Wombat Divine


Mem Fox - 1995
    He's wanted to be in it for as long as he can remember. At last he's old enough to try out. But at the auditions, the first part goes to someone else. So does the next. And the next . . . Will there be a part left for Wombat?

The Legend of Old Befana


Tomie dePaola - 1980
    This is a delightful reading of the favorite Italian Christmas story about an eccentric old woman and her never-ending search for the Baby King.

Tree of Cranes


Allen Say - 1991
    As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas.

Over the River and Through the Wood


Lydia Maria Francis Child - 1844
    In this hilarious modern spoof of a favorite holiday song, the trip to Grandfather's house is no peaceful sleigh ride!

The Snowman


Raymond Briggs - 1978
    The pictures have "the hazy softness of air in snow." A little boy rushes out into the wintry day to build a snowman, which comes alive in his dreams that night. The boy invites him home and in return is taken on a flight high above the countryside.

Snowmen at Christmas


Caralyn Buehner - 2005
    . . but have you ever wondered what snowmen do for Christmas? Well, now's your chance to find out! The snowmen are back, and this time they're celebrating Christmas--the snowman way!This snappy and entertaining companion to the New York Times bestseller Snowmen at Night depicts all the best parts of the holiday, replete with icy treats and a snowman Kris Kringle. Told in the same bouncy verse as the original, Snowmen at Christmas is perfect for a snowy evening read-aloud.

The Smallest Gift of Christmas


Peter H. Reynolds - 2013
    Reynolds’s whimsical holiday storyyoung Roland learns that more isn’t always better -- and rediscovers the magic of home. Roland can’t wait for Christmas Day, and when the morning finally arrives he races downstairs to see what is waiting for him. What he sees stops him in his tracks. Could that tiny present really be what he had waited all year for? It has to be the smallest gift he had ever seen! So Roland wishes for something bigger . . . and bigger . . . and bigger. But he’s still convinced there must be a bigger gift somewhere in the universe. Will he know it when he sees it? Peter H. Reynolds’s spare, free-spirited illustrations and heartwarming text make this be-carefulwhat-you-wish-for story the perfect holiday gift.

Angela and the Baby Jesus


Frank McCourt - 2007
    Joseph's Church near School House Lane where she lived...."* * * *Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir "Angela's Ashes" is a modern classic. Now he has written a captivating Christmas story about Angela as a child -- often cold and hungry herself -- compelled to rescue the Baby Jesus and take him home. This story is pure McCourt -- genuine, irreverent and moving.It is elegantly illustrated by two-time Golden Kite Award winner Loren Long and is the perfect Christmas story for all ages.

When Santa Fell to Earth


Cornelia Funke - 1994
    A new holiday classic! Scared by a storm, Twinklestar, the least reliable reindeer, bolts--causing Santa and his sleigh to crash-land. And though Santa has dropped into a friendly neighborhood, he's not safe: Jeremiah Goblynch, the ruthless new leader of the Council of Yuleland, is determind to put an end to children's wishes and turn the holiday season into his own personal moneymaking scheme. As the last REAL St. Nick around, only Santa stands between Goblynch and his grinchlike plan. With the help and hope of kids Charlotte and Ben, Santa must face Goblynch and his Nutcracker goons to save Christmas!

I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles


Walter Wick - 1992
    Each rhyming riddle in this bright collection of photographic challenges invites children to find objects hidden throughout thematic pages.

How Murray Saved Christmas


Mike Reiss - 2000
    And with the help of a pushy elf and an eager-to-believe young boy, Murray finds that even though he's not big enough to fill Santa's suit, he's got more than enough heart to get the job done. Illustrated by David Catrow.

Dasher


Matt Tavares - 2019
    She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life -- one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh -- a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.

When Santa Was a Baby


Linda Bailey - 2015
    and has an unusual interest in chimneys. The adorably funny portrait of an oddball kid who fulfills his destiny - and two very proud parents.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!


Dr. Seuss - 1957
    No one quite knows the reason."Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time. For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that's two sizes too small. This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.

The Egg Tree


Katherine Milhous - 1950
    Katy couldn't find anything until she went up to the attic. And there she discovered a very special set of eggs...Grandmom had painted them when she was a little girl. And now, she hung them from the branches of a tiny tree -an egg tree! So began a very special Easter tradition.