Christmas Children's Book Collection

Over the last 2-3 years I've been gradually adding titles to our Christmas collection of books for the kids. Some are simply fun winter books, but the majority are a wide range of Christmas titles. And I've been pleased to find new or in good condition used copies on amazon--sometimes for pennies.

Here they are in no particular order, along with a few thoughts. (See any of your family favorites?)

1. THE TALE OF THREE TREES: A Traditional Folktale ~retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
This one never fails to choke me up! Three trees, each with dreams of what they'd become when they grew up, and how God's plan for each of them turned out to be very different (but far better) than they ever dreamed.

2. THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY ~Susan Wojciechowski
Our ex-library copy came with a CD narrated by James Earl Jones--which the kids just love. And I could stare at the beautiful watercolored illustrations for hours. They are breathtaking. It's a story of a hardened man rediscovering the meaning of Christmas.

3. THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING ~Rick Osborne
A simple story about selfless giving with a sub-lesson on Saint Nicholas and the origin of hanging Christmas stockings.

4. THE CRIPPLED LAMB ~Max Lucado
The illustrations didn't grip me as some in the other books, but the message that God has a special place for each of us, no matter how different we are, is a treasure.

5. MR. WILLOWBY'S CHRISTMAS TREE ~Robert Barry
This one is just so much fun! Mr. Willowby's tree is too tall for his fancy parlor, so he asks his butler to chop off the top. That top becomes someone else's Christmas tree, but alas it is too tall for their space,...and on and on. My kids ask me to read this one over and over!

6. THE CITY THAT FORGOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS ~Mary Warren
This was my favorite Christmas book from our church library some 30 years ago! It seemed much larger back then. Doesn't everything seem smaller than you remember it as a kid though? It's the story of a carpenter named Matthew who happens upon a village that no longer celebrates Christmas, and how he brings the message of Christ's love through carving a life-sized nativity.

7. THE VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS ~Paul L. Maier
Phenomenal illustrations, true depictions of the ethnicity of Jesus and the Middle Eastern region, and lots of biblical "footnotes" included in the story as it's related from a mother to her son. I found the dialogue between the mother and son distracting and a bit awkward in parts, but the richness of the biblical account totally makes up for it.

8. KATY AND THE BIG SNOW ~Virginia Lee Burton
For the train/tractor fans in your household, you can't go wrong with this story of Katy coming to the rescue for the city of Geoppolis.

9. HUMPHREY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS ~Carol Heyer
The first page contains the most amazing close-up of Humphrey's beautiful, long-lashed, and luminous eye. The second page elicits giggles everytime. Humphrey is the most awkward, goofy-looking camel you ever did see, and his thoughts are only for himself until he encounters the King of Kings. My only qualm with this book is that the three wise men visit the newborn Jesus in the stable, not later as the scriptures teach. A cute book none-the-less. Who can help but fall in love with the unlovely Humphrey?!

10. BEAR SNORES ON ~Karma Wilson
A wonderfully sychopated rhyme of a hibernating bear whose cave becomes a haven from the wintry weather for a gaggle of furry and feathered friends...that is until the bear wakes up! Another book with marvelous illustrations!

11. ONE WINTRY NIGHT ~Ruth Bell Graham
This Christmas book is really an abbreviated account of Creation through the Resurrection; eleven chapters that are for the attention span of at least a 5 year old. The thirty-some beautifully detailed, full page illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson are a feast for the eyes. Only minor details of the text left the impression that the author, Billy Graham's wife, was loosely paraphrasing. I have not yet shared this book in it's entirety with Natalia, but hope to this Christmas. A wonderful tool to bring the BIG picture into focus this holiday season.

12. FROGGY GETS DRESSED ~Jonathan London
This one is just plain silly. Aside from us asking the kids why it was wrong of Froggy to ignore his mother's admonition to go back to bed (frogs hibernate during the winter) this book illustrates the maddening exercise of getting dressed for the cold weather only to forget something!


What are some of your favorite winter/Christmas children's books?

I've picked up The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and want to re-read that one before I decide when to share it. And though it's a chapter book I remember reading Treasures Of The Snow as a young girl. (I am discovering how differently I assess books from my childhood, now that I'm a mother.) I'd also like to get a book that deals with the legend of Saint Nicholas more in depth.