Children's book lovers! - fave xmas books please

[Laugs]

I love a good Christmas story, but there are so many rubbish ones out there.

Every year we read Lucy and Tom's Christmas by Shirley Hughes and the story about Christmas in Bullerby by Astrid Lindgren. Also like Julia Donaldson's Stick Man, though we do read that all year round.

Does anyone have any favourite Christmas books they want to share? Not too bothered about age range, as it is really for my enjoyment . My kids are 5 and 2 though.

The Worst Kids In The World. It's both hilarious and tearjerking.

There's a lovely Christmas in Hobberdy Dick.

I've just realised how much dd is going to love The Thirteen Days Of Christmas

do you think it would be overkill if I read a different Christmas story every day of December? My Amazon wishlist is getting REALLY full now and I can't seem to let any of them go. Children's books are definitely my weakness.

I have a plan though... I reckon I could make a killing selling stapled colour photocopies of Lucy and Tom's Christmas! Roll up roll up!

How can so many of these lovely books go out of print when so much crap gets published?

Oh and I have a version of The Night Before Christmas that I wouldn't particularly recommend, but I saw an exhibition of Robert Ingpen's illustrations last year at Seven Stories. He is AMAZING.

www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Before-Christmas-Pop-Book/dp/1741787297/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321375537&sr=1-10 ISBN: 1741787297

The attached is a beautifully illustrated, pop up edition of The Night Before Christmas. My children are 5 and 3 and I bought it last Christmas. They love it, although I don't let them read it on their own yet.

We also love the christmas postman book, and on the back of Mumsnet Swears By we got The Elf on The Shelf this week. A huge rip off in my opinion at £30 for the book and elf, but the children are LOVING him.
www.prezzybox.com/elf-on-the-shelf.aspx

I can't bring myself to pay that much for a felt elf, so I'm making one and hoping that my own made-up story will do for DS1.

I love all the Astrid Lindgren books (she was Bullerby, right?) and somewhere have the original. I mean, it's at my mother's house. Somewhere.

I first read Thirteen Days of Christmas at about 11, so I'm really glad to see other people love it. I used to make a ritual of reading it a couple of days before the 25th, and I still remember a lot about 17thC Christmas customs!

Another book that's very Christmassy, though for older children, is Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, particularly the eponymous title The Dark is Rising of the series. Excellent, atmospheric and scary. And very christmassy. I remember a good book called Christmas at Cold Harbour (or something) which was a bit ghosty but very good. I never read it, but enjoyed the 80's BBC series Box of Delights (John Masefield). And I'd second the Greene Knowe books - very cosy and quite magical.

Have consulted DH, because the Susan Cooper is his own christmas ritual. He adds Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in wales, and the christmas chapter out of Wind in the Willows, which might be a bit more appropriate. Also The Blue Carbuncle (Sherlock Holmes).

Im on the look out for Christmassy books too but my girls are abit younger at 3 and 18mths.

Will be off to look at Amazon in a tick for some of these suggestions. :)

Reshape- I made my own elf too (pic on profile) but have since given in a bought the real thing anyway!

we like the christmas eve ghost which is also Shirly Hughes

Loving this thread and have added lots to my Amazon basket!

I used to read The Runaway Sleigh Ride by Astrid Lindgren to my eldest daughter when it got cold and christmassy and still love it now.

I have a separate box for our Christmas books which comes out on 1 Dec. At the moment it includes Jolly Christmas Postman, One Snowy Night (Percy the Park-Keeper), An Aussie Night Before Christmas (very funny and lovely illustrations), The Nativity - can't recommend it highly enough - it's just beautiful, The Fourth King which is fab, an Elmer one, a Harry & the Dinosaurs one, Jingle Bells (Nick Butterworth) and a good one about St Nicholas which means ours have never completely, utterly done the Santa thing.

Need to think about some for older ones as the bigger two get on (11 and nearly 9).

I've bought the 4th king from the book people ready for this year.

I also love On Angel Wings by Michael Morpurgo - telling of the Christmas story by a very old man who when he was a shepherd boy he gets left behind when the other shepherds go to see the baby Jesus, and an angel comes and takes him to the stable. And his family are trying to work out if the story is real or just a myth.

Jesus Christmas Party (Tale of Christmas by the grumpy innkeeper who keeps being woken up by visitors to the nativity scence and having to send them ROUND THE BACK)

I would heartily agree with Lucy and Tom's Christmas - I used to read it to my now grown-up children who looked just like the illustrations.

We have always loved Raymond Briggs so The Snowman and Father Christmas books are old favourites. And The Santa Trap by Jonathan Emmett which is much loved by my eight year old.

Kityan We have that pop-up version of Twas The Night Before Christmas but don't the printing mistakes bother you? Because they absolutely spoil it for me

Nickolai of the North and Nickolai's Quest are brilliant children's books - they have 24 chapters so great to read in the run up to Christmas.

We like Olivia Helps with Christmas.

Great thread, thank you. I want to buy all the suggestions but dd is only 5 months old...I think they'd be more for me.
Turns out the jolly postman is 20 years old and they've bought out a new version which is cheaper than the original. Found it here if anyone's after a copy...www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/21160412/-/Product.html

"Kipper's Christmas Eve" by Mick Inkpen - good for 3 - 6 year-olds but I'm sure I read it to my DS, then 7, last year.

A lovely book, with gentle humour, that adults can appreciate as well as the children.

It's got to be The Night Before Christmas but the lovely pop up version by Robert Sabuda.

I don't think the best books to give as Christmas presents are necessarily 'Christmas' themed books. I could happily list lots of picture books which would make great Christmas presents without the Christmas theme, but thinking of a winter theme instead, 'The Gruffalo's Child' has all the magic and rhyming fun of 'The Gruffalo', but with a snowy setting.

Reshapewhiledamp - The Dark is Rising is my christmas ritual read too ! That and The Box of Delights, Green Knowe, and sobbing through Jonathan Toomey for Ds

I don't think you can beat A Christmas Carol. I even love the muppet movie version! ~:)

On Angle Wings and The Best Christmas Present Ever both by Micheal Morpurgo are great. For younger ones The Stick Man is good. Last christmas we got Santa Secret Agent which is a brilliant book for older children very funny.

CMOT, DH introduced me to TDIR books. I really wish I'd known them as a child. DS2 was born on Dec 20th, and I think DH is still disappointed that he missed the equinox by a day or so!

I did scare myself silly as a child reading Silver on the Tree though ! An equinox birthday would be v good.

This is a fabulous book. It's like a non fiction book on Christmas. Maybe for a slightly older child, 4/5/6 but it will stay in the family for years!

Get yourself a copy of Grubson Pug's Christmas - it's a lovely book written by Jane Anne Hodgson, Whistling Cat Books I think is the publisher. It may be a bit old for yours but is a fantastic book to read to them at bedtime. The real meaning of Christmas and family wrapped up in some swashbuckling adventure. I read it to step children aged 4 and 7 and my son age 8- they all enjoyed it for different reasons, I enjoyed reading it too!

The Town that Forgot it was Christmas.