Holiday Books to Enjoy with Your Family
When the weather outside turns frightful it’s the most wonderful time of the year for staying in and snuggling up with a good book. Go put on your warmest PJs, pile up some pillows and gather the kids around for some holiday stories. As you read with your family or prepare to give books to young loved ones, here are some books that you may want to include.
If you can’t wait to break out the classic holiday tales each year, you may enjoy books that offer a twist on a traditional story. A Creature Was Stirring, One Boy’s Night Before Christmas by Carter Goodrich, is the night before Christmas when a little boy was too excited to sleep, and little boys are not supposed to see Santa and the reindeer. Also, flying the sleigh is a big No-No! Will Christmas still come to his house if he is “stirring” on the night before Christmas?
For another look at this classic tale, try The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke. What happens at the dinosaur museum on the night before Christmas? A child who can’t sleep finds out! This book offers the special bonus of dinosaur Christmas music after the story. Can you sing “The Allosaurus Chorus” or “Deck the Halls with Stegosaurs”?
If it is dinosaurs that your kids love, you do not want to miss the holiday editions of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague’s “How Do Dinosaurs” series. How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? and How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? are a must for a household that is still trying to learn how to “properly act” at holiday festivities. Dinosaurs don’t rip open the presents or blow out the candles, they share and say thank you, and hopefully the kids that hear these stories will too.
The holiday season can be filled with hustle and bustle, which can be confusing for kids. Llama Llama had a hard time with all the music and goodies and activities, but was able to overcome the drama of it all and learn that the holiday season is for spending time together in Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney.
What holiday do you celebrate in your home? With many families and friends there are often blends of different cultures and celebrations. The book Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, by Selina Alko, looks at one family that blends different holiday celebrations into one family tradition.
Christmas Chaos: Hidden Picture Puzzles by Jill Kalz, will make a great a great addition to any child’s bookshelf this year too. Picture puzzle books are great for children of any reading level, as even pre-readers can look for the images hidden among the holiday scenes. This book offers a glimpse of a variety of holiday festivities including Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and New Years.
While any of these books would make great presents to buy for children this year, all of them are available to for check out at the Tulsa City-County Library. For more book suggestions or cozy reading experiences, please visit your local library or check the library’s webpage, www.tulsalibrary.org, for a list of holiday events.
