From the all-time Christmas classics to beautiful brand new books...
Christmas stories and tales are a magical part of the holiday season and a special book always has a place in any Christmas Eve box or sack. This collection of books includes stories about Christmas that are unusual, interactive and beautifully presented – or, all three.
From clever cut-outs to fabulous pop-ups, via a book carousel or interactive flaps and pockets, there are so many books that are just perfect for festive reading, mini stocking fillers, or part of your Christmas book advent. Here’s our pick of some of the most magical festive tomes – both newly published and old-time classics included – for you and the whole family to enjoy.
Paddington’s Christmas Post
by Michael Bond (Author), R. W. Alley (Illustrator)
Based on the original stories by the late Michael Bond Paddington’s Christrmas Post sees a funny and very festive Paddington do his best to help the Brown family get ready for a very special Christmas. And, we all know what that means she the nations favourite bear gets involved….
This interactive picture book is full of adventure including real mail: find an Advent calendar, Paddington’s home-made Christmas card to Aunt Lucy and a bear-shaped Christmas tree decoration and so many more to be opened and enjoyed forever more.
Christmas is Coming! An Advent Book
by Katie Hickey
This beautiful keepsake advent book features a front-cover advent calendar with die-cut flaps. Each of the 24 lift-the-flap windows reveals a clue to a festive activity that can be found inside. This might be a recipe for a delicious homemade treat, instructions for a cozy craft, a game to play, a carol to sing, or a beautifully illustrated story to read with the whole family.
The illustrations, as cozy as the contents, offer festoons of evergreens and ornaments, depictions of tidy homes and sweet little shops nestled closely together in snowy landscapes, to be enjoyed year after year.
The Crayons' Christmas
by Drew Daywalt with pictures by Oliver Jeffers
If you love the The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home – and to be frank who doesn’t – then Christmas has come early with this Crayons book from author/illustrator duo Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers. ‘Tis the season for all of us to write our Christmas wish lists but everyone knows – even the Crayons – that the best presents are the ones that you give. In this unique book, join Duncan, the crayons and their families as they celebrate the festive season in this hilarious interactive book with real folded letters to pull from their envelopes , games, press-out ornaments, a poster and even a pop-up Christmas tree. This is one book EVERY kid will want this Christmas.
The Jolly Christmas Postman
by Janet and Allan Allberg
Fans of The Jolly Postman will love this festive take on the Janet and Allan Alberg classic – although it would be fair to say this Christmas version is a classic in its own right too! It’s Christmas Eve and The Jolly Christmas Postman is delivering greetings to everyone’s favourite fairy-tale characters far and wide.
He peddles up hill and down dale to ensure Red Riding Hood receives a gift from Mr Wolf (a game appropriately called Beware) and hospitalised Humpty Dumpty gets a get-well jigsaw. With its interactive cards and gifts, and cast of familiar fairytale characters, this clever book never fails to charm. Who can resist opening those little envelopes?
Christmas Street
by Jonathan Emmett and Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
This beautiful lift-the-flap Christmas alphabet story is a book, a fold-out play-scene, and a beautiful festive frieze to decorate the table or your little ones room. Everyone is busy on Christmas Street. Who is baking gingerbread?
Who is wrapping presents? And who’s that coming down the chimney? Children can find out in this cheerful, rhyming text gift book which is a follow-up to another favourite, Alphabet Street.
The Mitten: A Classic Pop-Up Folktale
by Pippa Curnick (Illustrator)Yevgeniya Yeretskaya (Contributor)
A boy’s lost mitten is discovered by a group of curious woodland animals in this sweet retelling of the classic Ukrainian folk tale. Enjoy seven spreads of charming illustrations with interactive pull tabs and wheels nestled within this magical pop-up landscape.
How Winston Delivered Christmas: A Christmas story in 24-and-a-half-chapters
both by Alex T. Smith
The story of the brave little mouse called Winston who is on a very important mission! You see, on Christmas Eve, he finds a letter to Father Christmas that did not make it to the post box, so, with no time to lose, he sets out to deliver it himself in time for Christmas Day! Featuring beautiful colour artwork and Christmassy activities to make-and-do throughout (including writing a letter to Father Christmas, making mince pies, designing your very own Christmas cards, making presents, creating decorations, and so much more), you can enjoy a chapter of this gorgeous book each day, which is sure to become a festive family tradition that will be enjoyed year after year.
Last year saw festive sequel How Winston Came Home for Christmas. It is five days until Christmas and Winston has a very curious mystery to solve! He has hazy rememberings of another mouse, and he just knows that someone very important to him is lost. After promising Oliver that he will be back in time for Christmas, no matter what, Winston sets out on an exciting round-the-world adventure to find the missing mouse, helped along the way by wonderful old friends and delightful new ones, too. The new title also features more enchanting Christmas activities to do with the whole family.
Santa’s Christmas Handbook
by Chris Edge
A clever Christmas themed book, written for Santa by his elves, to keep him on track on Christmas Eve! It seems that Santa really does need this book, as one of the best-kept secrets about Christmas is that Santa Claus is highly accident-prone and doesn’t get on well with gadgets and gizmos!
Packed with novelties, interesting tabs to lift and discover, and a fun board game on the penultimate spread, this beautifully illustrated, interactive and fun book has something new on every page that will appeal to readers young and old.
The Nutcracker: A Papercut Pop-up Book
by Shobhaa Patel
Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet receives a breathtaking retelling in this enchanting book featuring a new pop-up technique invented by the author that is called paperscope.
As Clara’s nutcracker toy takes her on a magical midnight journey, through a world of dancing candy canes and mouse soldiers, each chapter is punctuated by an intricate laser-cut illustration, which you reveal by pushing down on the top of the page, which acts like a stage set. Simply stunning and a book to treasure forever.
Let it Glow: A Winter's Walk
by Owen Gildersleeve
Set in a Winter wonderland, this book follows one child on his journey home through a snowy landscape. Lights are revealed by diecuts throughout, which become lit-up shop windows, carol singers’ candles, stars in the sky and finally a star on the tree.
Told in verse, this gift book will delight little ones and bring some of that Christmas magic into everyone’s home, year after year.
Follow The Star - A Pop-up Christmas Journey
by Amanda Wood and Illustrated by Andy Mansfield
This is an unusual pop-up book, as you have to turn it sideways to get the full pop-up effect across both the pages. This tale is of the Christmas star as it makes its way through the Christmas story.
The silver foil star complements the red foil cover and it can be found on every page, atop a Christmas tree, over the stable in Bethlehem and lighting up Santa’s way.
The Story Orchestra: Swan Lake
by Katy Flint and illustrated by Jessica Courtney Tickle
This classic story follows Prince Siegfried who is tricked into proposing to Von Rothbart’s daughter Odile as he attends his birthday party and returns to the lake to battle the evil sorcerer. Will the prince be reunited with his swan princess? Not only will children will discover the spellbinding magic of Swan Lake but, they will be enchanted by this musical interactive retelling. You just push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky’s score – with 10 excerpts from the ballet’s music it will bring the book and story to life.
Perfect for music lovers, as at the back of the book, there is a short biography of the composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of Swan Lake. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. We also love The Story Orchestra Nutcracker version.
The Magical Book of Christmas Tales
by Susannah Lockheart
This unique sliding picture book is pure magic for little ones as they get to change the pictures. The book comprises two Christmas classics; The Nutcracker and The Night Before Christmas, with six-scene changing pages. The illustrations are really lovely and the gatefold pages and cut-out cover all give it a special, keepsake feel.
Printed in 2009 by Scholastic, it is definitely worth searching for an excellent condition copy on Amazon Marketplace and second-hand bookstores.
