Christmas reading lists
Our teacher's favorite holiday readings! Here you can find some gift ideas or suggestions for our students to read during the Christmas holidays.
Gabrielle Macalintal
In addition to the many great children’s classics we read at Hawthorn, the following are picture books that I loved as a child (in no particular order). I now enjoy sharing with my students and my own children, who show great delight in these newer classics.
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco - a grandmother helps her daughter overcome her fear of thunderstorms. My second grade teacher gave us the thunder cake recipe, which includes tomato puree and strawberries. My mom and I made it during a thunderstorm, and it was delicious!
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney - a fictional story about a woman who set out to make the world a more beautiful place by planting lupines wherever she went.
Swimmy by Leo Lionni - a little fish who is sole survivor shows another group of fish how to work as a team.
Stellaluna by Janell Canon - a baby fruit bat is separated from her mother and raised as a bird.
Also, It is never too early to introduce chapter books as read-alouds for young children. These were my personal favorites, which are all great introductory books for the series as well:
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (and the whole Little House series)
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (and the trilogy)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis (and the Chronicles of Narnia series)
Pauline MacDonald
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, edited/ illustrated by Barbara McClintock. This is my favorite picture book from childhood with an important lesson- that kindness and service to others are more important than wealth. I would pore over these pictures for hours!
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook, by Joyce Lankester Brisley
The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson
Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild, Box Set of Series
Louise Montes
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, pictures by Maurice Sendak
Frog and Toad are Friends, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
These two books are my favorite first chapter books for beginning readers. My grandfather was a bookbinder, and he gave each of his grandchildren a set of I Can Read beginner books. Little Bear and Frog and Toad are some of the titles that are still treasured in my house.
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
One of my favorite recent children’s picture books - poetry that brings the colors of the seasons to life with vivid illustrations.
Kelly Andino
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. A beautiful story about the importance of family, originally written by the author as a gift for his two daughters. Chapter book.
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. A short Christmas story about the tremendous love between a husband and wife, who despite their poverty wish to give each other something spectacular. Could be read aloud to the family in a few sittings. Short chapter book (40 pages).
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski. Beautifully illustrated holiday tale about a woodcarver’s grief and the transformation brought about by love. Longer picture book, for family read-aloud, or confident readers.
Bethlehem by Fiona French. Share the Christmas story with your child with words from the King James Bible. Illustrations recreate the nativity scenes found in stained glass windows of famous English cathedrals. Picture book, good for younger children.
The Clown of God illustrated by Tomie DePaola. A beautiful French folktale retold. One of my favorite childhood stories. A poor beggar becomes a juggler, but after growing older and finding himself in difficult times, takes refuge on Christmas Eve in the local cathedral. Longer picture book, for read-aloud, or confident readers.
Tim McGovern
For all (but especially younger boys):
James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
These are two of my favorite books to teach because I enjoy reading them so much. Dahl’s writing is funny and accessible for children, while touching on universal themes. If your boys don’t have these in their library, they’d be a great addition!
For older boys / more advanced readers:
King Solomon’s Mines - H. Rider Haggard
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court - Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
These three books are adventure stories, ones I loved when I was in middle school and in my early teens. The writing is high quality, the stories are exciting and timeless.
Danielle Mancuso
A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens: It is a true timeless classic that has many different versions for all ages and wonderful themes to discuss during the Christmas season.
The Gift of the Magi By O’Henry: Another timeless classic!
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street By Karina Yon Glasser: This is the first book in a bestselling series about a family with five children. It’s a heartwarming story of how the family comes together to stay in their apartment after the landlord decides to not renew their lease.
Matthew Hickman
For younger children for reading aloud my personal favorites reading to my children were:
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury.
We also enjoyed "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" by Tony Ross, and particularly enjoyed the raised eyebrows from the teachers when we took it in to read aloud!
For the older boys, you can't go wrong with C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" series. You're never too young to read "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" of course, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Since we are in a Christmas frame of mind, Tokien also wrote the marvellous "Letters from Father Christmas". My children hugely enjoyed the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, but I cannot vouch for it myself!
