Christmas Books (EYFS/KS1)

If you have read ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons’ or any of the books in the series, you will love this Christmas adventure with favourite characters from Andy Shepherd’s series and, obviously, lots of dragons. If the series is new to you or your class, then this book would be a good ‘taster’ and introduction to the charming and popular series.

Tomas’ problem-solving has to take centre stage when the car and then the wheelbarrow become snowbound, threatening the delivery of presents. The team of Tomas, Lolli, Grandad and the dragons have to work together as well as use a good a handful of dragon magic!

The illustrations by Sarah Warburton provide a real Christmas feast to explore – each page is crammed with detail from the different dragons to the snow scenes and the inside of Grandad’s shed. If you are reading this book aloud (and this book cries out to be read aloud), you’ll find that the book captures the festive spirit of giving alongside a good dose of dragon mischief and charm.

This offers lots of opportunity for a class to discuss the nature of cooperation, the need to overcome problems and a chance to talk about children’s own experiences of this time of year.

There’s no feeling quite like cosying up in the warmth with a good story while the snow falls outside. Snow is a key feature of many seasonal winter books and one of our favourites of all is The Snowflake by Benji Davies, which is gentle and charming in equal measure and tenderly demonstrates that it’s not mountainous piles of presents or commercial festivities that make Christmas magical.

High in the sky, a tiny snowflake is born and it begins to tumble down, wondering where it is destined to land. Meanwhile, a little girl called Noelle is getting ready for Christmas, decorating her tree and looking for Christmas wonder in everyday activities. The pair come together in a beautiful moment tied up with warmth, hope and the wonder of the little things that make Christmas time magical.

A cross between a Christmas story and an advent calendar, this charming hardback book is structured into 24½ chapters – one for each day of advent. Each day’s offering includes the next chapter of the story and easy-to-follow instructions for an accompanying craft to make or activity to try.

Winston is a little mouse who finds himself caught up in a special adventure with a festive theme. When Winston stumbles across a lost letter addressed to Father Christmas, he makes it his mission to deliver the letter to the North Pole in time for Christmas. It’s not an easy expedition, but along the way Winston is helped by a cast of generous friends and helpful strangers. This is a heart-warming story that celebrates simple acts of kindness towards other people and together with the craft activities it makes a wonderful book for families, groups or school classes to enjoy exploring together in the run-up to Christmas.

It is the week before Christmas and it’s getting chilly outside. Little Robin washes and irons seven warm vests to keep him cosy in the frosty evenings leading up to Christmas. As each day goes by, Robin encounters a different shivering animal and, full of compassion, he generously offers each animal one of his vests to wear.

Robin’s kindness may have prevented his animal friends from getting colder, but when Christmas Eve arrives he finds himself with nothing warm left to wear. Fortunately, a festive visitor in a red suit and a soft, white beard spots Robin and finds a joyous way to reward him for his kindness to others.

The tale is likely to inspire children to tap into the spirit of giving that Robin demonstrates so unreservedly.

We love this tender retelling of the Nativity story through the eyes of Leah, the innkeeper’s daughter.

The streets of Bethlehem are bustling with people and Leah’s family are rushed off their feet, housing travellers at her father’s inn. When a woman who is just about to have her baby arrives, Leah’s father finds them a place to rest in his stable.

Wide-eyed with wonder, Leah witnesses a series of extraordinary events, including some rather unusual visitors from afar. The story is full of humanity and at its heart it depicts a young girl’s personal encounter with the very special baby at the centre of the nativity story.

Illustrated with Karin Littlewood’s watercolour scenes, this beautiful picture book brings a familiar Christmas story to life through a fresh pair of eyes and is a worthy addition to your collection of nativity storybooks.

A sweet story for the gentlest souls is presented in Usborne’s Twinkly. Twinkly Nativity by Sam Taplin and Róisín Hahessy. This is a board book nativity story that brings out the wow-factor behind the Christmas message of joy and hope, by incorporating real lights into every page.

Celebrated author–illustrator David Litchfield offers a magical and festive picturebook about generosity and Christmas spirit, which could be enjoyed at different levels across the primary age range.

A Christmas classic for every train-loving child, The Polar Express is a wonderfully gentle adventure to the North Pole that millions of readers return to again and again. Why? There’s an indescribable magic to trains that this book makes real. Its beautiful illustrations capture the pure joy of watching a steam train rumbling into the distance. Something chuffer nutters young and old can all appreciate.

Jarvis, beloved by teachers and librarians for the iconic Bear and Bird books, brings his signature style to a picturebook for the youngest readers in Mr. Santa. Renowned for his ability to convey profound meaning through simple words and story-enhancing illustrations, Jarvis again blends these elements to create a gentle Christmas story that resonates with both children and adults.

A young girl, filled with curiosity, has a face-to-face encounter with Santa Claus. The story captures the essence of a child’s mind, full of endless questions about the person in front of her and his apparent world of Christmas magic. The young girl seizes the opportunity to ask imaginative questions about Santa Claus (Do you eat clouds? Do you stop at traffic lights?) while also remaining delightfully confident of his undoubted interest in her world too (Would you like to meet my fishes? Do you want to hear me play?) – he is, after all, a visitor to their home. The book’s strength lies in its authentic childlike voice, reflecting the endless stream of why and how questions that fill young minds as children move from moment to moment.

Perfect for EYFS classes, Mr. Santa encourages young minds to think creatively and question the unknown. The book’s illustrations, painted in various shades of blue, evoke a dreamlike and wintery atmosphere. Santa never directly answers the girl and the story simply celebrates the joy of curiosity. It is the very act of questioning that is the star of the story, capturing the essence of childhood imagination. Please – implores the book of its readers  – please spend a minute to let yourself become lost in wonder at Christmas time

Jarvis’s unique style makes Mr. Santa a delightful read for the youngest readers. What Jarvis achieves so masterfully – once again – is to provide a text that will empower beginning readers to access for themselves while at the same time empowering the deepest thinkers to enter the space for creative contemplation provided by the text’s interplay with its illustrations. This is a book that will no doubt be a catalyst for more curious questions from EYFS children or simply make for a cosy shared read-together for young children, perfect for festive storytimes.

A gentle tale of a famous seasonal traditional is offered in The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson and Victoria Sandøy.

The words were originally commissioned by The Poetry Society for their annual poetic welcome to Norway’s gifted Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, and have since been beautifully illustrated by Norwegian artist Victoria Sandøy and presented in hardback.

The gentle rhyming verse tells the journey of the Christmas tree itself, from its origins in a deep and snowy wood to its final destination in Trafalgar Square. Coupled with pictures that accentuate the joy of children and animals at each stage of the tree’s journey, this makes for a comforting bedtime story that refocuses attention on the aspects of Christmas that become treasured in our hearts long after the season is over.

The story is about a little fir tree that is too small and too imperfect’ to be chosen to be decorated at Christmas time. He is different from the other trees around him and ever since being a sapling he knew it was “plain to see that I was never, ever going to be a perfect, grown-up tree.”

As families choose the other trees as Christmas trees, the little fir tree is left alone in the forest. Before long, the forest animals gather around the lonely little tree to offer festive cheer and encouragement that the creatures great and small appreciate him just as he is. The story ends with a happy springtime scene with the tree providing a home for forest animals and a shelter for two children reading their books, alongside the tree’s warm assertion that he is ‘the tree that’s meant to be.’ At every stage, Zommer’s beautiful illustrations are charming and filled with details and patterns that tell of the joys of looking closely at nature.

This is a hope-filled book with the natural world at its heart, cutting through the commercialism of the festive season to offer a gentle and encouraging message about celebrating difference and finding one’s place in the world.

Cosy cuddles abound in the Christmas favourite I Love You More than Christmas. Little Bear is full of festive cheer, enthusiastically enjoying cards, ice-skating, tree decorating, carol singers and Christmas baking. But as Bear snuggles down at bedtime, there’s finally time to make himself heard and express that the most wonderful thing about Christmas is sharing it with loved ones

. A lovely read-aloud that prompts readers to reflect upon what really matters among the busyness of the Christmas festivities.

Every year at Christmas time, Mia and her family have a tradition to read out a letter that her Grandpa once wrote to her. In the letter, Grandpa fondly reminisces about the lovely activities they used to enjoy together, such as looking for frogs in the garden or planting flower seeds. At the same time, Grandpa expresses his worries about the world and his heartfelt wishes for it to be a better place for Mia to live her life in. The natural world is in danger, Grandpa muses, and it is up to people like Mia to look after our beautiful planet and make sure we protect our environment as much as we can.

Nostalgic and emotive in both its words and illustrations, this new story steers away from traditional Christmas messages and offers instead a powerful and timely statement about looking after our environment, told through the voice of an old man who treasures his grandchild so much that he longs for a better world for her.

Angelo and Angelina, the Christmas Angels is a heartwarming picturebook that celebrates the magic of Christmas and the power of human connection.

The story follows the perspective of two Christmas angel decorations who watch over Mrs. Lovely, an elderly woman. When she grows older and spends more time alone, the angels, along with a young girl who is her neighbour, work together to bring joy and companionship to her life.

Many children will have dressed up as angels in Christmas plays or been drawn wanting to pick up angelic figurines and Christmas tree toppers. Much like their counterparts in the traditional nativity story, the angels in this picturebook are bringers of hope, joy and new life.

The theme of intergenerational relationships is drawn out appealingly. Readers are invited to witness the unfolding of a beautiful friendship between Mrs. Lovely and the young girl, called Mia. The angels (originally Christmas ornaments but here left out all year round because “the house feels very empty these days“) serve as a reminder that the essence of Christmas  – that is, giving, community and kindness – should endure through all seasons. The story comes full circle and ends the following Christmas time, showing the impact that the year’s cycle of love and kindness has made. Mrs Lovely’s life has been regenerated by the newly formed companionship with her neighbours, and this new life is mirrored in the arrival of a baby sibling for Mia.

The book’s stunning illustrations, characterized by soft, muted colours and delicate line work, perfectly complement the gentle narrative. A rainbow of colour fills the spread in which the spirit of Christmas takes hold. Like the girl in the story, children will undoubtedly be drawn to the charming depiction of the toy angels, who watch over Mrs. Lovely with a guardian-like stillness yet spring to life through Mia’s interactions.

Angelo and Angelina, the Christmas Angels is a delightful read-aloud book that will inspire young readers to appreciate the importance of looking out for one another during the holiday season and all year round.

Fans of the Supertato books will be pleased to see the award-winning picture book duo return this Christmas with a hilarious wintertime story full of snow-themed giggles and frolics. The story has a festive setting (complete with robins and Christmas lights in the illustrations) without overtly referring to Christmas itself.

Snowball feels a little lonely, gazing down at the nearby town below and longing for a bit more fun. With a ‘jiggy, jig, jig’ he sets off down the hillside. Snowball underestimates the steepness of the slope and begins to skid and tumble. Rolling faster and faster, he gathers more snow (not to mention a random assortment of other items) as he goes and things soon begin to…well, snowball out of control.

Heaps of fun and tremendously silly, young children will love the rhyming text and the escalating excitement in this story. Perfect for a giggly story time on a cold, wintry day.

‘Santerella’ is a delightful and whimsical tale that fuses the enchantment of a fairy tale with the warmth of the Christmas spirit, making it an excellent addition to primary school libraries and a superb choice for festive classroom reading.

Suzy Senior’s expertise in creating engaging narratives for young audiences shines through in ‘Santerella’. This book takes the reader on a globetrotting adventure with Cinderella as she steps in to save Christmas, offering a fresh twist on two beloved narratives. The story encourages resilience and kindness, presenting Cinderella not just as a damsel in distress but as a proactive heroine ready to tackle challenges head-on.

Lucy Semple’s illustrations bring a lively and humorous dimension to the story, capturing the joy and the unexpected mash-up of Christmas and fairy tale elements with vibrancy. The illustrations will captivate children’s attention and spark imagination, making the read-aloud experience incredibly enjoyable.

For teachers, ‘Santerella’ opens up a world of teaching opportunities. It aligns well with traditional tales, character studies, and discussions about cultural celebrations. It is equally valuable for challenging stereotypes, fitting into lessons about equality and empowerment. Its rhythmic and rhyming text can be used in literacy lessons focused on poetic form and sound patterns, aiding in developing phonemic awareness and reading fluency. ‘Santerella’ is a must-have for educators looking to enrich their classroom with a story that is as heartwarming as it is empowering. It is a reminder that sometimes, the best gifts are not those wrapped in bows but the chance to rewrite our stories for the better.

If you love Christmas, or would like to know more about how its traditions are celebrated across the world, from Colombia to Ethiopia to Serbia, then this is a must-have book for you. It has something for all ages, and is particularly suitable for EYFS and KS1, with its accessible text and beautiful illustrations.

Traditions are shared with the reader from thirteen countries and my class was surprised by the differences and similarities to their own familiar celebrations, which led to insightful discussions. The countries selected each had an interesting fact and a child-friendly pronunciation guide to new words. This book is very appealing and I believe that all would learn something new about how some countries around the world celebrate Christmas.