Best Children's Christmas Books

This charming tale of an overgrown pine always being passed by for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a Christmas classic. Award-winning wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe began his career at a very young age.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” The siblings take over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds, and six rowdy kids. Gr 3-6-This beloved classic by Barbara Robinson (HarpCollins, 1972) about six very unruly children who teach a whole church about the true meaning of the birth of Christ is brought to life by the narrator, C. J. Critt. While the pacing of the narration is at times a little fast during the body of the text, the pauses at commas, periods and between paragraphs are longer than normally heard in general conversation.

A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve, is welcomed aboard a magical trip to the North Pole . One couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Chris Van Allsburg Over the past twenty-five years, many people have shared stories with me about the effect that reading The Polar Express has had on their families and on their celebration of Christmas. A dozen years earlier the woman, who had no children of her own, befriended a neighbor, a boy of about seven, named Eddie. She had a collection of picture books, which she read to him, but around the holidays, the only story he ever wanted to hear, over and over, was The Polar Express . One year she offered to give him the book, but Eddie declined because he wanted to hear her read it aloud to him, which she continued to do every year until the boy and his family moved away. Eddie, quietly and a little self-consciously, read The Polar Express . Chris Van Allsburg Recipes and Activities to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Polar Express (Click on Images for the Recipe or Activity [PDF])Snacks for Santa Candy Cane Sugar Cookies Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares Christmas Snowball Cookies A Polar Express Word Search A Polar Express Crossword A Polar Express Maze PreSchool-Grade 2-Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott-winning Christmas classic (HM, 1985) is 15 years old, but it is a timeless story that just keeps getting better. As the Polar Express pulls into town one Christmas Eve, offering a magical, unforgettable trip to the North Pole, a young boy boards the train.

This charming tale of an overgrown pine always being passed by for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a Christmas classic. Award-winning wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe began his career at a very young age.

A timeless American classic and one of the most beloved children’s books ever written, Old Yeller is a Newbery Honor Book that explores the poignant and unforgettable bond between a boy and the stray dog who becomes his loyal friend. When his father sets out on a cattle drive toward Kansas for the summer, fourteen-year-old Travis Coates is left to take care of his family and their farm. But can Travis do the same for Old Yeller?

This sturdy board book introduces toddlers to the traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights and even teaches them how to play dreidel themselves! Naomi Kleinberg is a children’s book editor and the author of many children’s books.

The New York City Ballet presents a classic ballet tale for a modern ballet lover with George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, a holiday favorite. The stylized paintings have a whimsical, dramatic feel, full of sweeping curves and exaggerated features. VERDICT A good option for families heading to the ballet during the holiday season.—Virginia Walter, UCLA School of Education and Information Studies This introduction to the ballet closely follows the production of the New York City Ballet, as originated by George Balanchine. Marie and the Prince travel through the Land of Sweets, where they meet the characters from the ballet, such as the Sugarplum Fairy and Mother Ginger, before returning home in their magical sleigh drawn by reindeer.

They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. The handsome volume sports a clothbound cover framing original jacket art; inside, Rosemary Wells adds country color to Garth Williams's original b&w illustrations. An afterword by Peter F. Neumeyer illuminates White's life and work, including photographs of the author on his farm in Maine as well as pages from the seminal manuscript.

In this Level 1 Scholastic Reader, Alfie learns that the best way to get a delicious cookie is to say please! For kids just starting to read, this cheerful title in the Scholastic Reader series is a combination of very simple sentences and bright, clear, colorful illustrations. He comes up with three funny tricks to get his treat, but it isn't until he asks politely that Mommy gives him what he wants--along with a big hug. For kids just starting to read, this cheerful title in the Scholastic Reader series is a combination of very simple sentences and bright, clear, colorful illustrations.

Of those who survived, only twelve were children. This is the true story of Syvia Perlmutter—a story of courage, heartbreak, and finally survival despite the terrible circumstances in which she grew up. Grade 5-9–In thoughtful, vividly descriptive, almost poetic prose, Roy retells the true story of her Aunt Syvia's experiences in the Lodz Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The slightly fictionalized story, re-created from her aunt's taped narrative, is related by Syvia herself as a series of titled vignettes that cover the period from fall, 1939, when she is four years old, until January 1945–each one recounting a particular detail-filled memory in the child's life (a happy-colored yellow star sewn on her favorite orange coat; a hole in the cemetery where she hides overnight with her Papa). This gripping and very readable narrative, filled with the astute observations of a young child, brings to life the Jewish ghetto experience in a unique and memorable way. She was afraid of it; when she was growing up, there was no Holocaust curriculum, no discussion-just those images of atrocity, piles of bones, and skeletal survivors being liberated. Syvia remembers daily life: yellow stars, illness, starvation, freezing cold, and brutal abuse, with puddles of red blood everywhere, and the terrifying arbitrariness of events ("like the story of a boy / who went out for bread / and was shot by a guard / who didn't like the way the boy / looked at him"). In 1944 the ghetto is emptied, except for a few Jews kept back to clean up, including Syvia's father, who keeps his family with him through courage, cunning, and luck.

This classic story of a famished caterpillar who eats his way through a week of various foods makes the perfect addition to your child's digital library, easily available to read again and again. Put 42 pieces together to assemble Eric Carle's much-loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar jigsaw puzzle from Mudpuppy.