan Carr - this is a wonderful book with really pretty cut-paper illustrations and nice rhyming.
anything by Jan Brett - I love these books for their detailed, beautiful illustrations. The illustrations look Skandanavian. We have The Night Before Christmas Christmas Trolls, The Wild Christmas Reindeer and Who's that knocking on Christmas Eve
Llama, llama holiday drama by Anna Dewdney - we love all the Llama books.

**larslobster** · 12-10-2010, 09:51 AM

Some of DD's favorites:

I'll Be Home for Christmas (Toot & Puddle) - written and illustrated by Holly Hobbie
Little Critter: Merry Christmas, Little Critter! - written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer (DD loves the MM books)
Bob: And 6 More Christmas Stories [Board book] - written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton