For the Love of Books: Christmas

Hey, y'all!  I'm popping back in here to share the fantastic list of children's Christmas books that grace our own library shelves, just in case you've still got a little shopping to do.  But before I get to that, how about a For the Love of Books post honoring this treasured holiday?  My review of this month's pick is short and to the point, but don't let that fool you.  This story, designed for children ages four to eight, is worth reading time and time again.

The Legend of the Candy Cane, written by Lori Walburg and illustrated by James Bernardin, is the story of how one stranger changed a prairie town, with the help of a small girl, by being bold enough to tell of "the miracle of Christ's birth, the misery of his death, and the mercy of his love" through the use of a traditional, Christmas treat, the candy cane.

Now, on to that list.  The last four have been added since last year.

1. A Christmas ABC by Alice Gold
2. My First Treasury: The First Christmas by Leslie Lindecker
3. Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
4. The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (LOVE all of Liz's parable stories!)
5. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (a favorite of mine)
6. The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola (another favorite of mine... It never fails to bring tears to my eyes, though.)
7. Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki (yet another favorite of mine)
8. The Berenstain Bears Trim the Tree by Jan & Mike Berenstain
9. Clifford Celebrates the Year: Clifford’s Christmas by Norman Bridwell
10. Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
11. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
12. Winnie the Pooh: The Merry Christmas Mystery by Betty Birney
13. When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan
14. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston (another one for which you'll need the Kleenex box)
15. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
16. Dream Snow by Eric Carle
17. Snow Happy to be Here: The Slightly Silly Story of the Snowblatt Family by Cheryl Hawkinson
18. You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest
19. The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke (super fun music CD with it) 
20. The Twelve Days of Christmas by Anne Geddes
21. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (This one will always be a classic.)
22. The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg (still another favorite of mine)
23. The Snow Must Go On: A Way, Way Off-Broadway Adventure by Molly Wigand
24. The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne (great history here)
25. Merry Christmas, Curious George by Cathy Hapka
26. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
27. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney (great rhyme)
28. It's Christmas, David! by David Shannon
29. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
30. The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
31. On This Special Night by Claire Freedman (Ezekiel's favorite)
32. My First Read and Learn Countdown to Christmas by Mary Manz Simon
33. Bear Stays Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson
34. Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson (Adina's favorite)
35. The Christmas Star by Marcus Pfister
36. Charlie and the Christmas Kitty by Ree Drummond
37. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (My favorite phrase in this book is, "...when a gift is made by hand, all of that person's love is captured in it.  Once they give it to you, that love turns into Christmas magic.")
38. Little Golden Book: Christmas Favorites
39. A Very Marley Christmas by John Grogan (So glad we have a good dog ;)!)
40. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May
41. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! by Lucille Colandro
42. Grace at Christmas by Mary Hoffman (Christmas is changed forever for a little girl reluctant to welcome strangers into her celebrations.)
43. Tacky's Christmas by Helen Lester (Gotta love that Tacky!)
44. A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
45. The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans

Thanks so much for taking the time to read!  I've whipped up a couple of little tags, to dress this year's jars of homemade apple butter, for family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers and will be back tomorrow to share how they turned out.  Until then, happy reading, and may your holiday season be full of rest.  Hugs!