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The aim of this Home Education blog is to share books, games and resources that I have found useful and fun in home educating my children. If you have a resource to share, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.
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December Reading

Posted on November 20, 2007
Filed Under Books, Free |

A little early perhaps!! I wanted to give you time to get organised!

In December we like to switch our reading to books about christmas. We have some favourites that we pull out, and I usually introduce a new book that I think we will enjoy.

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg is a lovely picture book for younger children. The book has lots of envelopes (for the postman to deliver) each with a card, game or small puzzle.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is a beautifully illustrated book with a well-written story. “Jonathan Toomey was once a happy man with a wife and baby, but since their death his grief has turned him cold and hard. Then one winter’s day the widow McDowell and her son knock at the sad woodcarver’s door to ask if he will make them a set of nativity figures. When, gruffly, he agrees, the heart-warming Christmas miracle of Jonathan Toomey begins.”
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This is a sweet book about what happens when the Herdmans (who are absolutely the worst kids in the world!) decide to be part of the Christmas pageant. Its not long - only 7 short chapters - but funny (and moving!).
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss. This is still one of my favorites!! Its so lyrical - I love to read it aloud!
Frank L. Baum (of Wizard of Oz fame) wrote two wonderful stories about Santa Clause - both available free. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is longer and takes a bit of getting into, but I thought it was magical. A shorter story is A kidnapped Santa Claus
Another free online book is A Childs Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. Its a nice read, but I think an illustrated version would bring it to life.
This Way to Christmas by Ruth Sawyer was enjoyable but I would recommend it ONLY as a read-aloud (there are some quite racist bits in it that I glossed over!). It includes several stories of christmas traditions in other countries - which raised a lot of uncomfortable questions by my santa-believing children - so you may want to judge the timing!! But the book is available as a free download, so I figured you could peruse it before making a decision about it. Overall, we did enjoy it.
Angela and the Baby Jesus may be my choice for this christmas I think. It is written by Frank McCourt who wrote Angela’s Ashes, and the illustrations are lovely (have a look on Amazon.com - click the flag ).
Or possibly, I will get Letters from Father Christmas by JR Tolkein. It is letters from ‘Father Christmas’ to Tolkeins children, and sounds magical. Currently available at the BookPeople.