Picture Book Advent / The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clark Moore

This beautiful new edition of a well-loved poem was a no-brainer choice for Christmas Eve!

The Night Before Christmas has beautiful new illustrations from Holly Hobbie (of Toot & Puddle).  Her work has updated the story for a new generation while still adding to the magic of Clement Clark Moore's poem.  This is such a fun story to share with young readers - it's one that I really enjoy reading aloud!  A wonderful choice for sharing with the whole family around the Christmas tree or just before bedtime!

Thanks for joining me on this little Advent series!  Even though I did miss a couple days, I hope you still found some new favorite stories and books to share with your loved ones this season.  Merry Christmas!

Picture Book Advent / The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie DePaola

This picture book from beloved author and illustrator Tomie dePaola brings a new perspective to the Nativity story:

In The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie dePaola, the story of the Nativity is told from a bird's eye view.  The feathered friends that live in Bethlehem have noticed lots of people flooding into town and a bright star in the sky.  They decide to fly off and find out for themselves what wondrous thing has happened in the tiny stable.  This book is a great introduction to the Christmas story for children ages 3 and up.

Picture Book Advent / Tallulah's Nutcracker by Marilyn Singer

Ballet picture books are all over the place, but this series by Marilyn Singer featuring a tousled-haired and freckled heroine named Tallulah stand out from the crowd with heartfelt stories and beautiful illustrations.

Tallulah's ballerina dreams have finally come true - she has a role in a real ballet, a production of the Nutcracker!  Tallulah works hard for many weeks and misses out on some of her favorite holiday activities, like parties and picking out a Christmas tree.  Finally the big night arrives!  But when Tallulah's dancing debut doesn't turn out quite the way she had imagined, she'll discover that being a ballerina is more than just learning the steps.  Tallulah's Nutcracker is a wonderful book to share with aspiring dancers and ballerinas this season.

Picture Book Advent / Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner

The snowmen series from Caralyn Buehner is a favorite to use in story time during the winter and Snowmen at Christmas is especially fun to share at this time of year:

While you're snug and warm sleeping in your bed, the snowmen in your yard are celebrating their own Christmas holiday!  With cold icy treats and a snowman Kris Kringle snowmen have their own special ways of celebrating the holiday.  This is a perfect entertaining read for kids age 5 and up.

Picture Book Advent / One Starry Night by Lauren Thompson

Today's book pick is a wonderfully simple yet profound story written by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Jonathan Bean called One Starry Night:

On this starry night, animal parents are all watching peacefully over their young just as Mary and Joseph are watching over baby Jesus.  This sweet picture book is a beautiful introduction to the Nativity for young readers ages three and up.

Picture Book Advent / How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Here's another classic Christmas story to share with the whole family:

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a beloved tale featuring our favorite green-colored Christmas hater, the Grinch.  The Grinch decides he can't stand one more year of Whoville carols and cheer so he comes up with his most dastardly plan for mischief yet.  He makes his own red suit and sneaks into all the Whoville homes to steal the Christmas presents and decorations away.  But is Christmas really just the decorations and presents under the trees?  What if Christmas is made up of something a little bit more?  A heartwarming tale to share with kids ages 6 and up.

Picture Book Advent / There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pam Munoz Ryan

This beautiful picture book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the very first Christmas Eve:

There Was No Snow On Christmas Eve by Pam Munoz Ryan is a beautifully illustrated book that brings the first Christmas to life through the differences children will see when comparing their own experiences with those of Mary and Joseph so many years ago.  Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus didn't need coats or mittens, they didn't sit by a warm fire or watch the snow fall.  Instead, they sat in a stable with warm desert breezes that rustled the palm trees.  A wonderful choice to share with kids ages 5 and up.

Picture Book Advent / Jingle Jingle by Nicola Smee

This is a holiday favorite of mine to share with my preschool story time crowd: Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee:

Mr. Horse has invited all his friends, Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck for a jingle bell ride!  But when everyone decides to sled down the hill, will there be enough room?  This is a fun and jing-ly read especially for the 1-3 year old crowd.

Picture Book Advent / Eloise at Christmastime by Kay Thompson

Today's Christmas-y picture book choice is great for fans of Fancy Nancy or Olivia: Eloise at Christmastime by Kay Thompson:

Six-year-old Eloise lives on the top floor of the Plaza Hotel in New York City.  She is determined to have the absolutely best Christmas ever with presents for everyone (even Emily, the pigeon who likes sitting on her windowsill), tinsel, holly and delicious trinkles to share!  A fun and spirited choice to share with kids ages 5 and up.

Picture Book Advent / The Nutcracker by Alison Jay

The Nutcracker is a Christmastime favorite of mine, and this version illustrated by Alison Jay is as sweet as they come:

The simple and straightforward text tells the story of Clara and her magical Nutcracker who fight off the Mouse King and travel together to the Land of Sweets.  This picture book version is a great introduction to the ballet and the longer original version of the story written by E.T.A. Hoffmann while Alison Jay's colorful and whimsical illustrations convey all the magic and wonder of the original story.  Perfect for sharing with readers ages 5 and up.

Picture Book Advent / Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow by Holly Hobbie

The Toot & Puddle books are some of our favorites at my library, and this Christmas story is just too adorable not to share:

Toot and Puddle love Christmastime!  This year they are both determined to find the perfect for each other this year but find it more difficult than they thought to find the one thing each other loves most.  A sweet story about the joy of friendship, this one is guaranteed to give you all sorts of warm fuzzies!  Toot and Puddle: Let It Snow is perfect for sharing with kids age 5 and up.

Picture Book Advent / The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Today's book has become a Christmas classic - I can remember paging through this one when I was little and getting lost in the beautiful illustrations:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is a beautiful picture book that tells the story of a young boy who wakes up on Christmas Eve to a steam train waiting for him in his front yard.  The Polar Express takes him on a magical journey to the North Pole.  A great choice to share with kids age 6 and up, this story will be enjoyed by the whole family.

Picture Book Advent / Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

This is an older Christmas book, originally published in 1963, that I only discovered a couple years ago:

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry is just what you'd want in a Christmas book - sweet, clever, and perfect for reading together all snuggled up around your own Christmas tree.  Mr. Willowby has the biggest Christmas tree in town, but this year his tree is a tad too big.  So off comes the tippy-top which becomes a wonderful mini tree for the downstairs maid.  But her tree is just a little too bit as well, so she trims the top which in turn is a perfect tree for someone else!  And so it goes, with one Christmas tree spreading joy through the whole forest!  Perfect for sharing with ages 4 and up.

Picture Book Advent / The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson

Today's featured picture book is a more recent favorite of mine:

Lauren Thompson's sweet and simple text along with Jon J. Muth's beautiful illustrations make this a keeper for your pile of Christmas books to bring out every year.  Here Santa and his adorable reindeer are just as excited about Christmas as many little ones are!  The Christmas Magic is a wonderful choice to share with kids ages 4 and up.

Picture Book Advent / Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas by Melanie Watt

Day 4 brings us a much sillier Christmas book to share:

The Scaredy Squirrel books are a favorite with my patrons.  It's easy for character-driven book series to have holiday editions that are kind of cheesy, but Scaredy Squirrel brings all of his usual friendly self to this Christmas book!  From "crafting safety 101" to "shopping for the difficult individuals in your life", Scaredy's got you covered this Christmas.  Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas by Melanie Watt is a great book to share with the whole family - kids age 6 and up as well as mom and dad will enjoy this one.

Picture Book Advent / The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

Day 3 (a day late - totally forgot to publish this post yesterday!) of the Picture Book Advent series brings us:

The holiday season is full of noise, from ringing bells to singing voices.  But what about the quiet moments? Lighting the Christmas tree, that feeling of anticipation, searching for hidden Christmas presents...the season is full of quiet if only we take the time to stop and listen!  The Christmas Quiet Book is perfect for sharing with kids of all ages, especially the 3-6 year old crowd.

Picture Book Advent / Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star

Day two of the Picture Book Advent series brings us Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star by Petr Horacek:

Suzy Goose and her friends are decorating their tree on Christmas Eve when they realize they need something special to sit at the very top of the tree.  Suzy is determined to find that special something.  She finds the perfect thing, but its sitting way up in the sky.  How will she ever find a way to share it with her friends?  This is a perfect short and sweet story to share with preschoolers in the evening or even as you decorate your own tree this month!  Suzy Goose has several other picture book adventures you might want to check out as well!

Picture Book Advent / The Christmas Tugboat by George Matteson

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  Now that December is here, I'm going to share a little project with you - a picture book advent series!  I'll share one Christmas picture book a day for the 24 days leading up to Christmas!

These are all books I've read and some I've used in programming - if you're looking for holiday and Christmas books to share with little ones this season, these are great choices!  There are books for younger and older kids and they should be pretty easy to get a hold of at your local library or bookstore.

As we see Christmas trees and decorations going up in our own neighborhoods, this story, The Christmas Tugboat by George Matteson and Adele Ursone is a wonderful book to share.  One of the biggest Christmas trees in the country sits in the middle of Rockefeller Center in New York City, but how did such a big tree come to sit in the middle of a city?  This story follows a tugboat captain and his daughter as they carry the tree from its home forest down the Hudson river to New York City.  A unique & interesting story to share with curious kids age 6 and up that's also beautifully illustrated with paintings by James Ransome.