Christmas Books

My son had learned his ABCs. He could sound out words. He just couldn't take the plunge.

I bought this book from Amazon and added it to our rotation of bedtime reading. My son connected with Edward, the central character, who helps Santa make his Christmas deliveries by reading from the book of names.

You could argue that I've rated this book a star higher than it deserves but since it was the book that inspired my son to read, I'll stand by my rating.

My frien loved this book great book for people who deal with children and to show children a variety of names.

This book was very interesting. It all started with Edward not being able to read. His father would always read him a story on Christmas Eve. Edward wanted to read really bad. This story tells how Edward goes from being doubted, to actually being able to read. It brings about a conflict with the losing of Santa's glasses. I think that that was the opportunity that Edward needed to learn how to read. His parents woke him up on Christmas morning. They wanted to read the book to him. He ended up reading it to them. I would definitely recommend this to any kid that wants a good story to read.

I cried as I read this book for the first time - it is an endearing story about Edward, who is having difficulty learning to read. His teacher suggests he undergo more "tests", but his parents insist "no...more patience". When Santa delivers gifts to Edward's house on Christmas Eve, it happens that he can't read his book of names of boys and girls. Christmas is at stake and Edward must step up to the plate and read the names for Santa. Edward goes with Santa in his sleigh and saves the day by reading aloud the names in Santa's book. He gains his self-esteem and self-confidence in reading, and saves Christmas too!
This is one of the best Christmas books I have read and I ... hope it becomes a classic. This author has written two other books about Edward, just as charming: "Edward and the Pirates" and "Edward in the Jungle".

Edward cannot read. He almost can...but not quite. His teacher tells his parents that there are many tests he can take that will find what the problems are. However, his mother insists on "No tests...just patience."
It is Christmas Eve and Edward struggles to read his favorite Christmas story when he hears a noise. He runs downstairs to find a large, old book. "It must be Santa's!" he thought.
Santa comes back for the book, which happens to be his "Book of Names," but looses his glasses, and needs Edward to go along with him to help him read the names. Edward struggles at first, but Santa helps him. In the end, Edward does fine reading and Santa returns him home, thanks him, and rewards him with a new book.
On Christmas day, Edward reads his new book to his two happy parents.
I believe that this story is really inspiring. Edward gains self esteem, self confidence, and he saves Christmas! This book seems to be an instant classic. The story is good and the illustrations are beautiful. People of all ages will enjoy reading about Edward's memorable Christmas.

I bought a copy of Santa's Reindeer a few years ago and I've been sharing it with my classes and with other teachers. Everyone loves it but has never heard of it before. I even sent an e-mail to Scholastic suggesting that they consider for their book clubs. I have wanted to get in touch with Judy Schrecker because the bookcover mentions a play script which I would like to obtain. And I want her to know how much I like her book. I enjoy the illustations as well but I think that Santa should be fatter! L. Fletcher

This was a great book!Mrs. Shrecker is my Math and Science teacher. She is awesome! She is very nice..but strict only when she needs to be! Which isn't often! She has a great imagination and is one of the best teachers i've ever had! This book is a great kids book and i think kids would love it! And since i'm in 6th grade and love it all adults should love it too!It's awesome how she combined the Bible Christmas Story and the whole Santa thing. I would have never thought of that! I'm very glad i own that book!

This book is a good book writen by my teacher Judie Shrecker. Mrs. Shrecker is a good teacher as well as a good wrighter.

When I was in kindergarten, Mrs. Schrecker was one of my teachers and I can proudly say that I was one of the first kids that ever heard this wonderful book. I even remember giving up my time outdoors to draw pictures of the story! It is wonderful and very creative. I will always think of it as one of my favorite Christmas stories.

Our daughter checked this book out of her public school's library. We thought it would be another cutsie Christmas book, appropriate for the season. To our complete surprise it turned out to be quite a gem. It is often difficult for parents to connect the celebration Christmas morning (gifts brought by Santa) with the birth of Jesus. We tell our daughter that Santa brings gifts to remind us of the gift that God gave us, his Son. It was wonderful to see a children's book make a similar connection in such a sweet and entertaining way. Our daughter loved the book, and we are ordering one to have for next year.

Santa's Snow Cat is a great Christmas book to share with family and friends. It has become a new family tradition for me to read Santa's Snow Cat to my kids on Christmas Eve. It's a grand mix of fantasy, traditions and truth. The story is set on Christmas Eve and takes place in New York City. Many of the famous places in NY are pictured in the book like The Twin Towers, Empire State Building, St Patrick's Cathedral, and the giant snowflake that hovers above 5th Avenue during Christmas season.
I think everyone will enjoy this book. It's absolutely my favorite book all time.

DON'T NEED TO LOVE CATS TO ENJOY THIS NICE LITTLE STORY! WE JUST R IN LOVE WITH ALL ANIMALS... WE LIKE THE PICTURES as well. IT'S NICELY WRITTEN & I LOVE WHEN U CAN TELL THAT SANTAS SMILING WITHOUT EVEN BEING ABLE TO see his mouth! IT'S A KEEPER! (SON'S AGES 9 TO 4YRS.

Nice Xmas Story for the cat lover, and anyone who love NYC

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

This book is a must for Christmas, and anyone who loves New York. Snow Cat falls out of Santa's sleigh one Christmas and is dropped into New York. Unhurt she visits different landmarks such as the Twin Towers, Rockefeller Center, and more. Snow Cat meets up with many "look-alike" Santa's, but never hers. Eventually Santa finds Snow Cat and brings her back to the North Pole.

This book is beautifully illustrated, and a must for any cat lovers or anyone looking for a new Christmas story.

I purchased this book for my daughter after falling in love with Anne Mortimer's illustrations in Pussycat's Christmas. As expected the illustrations are beautiful and crisp and will be especially appreciated by cat lovers. This is a lovely and quiet holiday bedtime story.

Mary Anne has a skeleton in her closet. It means that she keeps a secret life that nobody wants to know. One day, she worked in a mall. Then, this girl Angela appears. The spiers Are so kind because they let Angela spend Christmas in their house. I am so happy about this book =)

I Loved This Book!. Mary Anne spends so much on her father's credit. Mary Anne takes a job at the mall and meet this girl Angela. Mary Anne's parents invited Angela to stay for Christmas!.

In the secret life of Mary Anne Spier sh spends so much on her father's credit card. Mr.Spier told Mary Anne that she would even have to pay interest just like he does.Mary Anne takes a job at the mall and meets this girl Angela and their family helped Angela by inviting them to stay for Christmas.

I liked it! Mary Anne's kind, tender heart gets her into trouble, but I admire how she takes responsibility for her mistake and willingly takes the elf job to pay for it! Also touching is how Mary Anne feels so sorry for Angela, the homeless girl, that she cries quietly under her elf head. Her tender heart is endearing; and her strong sense of responsibility is to be commended. It's hilarious how she goes to extremes to hide her secret job from her friends and boyfriend because she's so easily embarrassed!

Mary Anne keeps on using his father's credit card. Until Mary anne has to pay all the things she bought.

NICE COLORFUL & IMAGINATION-FULL ENJOYABLE EASY TO READ BOOK!(HATS-OFF!)
THE PICTURES REALLY R VERY PRETTY & WE LIKE TO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT SHAPES OF HATS ON THE ANIMALS! (MAKES THE BOYS LAUGH)

Reviewed by Patty Inglish

A severe winter blizzard is coming for Christmas and it alarms the rabbit family to hear it on the TV nightly news. Mother Rabbit asks Little Rabbit if he would appreciate a hand-knit hat, and he agrees that it would be a wonderful gift for him. After receiving his warm and delightful gift, Little Rabbit suggests that all of their friends need hats as well.

Mother Rabbit and Little Rabbit use their creativity to make practical warm gifts for all of their friends to protect them from the storm. They take the Little Rabbit designer hats to town on a sled and distribute them to the other citizens. The townsfolk look doubtfully in the mirror as they don the hats and caps, but thank the Rabbits anyway.

When the snow begins to fly, Horse appreciates his blanket hat and Goose comes to love her neck-wrapping hat, while Deer sees the utility of his lovely antler-covering hat. Sophisticated cat falls in love with hers as well - it makes her look like a lion - and the townsfolk rush after the Rabbits to express profuse thanks.

Back at their home hutch in the storm, the Rabbits have forgotten gifts for each other, but they are happy to have given freely of Little Rabbit's ideas and Mother rabbit's wool, and they celebrate Christmas with a nice warm carrot cake in front of the fire.

If everyone gave something lovely and warm to someone else, no one would want for anything in the storm.

Shall I Knit You a Hat? is a warm and colorful story for children, families, and adults during the holiday season. The story is enchanting and the illustrations are colorful whimsy that is very engaging. With a complete Rabbit hat pattern for infant through age 3 years included, needle artists will particularly love it.

Armchair Interviews says: Special book for the holiday.

I was pleased by this book on two counts. As a knitter I loved the creative and fanciful designs of mother rabbit's hats. I could totally relate to her knitting frenzy during the Christmas holiday.

Secondly, as a mother of three children, I was surprised at how enthralled my children were by the simple story. Well, my 10 year old son (Harry Potter fan that he is) was a little bored by the charming story, but both my 8 yo daughter and 6 yr old son loved the book and fought over who got to look at the pictures after I was finished reading the book out loud. They especially liked trying to figure out which hat was going to which animal when mother rabbit was knitting them. The illustrations are especially captivating and full of detail. Altogether I loved this book and it is sure to be a year-round favorite, not just at Christmas!

I received this book today and I was not disappointed. It's a lovely sweet story with an 'it's better to give than to receive moral'. The illustrations are beautiful and unusual. I know this will be a favourite in our Christmas collection. A must have.

[This review was first published in the "Ephrata (Pa.) Review."]
A blizzard is blowing in but Little Rabbit is ready. His mother has knit him a cozy hat. Little Rabbit worries about his friends, however. He suggests they should receive hats for Christmas too, an idea Mother Rabbit seconds. Little Rabbit designs headgear appropriate to horse, goose, cat, dog, squirrel and deer. The friends aren't sure what to make of the quirky hats--until they see just how toasty the custom designs keep them. This snug story of friendship and mother-child love encapsulates the Christmas message that giving begets joy.

We have enjoyed reading "The Symbols of Christmas" with our son. It has helped us teach him about Christ and the meaning of Christmas. He can still enjoy Santa and Rudolph, but now understands the true sacrifice Christ made for us. We highly recommend this book to teach your child about Jesus and all that makes Christmas so special.

This book is not only an enjoyable reading, but an excellent teaching tool about "Reason for the Season." Taking the common items associated with this blessed holiday, the author paints a beautiful picture of our loving saviour that will forever stay with you. Written for all ages, I would give it to anyone--any age--and know it was a wonderful gift for them to enjoy!

This book is a MUST HAVE for every family with children. From reindeer to mistletoe, the author has brilliantly related symbols of Christmas back to Biblical scripture. This is GREAT for taking the 'commercialism' out of Christmas and back to the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

This book is written for all ages. Bible verses are used to give Christian relavance to most of the common trappings of the commercial side of Christmas. Helps remind you to keep Christ in Christmas.

I think this book keeps true to form with the teaching method of Jesus. He used cultural things to teach spiritual truths. That is what Robert Adams does in his book "The Symbols of Christmas." Christmas is the greatest season to point to who Jesus is...and Robert takes the popular symbols of Christmas and shows us how we can tell others about Jesus. This is more than a great book to give...it is also a great tool.

If you are looking for something different to give your childs teacher, try this book. Have your child dedicate the book to her teacher and in turn, the whole class gets to enjoy the book. It's something different that our teachers appreciated. Fun for all.

This book is cute; not (for me) the Best Book Ever, but certainly fun for reading with kids. My kids especially like the funny pictures.

I had the pleasure of receiving this book as a gift from not one but two different students ... I read it aloud and fell in love with it. The author is a teacher (no surprise), and I ... met him at a conference! He couldn't have been nicer. I have every intention of giving this book as a gift to my own children's teachers ... If you work in an elementary school or know someone who does, this book is a find. Best of all, the kids think it's hysterical!

Clever illustrations and a humorous storyline make this a must- read Christmas picture book for both children and adults. I am a first-grade teacher, and this book is the story of my life. I read this book to my students, and they could not wait to see what funny incident happened next. They have also asked me to read it to them over and over again. I highly recommend this title.

I am a third-grade teacher, and I loved this story. The chaos that is portrayed on the pages of this delightful picture book is so true regarding what it is like the last few days before Christmas vacation. I especially loved reading about the room mom commandos and the yearly Christmas pageant. I have bought this book as a gift for several of my colleagues who have also thoroughly enjoyed it.

This small book, easily read in an afternoon, will fill your heart with inspiration, wonder and joy at the way God works in our lives - yes, still today. The stories are real and powerfully written and all are tied into the miracle of the Christmas season. These are stories you won't forget...and they will increase your faith!

Because Christmas is a time for miracles. And this book is filled with real life miracles. God is alive and well and making his presence known through angels (heavenly and eartly) and unexplicable happenings. These stories are so inspiring because they show how people's lives are blessed through heavenly power and intervention.

Thiw book helps renew your faith in God and miracles. It is truly the perfect book for the holidays!

I also enjoyed:

Story of the Other Wise Man--a wonderful Christmas parable.

Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--a heartwarming, inspiring story.

The stories in this book are heartwarming, inspirational, and uplifting--this book is like one of the great Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Buy a copy for yourself and one for a friend. This is a book to treasure!

I also enjoyed Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--an inspiring and--ultimately--comforting holiday story.

A collection of inspirational stories that is wonderful to read to renew your faith especially at Christmas time. I highly recommend that you slow down and add reading a book like this to your Christmas preparation. It will help you to keep the hustle and bustle in perspective and encourage you to pray for your own special miracle during the Holidays whatever that may be.

Christmas is a time for miracles, a time for peace, yet it is often and usually the most hectic, stressful time of year where very little of the joy that is intended in it is felt. Thank God for people like Ms. Kingsbury, who, with a few simple words can remind us of the true meaning and message of the season. In this small but powerful collection of unbelieveable, but true stories, she shines a light into the reader's heart, showing the reality of God's love, often expressed through the hand of others. Laughter and tears both will fill your heart and soul if you take the time to give yourself the gift of this book.

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

The biblical characters become so relevant with the interpretation of the very talented Katerina Katsarka Whitley. This book of dramatizations revitalized the Advent season and brought me to a new understanding of the Christ event. I loved reading the book. It also would provide good material for churches that include drama in their worship or Sunday School.

I loved this little book--the story of Advent through the eloquent eyes and voices of 30 humans, angels, and animals. Whitley combines scholarly text with the suspense and character development of a good novel.

This book follows along with Katerina's previous books and the reader truly experiences what the people so long ago were feeling. It is an inspirational book that should be part of everyone's Advent reading.

Katy has again joined a vivid imagination with scholarly knowledge of the Bible. This is a wonderful book for Advent reading. Bates Toone

This is an excellent book to read as a family devotion to prepare ourselves spiritually for the birth of Christ. It is such a challenge in our country to keep ourselves and our children focused on the reason we celebrate Christmas. This book provides a fresh look at biblical characters that we have learned about in Sunday School and provides us with a new way to anticipate the birth of Christ.
We plan take turns reading them aloud with our teenage children. There are many voices to choose from so the book can be used for many Advent seasons to come.

What an outstanding book! It is so hard to find good stories to share and teach about WWI. I had to order it in paperback from the UK where sadly, Foreman's evocative pictures were reduced and reproduced in black & white. This should be in every school library. Foreman's story is based on a true incident. My students loved the soccer connection and felt empathy for the four young men who face the bitter reality of war and the joy of one very special day.

This is an excellent book that stirs the emotions. The pictures are beautiful watercolors . Though it is important to learn the facts of WW I, this book will create an impression that will not be forgotten, which is even more important than memorizing facts. I borrow most of our books, but this is one book that I would recommend buying.

This story is included in our sixth grade anthology. The students love this story. I am sorry that the book is out of print.

This is a rare book for anyone who loves to teach and learn about history. Michael Foreman has taken a remarkable event (i.e. The Christmas Day Truce of WWI)and created a timeless tale. His book is packed with wonderful illustrations, and contains many facts about the Great War. Foreman has also woven primary documents from the time period throughout the book; most of which are in the form of propaganda posters. Overall, this book comes highly recommended, and it will be a shame if it is not re-printed soon!

Michael Foreman writes as beautifully as he draws. This is an evocative story of a Christmas truce during WW1 in which German and British soldiers become friends, singing carols and playing soccer together, learning to see one another as friends and fellow human beings. When the truce ends, each side deliberately fires over the heads of the other, unable to kill men they now regard as comrades. The German command learns of the game...War Game is a classic war story and should be in print.