Mimi and the Mountain Dragon is a beautifully poignant Christmas story by popular author Michael Morpurgo. In a quiet village overshadowed by dragon-filled mountains there lives a little girl called Mimi. When Mini finds a baby dragon, she makes a brave decision that will transform her village forever. This is a festive adventure story that combines the magic of Christmas with the important themes of being courageous and searching for peace. Morpurgo has a number of other Christmas books, including Christmas Stories, The Goose is Getting Fat, The Best of Times, The Best Christmas Present in the World and On Angel Wings.
A fun Christmas picturebook with a message about staying positive. The animals living in Rainbow Mews are disappointed to find that their beloved old Christmas tree is no longer up to surviving another festive season. Struggling to source the perfect replacement, the little cast of animals find themselves thinking outside the box to create a wonderful solution to reclaiming their festive cheer instead. An uplifting, appealing and original Christmas story suitable for KS1 and reception.
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.
This book presents the traditional nativity story from a Christian perspective, showing how the baby in the manger was a special king that had been promised from years before in order to bring hope, forgiveness and peace. With striking illustrations and an easy to follow storyline, The Christmas Promise is a book for exploring how the story of the birth of Jesus fits into the wider Christian narrative of the Bible.
Perfect for those looking for a festive story that does not explicitly mention Christmas, Jan Brett’s The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale that celebrates finding hospitality and warmth amid the harshness of winter time. When Nicki asks his Baba (grandmother) to knit him mittens as white as snow, she reluctantly agrees, warning him that he will not see them if he drops them in the snow. As Baba predicts, Nicki drops his mitten in the snow and one by one the woodland animals find it and make themselves a cosy home, finding comfort from the bitter cold. We also suggest The Wild Christmas Reindeer by the same author.
The Night I Met Father Christmas is a new story with the feel of a Christmas classic, written by comedian Ben Miller. Take A Christmas Carol and mix it with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and you might be somewhere close to the plot of this enjoyable tale that will prove popular with readers in the 7-10 age bracket.
It’s Christmas Eve and everyone in Jackson’s family is busy getting ready for the big day. Jackson thinks he knows all the old stories about Father Christmas, including the secrets of flying reindeer and the physics-defying magic of delivering presents all around the world in just one night. But when Father Christmas reaches Jackson’s house in the middle of the night and has a bit of a mishap, Jackson embarks upon a thrilling adventure that allows him to see a whole new side to the jolly man with the red suit.
As Father Christmas opens up to Jackson about his personal history, an exciting story unfolds that will take readers on a festive adventure laced with the perfect balance of humour and tenderness. For a chapter book, it’s not a long read (you could easily read it in one or two sittings) but it is a very enjoyable one. Coupled with detailed illustrations by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, this is a charming story that will bring the spirit of Christmas to readers young and old alike.
The Day the Crayons Quit meets The Jolly Postman in this fun, interactive book from Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers, delighting fans of the much-loved crayon stories by adding a festive twist. The crayons are back and this time they have mail. Open the envelopes, boxes and packets to find out what the postman has been delivering to each colour! Peach Crayon receives a dressing-up package from his mum. Crayon-owner Duncan begins to feel left out, until the crayons give him a brilliant festive surprise of their own. There are activities to press out, assemble and play with inside the various packets and envelopes. While there are nods to the previous stories, it could also work as a fun standalone story about the joy of giving and receiving gifts.
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.
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.
This hilarious novel is a festive favourite with KS2. A Boy Called Christmas tells the story of Nikolas, whose father is a woodcutter who has disappeared on a dangerous expedition to find Santa’s elves. Nikolas sets out to the Far North to rescue his father, encountering danger, new friends and a good deal of Christmas magic along the way. Eventually Nikolas he finds that he has his very own part to play in bringing festive joy to many others.
You may also like the other stories in the series: The Girl Who Saved Christmas and Father Christmas and Me.
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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