Last year, my family did 12 Days of Christmas Books to countdown the last 12 days leading up to Christmas. Well, my 3 children enjoyed it so much that I decided to do 24 days of Christmas books this year. Yes, that means I had to double the number of children's Christmas books I had on hand, but I did not mind at all. Christmas is my favorite Holiday and it was so much fun choosing new books to add to our collection.
On December 1st, we will be reading The Elf On The Shelf and, on the 24th, we will be reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. I made sure to wrap these two books in different wrapping paper so I could tell them apart. The other 22 books were wrapped in identical wrapping paper. Each night one child will have a turn at choosing a book. Some of the books are old favorites and some are new Christmas stories, which is very exciting to them.
One of the new Christmas books I added this year is Christmas Magic: A Changing Picture Book written by Kirsten Hall and illustrated by Simon Mendez. This beautifully illustrated book shows scenes based on some of the best things about the Holiday season, such as baking goodies or going sledding. Every page has a tab on the right-hand side that magically changes the picture when pulled. My children will just love this book. I can just see them sitting quietly looking at the pictures changing back and forth for hours.
This hardcover book is recommended for ages 4 and up. It retails for $14.95, but is currently selling on Amazon for $10.72 with Free Super Saver Shipping.
Another book I added to our collection is A Bit of Applause for Mrs. Claus by Susie Schick-Pierce and Jeannie Schick-Jacobowitz, authors of A Bit of Applause for Santa Claus, and Muffin Drake-Policastro. This book tells the story, unlike any our children are familiar with, of how Santa comes down with the flu and how Mrs. Claus must save the day by making sure everything is ready for the big night. There is always so much focus on Santa, that it is nice to see a story that gives the ever-important Mrs. Claus some recognition. The illustrations by Wendy Wallin Malinow are colorful and lively. This book is recommended for ages 4 and up. The large text of only one sentence per page is perfect for emerging readers.
This hardcover book retails for $15.99, but is currently selling on Amazon for $12.79 with Free Super Saver Shipping.
I am so happy to have started this tradition at our house. If you would like to start your own tradition, it is not too late. You can always do the 12 Days of Christmas Books and work your way up to 24 like I did!
Thank you to Sterling Publishing and to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.
