The Best Children’s Books for Christmas

One of the best things about having kids is the children’s books.  I am a huge fan! What started out as one shelf in our front room for children’s books quickly turned into three shelves and a bookcase upstairs!

I find it really hard to persuade Father Christmas not to buy more books becuase he loves them as much as I do! Today, I am going to share the books that I enjoy sharing with my son, the most, at Christmas time.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margarey Williams

Be warned that this famous beloved tale isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. At the end the boy has to get rid of his rabbit but because he loved it so much, it becomes real.

The Snowman And The Snowdog (pop up & light up book)

This beloved tale about a boys Snowman coming to life and taking him on adventure is available in lots of formats but the pop up and light up book is a real treasure.  There is something facinating about pages that jump off the page but at the end of this book, the stars twinkle due to a built in sensor and built in tiny lights

 

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet Ahlberg

All the Jolly Postman books are amazing.  Children love the little envolpes (from and to fairy tale characters) and finding out what is inside.  The letters sometimes contain a gift like a puzzle or a comic.  This book makes a lovely gift (thank you aunty Heather) and the snowy variation of this book is great to share over the winter months.

Stickman by Julia Donaldson

I don’t own this book, we borrowed it from the library.  Borrowing books is a great way to discover new books for free.  Stickman is about a stick that gets seperated from his family.  He ends up on a dangerous adventure as he tries to get home to his family.  On his adventure he helps Santa who in return helps him get home.

Another, wintery tale by Julia Donaldson is The Gruffalo’s Child.  The sequel to the popular Gruffalo.  The brave Gruffalo Child sneaks out of the cave on a dark snowy night to find the Big Bad Mouse.  Once again, the quick witted mouse out smarts this little Gruffalo.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss

My son absolutley loved the Grinch.  This descpicable character feelings towards Christmas is quoted as “hate, hate, double hate, loathe entirely”.  His hate for Christmas is very entertaining and when he says “Poo poo to the whos” my son laughs and makes me read that line over and over again.  Don’t worry, in the end, the Grinch learns that there is more to Christmas than giving gifts.

My Rhyme Time Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This is an all year favourite for bedtime but when I was asking my son to help me pick the books for this post, he inisited on this one as he like the twinkle star nursery rhyme and at Christmas time we change the words to “Twinke twinkle Christmas star”.  The book is filled with traditional nursery rhymes and illustrated beautifully by Miles Kelly.

The Christmas Show by Rebecca Patterson

This book was a gift from my son’s nursery.  He isn’t the easiest kid to keep in line so I am not sure if this book was chosen especially for him in mind or just a lucky chance that he got it.  It is all about the children preparing for the nativity play, the main little boy doesn’t really pay attention and on the big day he gets it all wrong but his performance is still loved by his family and he is told to ignore the mean words of the head angel.  

Thank you for reading

Are any of the above your favourites?  Can you recommend any more that I should add to my collection?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:

My top 5 Pop Up Books

Happy Roald Dahl Month – My Childhood Memories of his books

Learning through art with Arty Mouse

If you love the Gruffalo, you may enjoy my review of Good Bubble, The Gruffalo skincare range.

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My Top 5 Board Books

TOP 5 BOARD BOOKS.png

This review is based on board books I bought for my son. I have borrowed similar books from the library but these are my own.

Board books have thick cardboard pages throughout making them very hardy.  Don’t give them to a teething baby because they can turn the cardboard to pulp! These books are great to enable your little one to build confidence in books and turning the pages.

Guess How Much I Love You

Author:  Sam McBratney

Illustrator:  Anita Jeram

This story is a classic and an excellent bedtime read. Little hare is coming up with ways to express how much he/she loves big hare. Big hare keeps coming up with something bigger. It’s where the saying ”I love you to the moon… And back” comes from.

No Matter What

Author:  Debi Gliori

If you’ve had a tough day with your little one, this is a great story about how ’no matter what’ you always love them. It’s also ideal for parents that can’t always be with their child as the last page has a beautiful message about wherever you are, you still love them.

Peace At Last

Author:  Jill Murphy

This story follows Mr Bear trying to get to sleep but everywhere is noisy. My son loved the different sounds in the story and joined in with the repetitive ”Oh no, I can’t stand THIS!”

The Snail and the Whale/Room on the Broom (box set)

Author:  Julia Donaldson

Illustrator:  Axel Scheffler

This set contains two Julia Donaldson books and would make a great gift for a child.  Her stories have a great rhyme which children enjoy hearing and a good story.

This book follows a snail that tours the world with a whale.  There are some beautiful images illustrating how vast the world is and the different climates of different countries.  When the whale gets beached, the snail saves the day – teaching that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference.

This story follows a witch that keeps dropping her things from her broom.  As she hunts for her belongings she makes new friends who join her on the broom. These friends save her when she gets into trouble with a dragon who’d like to eat her with chips. She then makes a truly magnificent broom to accommodate them all.

*****

Have you read any of these?  Is there a board book that you think I need to add to my collection – I’d love to hear your recommendations.

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