Beyond the classics: The best holiday children's books

We asked our Facebook fans what their favorite classic holiday book was, and over 2,000 of you responded to our poll. Overwhelmingly, the most beloved holiday book is the classic, The Night Before Christmas. Other top contenders were How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Polar Express. Most of these classics are also available as an E-book, in addition to print.

But there are always new additions to the library of holiday classics.  Our Facebook fans recommend A Dog Named Christmas, a sweet story of a family who rescues a dog from a shelter and names him “Christmas”, and The Biggest Snowman Ever, a snowman building contest that brings friends together for the biggest snowman ever built.

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Here are our top picks of our favorite holiday books beyond the classics, from The Shine producers. For girls we love Madeline’s Christmas. Children can celebrate Christmas Parisian style with the beloved character Madeline, Pepito and all their friends. Another great book for little girls is Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas, part of the fancy Nancy series with beautiful, detailed sparkly illustrations.

For boys, we love The Wild Christmas Reindeer, the tales of Little Teeka’s adventures to train reindeer for their Christmas ride. Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy is another great pick for boys, where Corduroy, one of the most beloved children’s characters,introduces all the Hanukkah traditions from lighting the menorah to eating yummy potato pancakes.

Dream Snow is for everyone. It’s a story beautifully told in collage about a farmer who settles for his winter’s nap and dreams of a deep snow covering him and his animals in a snowy blanket. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, another beloved pick for boys and girls, retells the original Hanukkah story and captures the spirit of the holiday. My First Kwanzaa Book shares the 7 principles of the holiday Kwanzaa in a colorful, kid friendly presentation.

[Related: Secret Family Holiday Traditions]

For teens, our two favorites include The Life And Adventures of Santa Claus and Mistletoe.  In The Life And Adventures of Santa Claus, we learn the story of Nicholas from his lonely childhood to him learning to drive a beautiful sleigh, and eventually becoming Saint Nicholas. We suggest Mistletoe for the older teens, for it tells a story in which a Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one town into a romantic haven.

Finally, a more recent newcomer to the list of holiday favorites, that’s spinning into a tradition of it’s own for many families, is Elf on the Shelf.  It’s an interactive, hide-and-seek based game, where parents hide the elf and the kids try and find it. The elf acts as Santa’s scout, watching over children to see if they’re naughty or nice – and kids believe it! It's a great way to get your kids to behave well during the season.

What’s your all time favorite holiday read for the kids? What book will you always remember having read with your family when you were young? Share your stories in the comments below.

Happy Holidays!


In this episode Allison's Wardrobe is provided by:

Dress, A Pea In The Pod
Necklace and ring, Gorjana - http://www.gorjana-griffin.com/gorjana/


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