. . until a sound awakens Olaf. Read along as Olaf has the adventure of a lifetime with a mysterious stranger in red. This beautifully illustrated 32-page paper-over-board picture book comes with a read-along CD featuring audio narration by Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf! Fans of all generations will delight in Olaf's innocent and humorous account of "The Night Before Christmas."

    Voices roll across the desert sands to Hoshmakaka, a curmudgeonly old camel, whispering that he has been chosen for the great responsibility of carrying gifts to the new baby king. With reluctance, Hoshmakaka accepts his task. Every day in the heat crossing the desert, his pack grows ever more burdensome as the crowds of people, anxious to welcome the new king, give him their gifts to carry. He is as strong as ten horses as he proudly tells the younger camels. But, oh, his gout! Oh, his sciatica! Nevertheless, Hoshmakaka plods on until he reaches Bethlehem. In the end he realizes the great honor of his task and never again is there a burden too heavy for him to carry.Vlasta van Kampen's gorgeous illustrations of the hot desert sands and the cool, star-filled night sky transport readers on the journey to Bethlehem to see the new baby king. The beautifully detailed illustrations of the loveable Hoshmakaka masterfully change as his pack of gifts grows impossibly huge.The endearing Hoshmakaka is also available as a plush toy to be a companion at storytime. Nine inches tall and adorned with his precious pack of gifts, Hoshmakaka will be a great reminder of the rewards of giving all year long!

    He scoffs at the beautifully sculpted creations of the old chandler and instead purchases a simple, inexpensive Christmas candle that the chandler warns him he may find costly. The young man soon realizes that the old man meant, as the poor and ill he encounters on his journey, illuminated by his Christmas candle, become the faces of his relatives, so he feels compelled to help them. He arrives home cold and penniless, but richer for his newfound realization that we are all part of one family. This beautifully illustrated original fable by the acclaimed author of The Christmas Box will become a treasured part of many families' Christmases for years to come.

    Finnegan (Dick Van Dyke) is no ordinary toymaker. His providential meeting with Maggie, a resentful girl who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas, is the beginning of a series of miracles that will change her heart forever.

    But a homeless boy asks the shopkeeper if he can take the tree, and down by the river in a cardboard box, decorated with a few candles, the tree finds itself at the centre of a magical Christmas Eve it will never forget. A Christmas tale with a classic feel but a modern theme at its heart.

    Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family’s typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.This edition of A Christmas Story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker’s shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father’s pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie’s duel in the show with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie’s unstoppable campaign to get Santa—or anyone else—to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”?The pieces that comprise A Christmas Story, previously published in the larger collections In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories, coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.From the Hardcover edition.

    She packs everything she might need for the journey and leaves her cosy burrow and sets out through the snow on her quest. On the way, she meets many other animals all in need of a little help.

    This is the charming story of a beautiful girl who is whisked away to the Land of Sweets to dance beside colorful fairies and blooming flowers. The Nutcracker is a timeless story for children of all ages.

    Fifty years later, it has become a beloved Christmas classic—capturing the heart and wonder of generations of fans.Here is the complete story from the classic TV show, gloriously illustrated in full color and in an elegant gift book edition. Perfect for reading aloud!

    Celebrate Christmas with everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer!A terrible blizzard is coming! Who will lead Santa’s sleigh through the storm and save Christmas?This Step 2 Step into Reading retells the story of the most famous reindeer of all—Rudolph!

    Bell all alone at Christmastime, she decides to bring him some holiday cheer. Cousin Henry doesn't want to help—until he finds that there's a real Santa Claus living in their town! With festive sparkly foil on the jacket and a heartwarming story, this book is perfect for holiday giving.

    And that’s when you can try to catch Santa. . . .    From Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish, creators of the bestselling HOW TO... series, comes a delightful new offering, written again in a hilarious instructional style. Two sibling narrators give clever tips for “catching” Santa (be crafty! be clever! be gentle!) on Christmas Eve. Filled with humor and holiday warmth, this is a jolly read-aloud for the whole family to enjoy!

    But Christmas is sometimes wrapped in quiet: “Searching for presents quiet,” “Getting caught quiet,” and “Hoping for a snow day quiet.” Irresistibly cute, soft colored pencil illustrations of bunnies, bears, and more paint a magical holiday picture indeed.

    Includes 6 large, sturdy flaps.

    He loved Christmas dearly and had a special present for Santa, but how could he possibly give it to him? After all, he's only a mouse. And how did a little ordinary mouse become Santa Mouse, the helper Santa could never do without?! Color illustrations. 8 1/4" x 11".