Marti's Christmas Reads

I love Christmas time! The lights and the decorations sparkling bright against the darkness lift my soul. Most of all I love the children’s books about Christmas. I have favorites, of course, that I have reread and shared many times. My Aunt Sue started me on this path, by sharing some of her favorites with me. I was lucky enough to share these books with many children for a few years with another teacher. We used the books to help identify various elements in reading, while sharing the love of stories.

One of my favorites is Peef, The Christmas Bear. This is a delightful story about unselfish giving of something you love. Santa makes a bear out of scraps of fabric and then the bear comes to life under his hand. Peef is the word the bear says when you squeeze his stomach. Santa and Peef worked with the elves to prepare for Christmas, but Peef recognized something was wrong with his life. I also have the actual bear (see the picture above) that I share with children as we read.
There are two other Peef books that follow: A Silent Night for Peef and Peef and his Best Friend.

Another favorite is Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera. The illustrations are fabulous. The moral: It is far better to give than to receive. Sophie is a little girl who lives near her Auntie Claus. She receives important instructions every day about Christmas from her Aunt. One day, she decides to follow Auntie Claus on her “annual business trip”. What a surprise for Sophie when she finds Auntie Claus! This book is full of wonderful hints and foreshadowing! My favorite character is Mr. Pudding.(Oh Dear! Oh Dear!) There are two other books that follow this: Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas and Auntie Claus, Home for the Holiday.

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe was another book that Aunt Sue gave me. I love this book because the animals helped a too tall tree to be a Christmas tree while helping him see that the most important thing was to be the best friend he could be. The illustrations are wonderful with all the animals portrayed so life like. This story focuses on the importance of helping a friend. The decorations the animals share with such caring made me realize how simple and beautiful a tree can be.

There are many, many, many other Christmas storybooks to share with each other. I have listed only a few below.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Santa Mouse, Where Are You? By Michael Brown

Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

Snowman at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

A Baker’s Dozen by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson

Other great winter tales:

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Something From Nothing by Phoebe Gilman